Located in the Venetian lagoon, the island—archipelago would be more correct—of Burano makes for an amazing day trip from Venice.
Burano consists of four islands, all of which are separated by canals and interconnected by bridges. Situated only about seven kilometers (four miles) from Venice, it can be reached by the typical Venetian motorboats known as “vaporretti”. Vaporretto 12 commutes between Fondament Nove in Venice and Burano, stopping at the island of Murano and bypassing a couple of other small islands on the way. The boat ride takes about 40 minutes one way.
Venice, as gorgeous as it is, is best avoided in midday and in the afternoon. The best times to visit the city are early in the morning and around sunset. In between, I strongly recommend dedicating some time to explore the other islands, thus avoiding the enormous crowds that flood Venice during the day.
Get Away from the Crowds and Visit Burano
Burano is one of the places that you really, really should visit when staying in Venice. It’s easy to reach and is much less crowded.
And it’s also incredibly picturesque. Burano is definitely one of the most colors places in the world—I don’t know if it’s official, but I can hardly imagine a place that could be more colorful. It is such an exceptional place that it even made it onto the cover of Lonely Planet’s Mediterranean Europe travel guide!
The main highlights of the island are its colorful houses, pretty canals, restaurants and lace shops—Burano has been famous for its lace making since the 1500s. It is a wonderful place to simply walk around, browse some shops and nurse a drink on a terrace while watching the world go by.
Read more: Venice in 20 Photos
Burano isn’t a particularly large place and exploring it doesn’t take longer than an hour or two. There is a certain beauty in that, too, I think. I always like it when I can cover an entire destination in the timespan of, say, two or three hours. That way, there is much more time to stroll through particular areas, to enjoy local food, to visit an interesting museum and simply enjoy the ambience of that particular place.
The fact that you can properly visit Burano in one afternoon, including the boat rides from and back to Venice, makes it a fantastic and seriously recommended place for a day trip from Venice.
Ardjette Boixaderas
Saturday 14th of November 2015
I am impressed!! You uses lovely photos! You have made them by yourself?
Lolo
Thursday 12th of November 2015
We definitely plan on stopping here during our trip next year for Carnival! I cant wait!! Great pictures!!
Bram Reusen
Thursday 12th of November 2015
You absolutely should. It's an amazing day trip!