How to Visit Burano and Murano in One Day

Though many visitors to Venice only spend enough time there to madly dash around St. Mark’s Square, Rialto Bridge, and other world-famous sights, people who plan a longer stay in the city (which I recommend!) can afford to use some of their time to visit outlying islands in the Venetian Lago.

Two of the most famous and popular outer islands of Venice include Burano — a small island famous for its extravagant colors and intricate laces — and Murano — a slightly bigger island that lies practically just a stone’s throw from Venice and is known the world over for its glassmaking.

Conveniently, Burano and Murano lie on the same ferry line from Venice, making it easy to visit both islands in one delightful day.

In this post, learn all about how to visit Burano and Murano in one day from Venice. You’ll discover where to catch the right ferry (and how to buy tickets), what to see and do in Burano and Murano, and more — including which island is better (at least according to me!), if you have to choose between them.

TIP: This map contains the locations discussed in this blog post. To save it to your own Google Maps account, click the star next to the map’s name. You can then find and use the map from your Google Maps app by going to “Saved,” then “Maps.”

Burano and Murano in One Day: An Itinerary

Here’s an itinerary for how to visit Burano and Murano in one day.

9:10 am: Take the Ferry from Venice to Burano

To reach Burano and Murano, you will need to take the number 12 ferry from Venice’s Fondamente Nove stop.

The number 12 ferry leaves every 30 minutes beginning at 6:10 am. (Actually, the first departure is even earlier, but 6:10 is when the 30-minute departures start.)

I’ve suggested that you choose the 9:10 departure, but you can certainly leave earlier if you like. (Be warned that there is no 8:40 am departure on Sundays, for some reason.) I wouldn’t advise taking a later ferry, because the later you leave, the more crowds you will encounter at every step of your day.

Finding the Stop

There are multiple piers at Fondamente Nove (piers “A,” “B,” “C,” and “D”), and multiple ferry lines stop there. Each line is designated a specific pier where it will always stop. It’s very important to make sure you are standing at the right pier when your ferry arrives, or you will not be able to board.

Thankfully, each pier is clearly marked with the numbers of the ferry lines that stop there. During my last visit, the number 12 line stopped at pier A, but be sure to check the signage and any posted maps to be sure that’s still the case.

I recommend that you arrive at Fondamente Nove at least 10 minutes before your desired ferry is scheduled to depart to make sure you have plenty of time to find the right pier.

Buying a Ferry Ticket

You can buy two types of ferry tickets: single-use or daily/multi-day pass.

A single-use ticket is valid for 75 minutes from the time of validation (more on that in a minute). These tickets cost €9.50 each.

A daily or multi-day pass, on the other hand, provides unlimited rides on Venice’s ferries and water buses for 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, or 7 days — your choice. Longer cards cost more to buy, but are a better value (if you actually use them). For example, the 7-day card costs a little over twice as much as the 1-day card, but it’s valid for 7 times longer.

Because you will ride at least 3 separate ferries during this itinerary, I recommend that you buy a daily pass — the 24-hour pass if you don’t intend to ride any other ferries or vaporetti during your visit to Venice, or a longer pass if you do.

You can purchase a ticket at certain of the stops, including Fondamente Nove. You may also be able to purchase a single-use ticket from a conductor on board the ferry.

Alternatively, you can buy tickets on the AVM Venezia official app. This is a particularly handy option if you want to avoid keeping track of a paper ticket for one or more days.

Riding the Ferry

The number 12 ferry makes several stops along its route, including both Murano and Burano. About 10 minutes away from Venice, it will stop at Murano. Don’t get off here — you will return to Murano in the afternoon.

Instead, you are first going to the island of Burano, which is farther away from Venice. The ferry to Burano takes about 45 minutes from Venice.

10:00 am: Explore Burano

When you arrive on Burano, it’s time to simply wander. Ideally, arriving by mid-morning will give you an hour or more to explore before hordes of other visitors truly flood in. When I visited Burano, it was still quite sleepy and quiet when I arrived at 10 am, with cafe owners still setting up their outdoor tables and the streets largely empty of tourists.

