When visiting Venice, I highly recommend to visit some of the other islands of the Venetian Lagoon: Murano, Burano and Torcello. These islands often get skipped because tourists don’t have enough time, even though they have so much to offer. In this post I will discuss some of the highlights of these islands and how to get there.
Murano
Murano can be found just 1.5 km from Venice. The island itself consists of five small islands connected by bridges.
How to get there?
It is possible to book a tour to all the islands but if you want to travel on a budget it is recommended to take the Vaporetto. This is a motorized boat used as public transport in Venice. Line 4.1 connects the island to the center of Venice.
What to do here?
Murano is best known for its glass industry. The island’s main development took place after 1291 when the glass ovens were moved from Venice to Murano. Thanks to this relocation, the island became the production center for Venetian glass. In 1861, the abbot Vincenzo Zanetti brought to life the Murano Glass Museum, which can still be found today in Murano itself. You can also visit one of the glass factories on the island. You can just walk into one of the many glass stores and often they will have a ‘show’ where they show you how the glasswork is made.
Tips
70% of the glass sold in Venice does not come from the city itself. The glass is often produced in large factories in China, after which it is sold under the label ‘made in Venice’. In order to protect the image of Murano glass and guarantee the customer about the origin of the product, the trademark Vetro Artistico Murano was created. The label can be recognized by the red/gold or blue/gold trademark logo with the dealer’s code at the top. So make sure to look for this label if you want to buy some real Murano glass.
Burano
Burano is a another small island in the lagoon of Venice. Where Murano and glass belong together, Burano and lace belong together. Lace is, next to glass, one of the typical Venetian crafts.
How to get there?
It can be reached in about 45 minutes by boat line 12 from the Venetian center. This line also makes a stop in Murano. A one-way ticket will cost you about €6.50 but it is also possible to purchase a day ticket for the vaporetto for € 20. The water taxi from Venice departs daily between 04:20 and 23:20. The vaporetto from Burano back to Venice departs from 05:00 to 00:11.
What to do here?
With about 3000 inhabitants, Burano is today a tourist attraction because of its lace production, but above all because of its colorful houses. In fact, according to Burano’s official website, Isola di Burano, it is in the top ten ‘most colorful cities in the world’ by unnamed magazines. Lace and the art of lace making is today exhibited in the lace museum, better known as the Museo del Merletto.
Tips
Make sure you have enough space on your camera or phone to take pictures, because you will want to take a photo of every house you see!
Torcello
This island is not special enough to visit on its own, but it is worth a stop if you are exploring Murano and Burano. It can also be reached by line 12 of the Vaporetto. Torcello’s main attraction is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, an example of Veneto-Byzantine art with beautiful mosaics. It is a great island to visit when you are craving some nature after a trip to the busy city of Venice.
Let me know on my Instagram (@kolibrietravel) if you have been to one of these islands!
Want to read more of my articles?
Leave a Reply