Visiting the island of Burano can be the perfect opportunity for a day trip out of Venice’s historic center. It’s one of the three most famous islands in the Venetian lagoon, together with Murano and Torcello islands, and it’s not by chance that millions of people visit it every year. In fact, there are three things Burano island is famous for: laces, its colored houses and its butter cookies “bussolai”.

But before listing all the things you can do and see in Burano island, let’s see how to get there.

How do you get from Venice to Burano?

Since it’s an island, the only way to reach it is by boat. Unless you planned a boat tour of the three main islands, you’ll need to catch the vaporetto line 12 from Fondamente Nuove, which is about 20 minutes on foot from our hotel. The journey lasts about 45 minutes and the round trip ticket costs 15 euros unless you purchased the VeneziaUnica City Pass in advance.

Read also: All you need to know about Venice public transport

What to see in Burano island: the Lace Museum

Especially in the 16th century, Venetian laces were highly sought-after, not only because of their unquestionable beauty but also for their fascinating and inimitable complexity. The designs, the pattern-books, and the historically significant lace works collected at the Lace Museum confirm the uniqueness of this Venetian technique.

The museum is located inside the historic palace of Podestà of Torcello, in Piazza Galuppi, were Burano Lace School had its offices from 1872 to 1970. The ticket costs 5 euros per person.

The colored houses of Burano island

Everyone knows that Burano is the most colorful island in the Venetian lagoon, but not many people know why the houses here are all so vividly painted.

Finding a foggy day in Venice is quite common, especially in winter, and if nowadays driving a vaporetto isn’t easy in those weather conditions, imagine how it could be centuries ago. Fishermen from Burano painted their houses for two reasons: to recognize their house easily, and to find their way back home when they went fishing in the lagoon in winter.

No doubt that Burano is one of the most picturesque islands near Venice, not visiting it would be a pity.

The Bepi’s house

If it’s true that each house on the island of Burano is colorful, it’s also true that there’s one more brightly painted than all the others: Bepi’s house.

Bepi, aka Giuseppe Toselli, was a nice man who used to organize a DIY outdoor cinema in his campiello, for the children of the island. He loved painting, this is why its house is decorated with many geometrical shapes, which made it the most famous house in Burano. We don’t think you want to miss it, right?

Burano’s old fish market

If in Venice there’s the Rialto fish market, on the island of Burano you’ll see the so-called Pescaria Vecia (old fishmarket), located in Via Giudecca.

If you want to see a beautiful sunset or sunrise in Venice, this is certainly one of the places to go, especially if you’re a passionate photographer.

Bussolà: a typical Burano’s cookie

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, Burano has its own cookie, whose recipe is still secret and handed down from one generation to another.

It’s a round butter cookie – made also with the shame of an “s” and called “Esse” – which seems easy to bake, but it’s not. Every time you try it won’t taste as good as it does in Burano.

Be careful with the Bussolà, you might become addicted to them!

Would you like to visit Burano island with a guided tour? Don’t hesitate to contact us for info!