Burano is famous for its brightly colored houses and other buildings. We don’t know why, exactly, Burano is so colorful, though local legend says that it’s because fishermen used to paint their houses in easily identifiable colors that would help them find their way home in the fog.

Take your time wandering along the canals and hidden streets, enjoying the bright colors and the laundry inevitably flapping in the breeze.

One of my own favorite spots in Burano was a hole-in-the-wall bar off a canalside square, where local men sat laughing and chatting at lunchtime.

Burano is also well-known for its history of lace-making. This trade began long ago, when residents of Burano would export handmade lace across Europe, and was more firmly established as a Burano specialty with the opening of a lace-making school in 1872.

Burano’s lace-making school closed in 1970, but some local makers still practice the craft, and you’ll find shops selling lace items throughout the island. Be warned, though that the cheaper lace items are likely to be machine-made products that may actually have been made in China, not Italy (much less Burano).

To discover more about the history of Burano lace, view antique lace examples, and shop for high-quality lace souvenirs, you can visit the lace museum, Museo del Merletto. Or if you’re especially interested, you can even take a course in genuine Burano lace-making at the Martina Vidal Atelier in Venice!

12:55 pm: Take the Ferry from Burano to Murano

In the early afternoon, it’s time to (sadly) leave Burano and take the ferry back toward Venice — with a lengthy stop in Murano on the way.

Depending on the day and season of your visit, the ferries might be quite busy at this time of day. On my visit in early September, the 12:55 pm ferry was so busy that I had to wait for the next one 20 minutes later.

The ferry from Burano to Murano takes about 30 minutes.

2:00 pm: Explore Murano

After disembarking the ferry, walk toward the canal running through the southern section of Murano, which is the commercial heart of the island and a nice introduction to Murano.

Like Burano, Murano is particularly known for a craft — in this case, glass-blowing. As such, many of the shops on the island are focused on beautiful glass objects.

You can also visit a glass factory to see the artisans in action (I’ve marked a few factory locations on the map above, but there are many others), or even participate in a workshop and give glass-blowing a try for yourself!

To learn more about Murano’s history of glassmaking, visit the Museo del Vetro — the Glass Museum.

Other than wandering and shopping for glass souvenirs (I bought a really charming glass Christmas tree ornament, personally), Murano is a great place to find a canalside bar or cafe and relax with a cool drink. I came across a nice shady square with seating, and had a lovely time reading my book while listening to a musician play familiar songs by rubbing the rims of water-filled glasses.

5:25 pm: Return to Venice

When you are satisfied with your Murano experience, head back to the ferry stop and catch the next boat to Fondamente Nove in Venice.

Can You Visit Murano Before Burano?

Yes, if you like, you can certainly start your day in Murano and head to Burano in the afternoon.

I wouldn’t personally recommend this, because I think visitors benefit more from experiencing Burano, which is smaller and more charming, before other day trippers flood in by late morning. But if there’s a particular reason that you’d rather see Murano first, go for it!

Burano vs. Murano: Which One Is Better?

As you can see from this post, it’s easy to visit Burano and Murano in one day.

But what if you don’t have time to visit both, or want to spend an entire day on one of these islands, rather than splitting your time across them? Which is better: Murano or Burano?

I might have played my hand a little early, a few paragraphs up, but my vote is for Burano.

As a photographer, I think Burano — with its bright colors, narrower canals, and ultra-charming streets — is far more interesting than Murano. But you don’t have to be a photographer to appreciate the charms of Burano; it’s a distinct place that feels very different than Venice (in a good way!), while Murano might feel a bit more like a (much) smaller Venice.

To be clear, Murano is perfectly lovely — and if you have a particular interest in glassmaking, you should definitely go there! But for most people, I think Burano is more unique and appealing.

Final Thoughts

During my first trip to Venice, I loved spending a day in Burano and Murano, and would definitely recommend it to other visitors who have enough time in Venice for a day trip to other islands.

That said, if you have to choose between them, pick Burano!

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