Day Trips to Murano and Burano from Venice

If you are going to spend several days in Venice, I strongly recommend that you reserve half a day to visit the other most important and beautiful islands of the Venetian lagoon: Murano, Burano and Torcello.

The most complete option

Murano, Burano and Torcello Islands Day Trip from Venice

Explore Murano, Burano and Torcello and visit a glassblowing factory

Visit these mythical islands with an expert guide and learn curiosities about their monuments and streets. Visit a glass factory and be amazed by the talent of its artisans.

From $26 at Hellotickets

This excursion of about 4 hours and a half from Venice, is an ideal opportunity to visit these beautiful islands and get to know their corners and charms. You will travel by shared boat, like a real local.

Together with the tour guide who will accompany you during the trip, you will visit monuments such as the Cathedral of Torcello (the first cathedral of Venice). Then you will visit a glass-blowing factory and enjoy the artisans working the glass.

In Burano, you will enjoy admiring the colorful fishermen's houses and their traditional lace, which you can also buy in the store to take home as a souvenir.

Recommended if... you are looking to make the most of your stay in Venice and are interested in getting to know its surroundings, as well as its glassblowing tradition.

If you have more time to visit the surroundings of Venice, I recommend this guided tour in English to know not only Murano, but also the wonderful islands of Burano and Torcello and for a really affordable price, from $26 With this half day tour(4 hours and a half) aboard a cruise ship and being able to leave in the morning or afternoon from Venice you will discover:

This is the most economical way to discover how the famous Murano glass is worked. This activity includes the glass blowing demonstration, half an hour long and in English. However, you will have to get to Murano and then return to Venice on your own and aboard one of the many vaporettos that make the trip several times a day (you can get your transport pass in Venice that includes the trip to Murano, among other nearby islands).

What you will do at the factory

This is the most complete and personalized excursion of all, also the most expensive, as it includes a half-day private tour of the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello with pick-up at your hotel and private cruise on board a typical Venetian motorboat.

You will take a guided tour in English to visit the three most important islands of the Venetian lagoon: Burano, Torcello and Murano, with a visit to an artisan glass factory with a demonstration of how Murano glass is worked by a master glassmaker, the entrance to the Basilica of Santa Maria and San Donato and a tour of the exterior of the 17th century Church of St. Peter Martyr.

Vicky's Traveller Tip

If you want to get your hands on a Murano glass souvenir, compare prices among the stores or buy it in Burano, it's usually cheaper.

If you are interested in visiting the island of Murano in a more complete, comfortable and personalized way, choose this private tour with hotel pick-up and water cab ride on the Grand Canal. You will do the whole tour with a professional guide in English and you will get to know the most iconic of Venice in a totally exclusive experience.

What you will do in Murano:

You will tour its historic center hand in hand with your guide seeing places like the 7th century Basilica of St. Mary and St. Donatus, with three naves and apse in Byzantine style and housing the remains of St. Donatus, Bishop of Ebria, and the supposed remains of the dragon that killed him, plus several exquisite polychrome marble mosaics with allegorical depictions of animals and geometric motifs

You will visit a traditional Murano glass factory, the Vetreria Artistica Colleoni, with a demonstration of the making of two glass objects by a master craftsman, a tradition dating back to 1291.

You will enjoy a 20% discount and participate in a curious activity in the purest Cinderella style and in which you will try on a glass shoe similar to that of this fairytale princess. If the shoe turns out to be your size, you will take it home with you as a souvenir.

Please note that this tour ends in Murano, that is, it does not include the water cab ticket back to Venice, so you will have to take one of the vaporettos that make the trip from Murano to various points of Venice, such as San Marco, the train station and Fondamente Nove, among others. (Check how they work on their official website).

Itinerary

Getting to the most beautiful and important islands of the Venetian lagoon, Murano, Burano and Torcello, from Venice is very easy thanks to one of the organized excursions I have told you about or on your own, through the city's public water transport, the vaporetto.

You can take one of the vaporetto that leave very frequently from Venice, every 20 minutes, and reach Murano, Burano and Torcello in about half an hour. The vaporetto depart from the Fondamente Nove stop and have several lines, although I recommend you to take number 12, as it stops in Murano and Burano in the same route.

Prices of the vaporetto

The price of a single one-hour trip by vaporetto is 6.5 euros, so if you are going to use this means of transport to move around Venice and its surroundings, I recommend you to get one of the city's transport cards.

These cards include access to all the vaporetto that run through Venice and its nearby islands, with night rides along the Grand Canal, others to reach interesting neighborhoods such as Dorsoduro and even all the buses to Lido included, for a much more convenient price, since you pay for full days of use and without limits. The prices of the Venice transport cards, which can be used from 4.30 am to 00.30 am, are:

Murano

On the island of Murano you can stroll through a cozy and authentic town around wonderful canals, streets and unique stores, where you will discover the variety of glass objects that can make their glass artisans.

Knowing precisely how they create these unique pieces in one of the many factories in the center of the island is one of the essential activities to do in Murano, thanks to the demonstrations of glass masters who preserve this tradition that made the town so prosperous between 1400 and 1500 as a hub of glassmaking in Europe.

You can go to Murano any day, although it is best to avoid Saturdays, which is when the glass factories are usually closed. In Murano are also a must visit the churches of Santa Maria and San Donato and St. Peter Martyr.

Torcello

In Torcello you will discover the oldest island of the Venetian lagoon, born between the V and VI centuries. This town has a great historical heritage, full of ornate buildings among which stand out its palaces, such as the ancient Throne of Attila.

Its famous Devil's Bridge preserves the physiognomy of the ancient Venetian bridges and its churches, such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in the 7th century, and the remains of the baptistery in the Church of Santa Fosca, a great example of Byzantine art and located in the main square of Torcello.

Burano

This picturesque town of no more than 4,000 inhabitants is famous for its cookies, its prized seafood, for having come to make the best lace in Europe, a tradition that dates back to the sixteenth century, and for its colorful fishermen's houses. Legend has it that the sailors painted each house in a different color to be able to distinguish them from their boats and in the distance during foggy days.

To admire Burano' s lace, go to one of the many local stores and craft stalls in its central square, Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, and visit the museum of the old Lace School. Burano has no major attractions, apart from the bell tower of the Church of San Martino Vescovo, a bit tilted and that you can see from any point of the island, but just for getting lost among its charming streets, the visit is well worth it.

If you want to explore the history and art of the main monuments of the city, you can't miss the entrance to the Doge's Palace and the visit to St. Mark's Basilica. Also, be sure to visit the impressive St. Mark's Square or do one of the most iconic activities in the city: the gondola rides through the canals of Venice.

I leave you here my articles about it so you can check all the details: Doge's Palace in Venice Tickets and Tours, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice Tickets and Tours y Venice Gondola Rides.