Founded founded in the 5th century by refugees from nearby Altino fleeing from Attila the Hun, Burano is the lace and fishing island located just north of Murano. I guess it makes sense that it has a lace history as skills for hand tying fishing nets can easily be carried over to more traditional lace manufacturing.

Where are we on our road trip through Northern Italy?
Milan ➔ Como ➔ Sirmione ➔ Verona ➔ Venice ➔ Murano ➔ BURANO ➔ Modena/Hombre ➔ Vernazza ➔ Pisa ➔ Florence ➔ San Gimignano ➔ Volterra ➔ Siena ➔ Assisi ➔ Civita di Bagnoregio ➔ Orvieto ➔ Mostri Park ➔ Sorrento ➔ Pompeii ➔ Herculaneum ➔ Amalfi ➔ Rome ➔ Malpensa

Murano and Burano can be done in a single day and Burano is the ‘next island’ after Murano on the number 12 Vaporetto from Fondamente Nove on the north coast of Venice. Read up on how to get to Murano in our other post before you visit Burano.

Getting to Burano takes about 45 minutes, 15 minutes to Murano and then another 30 minutes to Burano with departures happening about every 20 minutes. The best time to go is the time when there are less crowds. Less crowds means earlier in the day and that luckily is also the coolest part of the day. So plan early to go early!

The vaporetto (ferry) ride is as much fun as wandering around Burano as on the way there you see many different boats and Venetians going about their aquatic business. For the latest schedule have a look for line/route (12) on the ACTV Website.

Burano has a very high population density and the entire island is covered by brightly colored homes side by side. Though the history of the islands showed income was derived by fishing and lace manufacturing , the biggest money earner for Burano today is .. tourism.

Things to see and do in Burano;

1. Strap on your walking shoes because the best way to see Burano is to explore on foot. Just wander and explore.
2. Take Photos. Its hard to take a bad photo in Burano as everything is so colorful and photogenic. Make sure you have room and plenty of ‘juice’ in your camera before leaving your accommodation to explore.
3. Check out the Lace Museum. More information here.
4. Take in a lace demonstration. Yes, this is supposed to be the heart of needle point lace for the Venice area so go and see how it is done.
5. Visit the church and tower of San Martino.
6. Shop for artwork, postcards and of course … lace . 🙂

Interesting Fact: You cannot just paint your house any old color. Each house has to send a letter to local government requesting what color pallet is allowed for their immediate area.