Burano
I’ve been to Venice three times now, and each time I visit I discover more and more treasures that this city of islands has to offer. In fact, it wasn’t until my last visit that I ventured to other islands in the lagoon. The idea of visiting the islands seemed somewhat intimidating at first; there were boats to consider. But as so many things go, once I got on the boat, it was a breeze.
The starting point for our day in the lagoon was the ferry terminal, located just in front of the Santa Lucia train station. Literally, right there. On the advice of a friend, we bought 24 hour passes for the vaparetti, the public transport water buses. It cost 20€, but as you will likely take more than three trips, it will pay for itself. It pays for itself just by not having to wait in what can be a very long ticket line each time you want to take the boat. We bought our tickets from the automated machine, although there was a staffed ticket desk; at every “station” there were people, so if you have any questions or just want to double check the route and direction the boat is going there is someone to ask!
Bridges, a staple of the Venetian architecture
And there are quite a few different routes. On some islands there are different docks, so be sure which location it is where you are stopping off. We began our trip by heading to Burano, which meant that we actually had to “change routes” and stop at Murano first. We took line 3 to Murano Faro, then line 12 to Burano (there are other routes to get there, such as taking line 5.2 to Fondamente Nove and then picking up line 12 from there; line 3 just happened to be the next boat leaving).
I began taking photos immediately as we docked in Burano. It is a psychedelic kaleidoscope of color compared to most of the cities in Italy - which are gorgeous, yes, but rarely painted fuchsia. Burano is small, and it naturally leads, along with the crowds of people who disembark with you, in the direction of the main tourist area. Heading towards Via Baldassarre Galuppi, you will find many lace shops (some more authentic than others; check for “made in China”) and restaurants. We had a delicious lunch at Trattoria “da Primo," with tiramisu for dessert!
Piazza Galuppi
Via Galuppi leads to Piazza Galuppi, which has two churches - San Martino and the Cappela di Santa Barbara. Be sure to view the bell-tower of San Martino from a distance - it’s a little crooked!
From there we just wandered around Burano, which is how I highly recommend you see it. All of the houses are unique, and it is all of the houses, main streets and small alleyways alike. It’s as charming as it looks.
I just loved this turquoise house!
While walking around, I thought about how picturesque it was, and what it would be like to live there. I tried to avoid infringing upon people’s daily lives; these are their homes. How weirded out would I be having hundreds of people taking pictures of my home everyday? Just something to think about; and to keep in mind while visiting really anywhere.
On the way back to Venice, the boat landed at Torcello (via line 12), so in the thinking of perché no?, or “why not?,” we decided to have a look around. It was a very warm day so we didn’t stay long, but we did walk by the cathedral, the historically significant Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. I also took a picture on this cute bridge, the Ponte del Diavolo.
Just a little angel sitting on Devil’s Bridge
Unfortunately, I can’t say much about Murano. On the way to Burano it was lunchtime and on the way back to Venice it was almost dark, so most of the glass stores it is famous for were closed. We did some window shopping and I was able to find an open store to buy a few glass-bead bracelets, but all-in-all it was pretty quiet, though lovely. Hopefully I will be able to visit again.
There is seating, but much of the water bus is standing room only. I actually preferred to stand by the edge to better enjoy the view, and to catch some of the breeze as it was a very warm day. However, the trips can be long, so bear that in mind if you have the choice to sit.
Approaching Murano Faro station - faro means “lighthouse” in Italian
I had been naïve to think I knew a lot about Venice before; seeing this beautiful city by boat completely gave me a new perspective. This little guide is by no means exhaustive - there are so many other Venetian island destinations to explore, but that will have to wait for next time!
Note: I have included some of the lines of water buses we took on our trip, but be sure to check with Google Maps to be sure! They may have a better or updated route :)
