Visiting the Colourful Island of Burano, Venice

Have you ever seen a more Instagram-worthy place than Burano?  This small fishing island full of colourful homes is just one of the many islands near Venice, Italy and it makes for a welcome retreat.  However, there are more than just aesthetic reasons to make the trip across the water.  Here is what you can expect when visiting the colourful island of Burano:

What is there to see and do in Burano

Of course, Burano‘s most famous attraction are its colourful buildings, there really is every bright colour you can imagine represented here and no home is without them.  They are still mostly inhabited by fisherfolk who bring in their catch to the island each evening.  The colours are so important that homeowners can not change the colour of their home without permission from the local government who have charts for each colour to ensure no clashes.

Burano is also famous for its lace which has been made there by settlers on the island since the 16th century.  The lace was so intricate that the women who made it often specialised in a single stitch style, and there were 7 styles in total so each item was passed from person to person to complete.  These days there are plenty of lace shops for you to peruse or you can visit the lace museum if you want to know more about the history of the craft on the island.

Burano is small so while there are no more major attractions to see the San Martino Church is also worth a visit and there are a handful of local restaurants, cafes and shops to peruse also.  The restaurants are a really great bet if you are looking for seafood as you can’t get much fresher then the catch that was brought to the island every day by the local fisherfolk, and it’s also significantly cheaper then on the Venice main island.

How to get there

As Venice is made up of small islands the only way to get here is by water bus, it is 4 miles/ 45 minutes from St Marks Square with a stop off at the island of Murano which is also worth exploring.  I’d recommend exploring them both and making a full day of it.  The cost of this journey is approximately €6.50.

How long to spend in Burano

As this is a mostly self explored island with no paid attractions to speak of outside of the museum you can spend as much or as little time as you would like.  You can easily walk around the island in an hour, however, I would recommend planning 2 hours as an absolute minimum and longer if you want to visit the shops, have lunch and visit the museum.  I’d recommend 2-5 hours depending on what you are looking to do.

Burano was a dream for me.  It was quiet during our visit (the joys of visiting just before the lockdown) and walking the colourful streets eating gelato from a local shop just filled me with pure joy!  It’s a place that really is candy from the eyes and even almost a year on makes me feel so happy when I think of it.  What I wouldn’t give to be back there right now…

Are you planning a trip to Venice?  Let me know what you think of Burno.