Things to Do in Burano, Italy’s Most Colorful Island

Burano, Italy, often tops the list of day trips to the Venetian Lagoon for travelers in this part of the country. The rise of social media has only made it that much thicker with tourists in the high season.

The kaleidoscope of colorful homes will do that to an Instagrammer.

I’ll admit that’s what got me initially interested in making the trip. Burano looked cute as heck, and I like places that are cute as heck.

As I investigated the best things to do in Burano, I realized a lot of the available itineraries were pretty loose.

“Walk around,” they said.

“Check out the colorful homes,” they said.

I mean, sure. Burano isn’t jam-packed with things to do compared to cultural monsters like Florence, but there are some things you can add to your little smartphone maps to give your strolls a little more purpose.

Yes, that includes walking about to check out the technicolor homes.

Burano has aesthetic appeal.

Burano is worth visiting for its looks alone. Its colorful houses alone have the potential to quickly become the highlight of any Italy trip.

It also has a rich cultural heritage, unique among other sites to visit in Venice.

What is Burano famous for?

Burano is famous for its colorful houses set against picturesque canals. It’s also known for Burano lace.

The lace-making tradition in Brauno goes back centuries, with some records showing evidence of lace-making back to the 16th century.

The industry was female-led then and it remains so. What started as an art form became a cottage industry following some disastrous years for the local fishing industry.

The women wanted to help out their men, so off they went to make that lace.

Burano lace doesn’t hold quite the exclusive air as it did back then thanks to cheaper, mass-produced copies and less interest in the trade. It still remains a part of the island’s identity. 

Visitors wondering what to buy in Burano inevitably end up thinking about taking home some of that lace. If I didn’t live in a tiny French apartment at the time, I might have considered it myself. 

How Much Time to Spend in Burano

You need at least a few hours in Burano to explore the island at a leisurely pace. You’ll likely spend most of your time taking photos all over the colorful island vs. actually ticking off attractions there. It’s very walkable, too.

Things to Do in Burano

The most beautiful streets in Burano are any of the streets that run alongside the island’s canals or Via Baldassarre Galuppi, one of the main streets on the island.

You’ll want to start there, especially if you have limited time and want to get all of those glamour shots ticked off your list. The Tre Ponti bridge is another popular spot, but you’ll likely share it with other tourists.

Take photos of the colorful houses.

I keep talking about the colors here, but it really is the biggest reason why traveling to Burano is so popular.

I won’t give this to you in five different ways (e.g. walk along the canal and take photos, take glamour shots against the colors, etc.) just to bump up the things to do here, either.

I’m not that blogger.

You’ll want to spend some time just walking the streets of Burano and seeing what you see. We arrived on a super foggy day, and it was still lovely. We likely would have spent even more time here if it’d been sunny and less obstructed by the mist.

In any case, yes, take your glamour shots. Point your camera here, there, and everywhere as you explore the most colorful places to visit in Burano.

Make your friends and family back home jealous about the fact that you’re in one of the most photogenic places in Italy.

Just be quick and respectful about it. Don’t sit on people’s stoops — we saw a lot of this — or have your picnic lunches on private property. It’s beautiful but it’s also inhabited. People live in these buildings.

Visit Bepi’s House.

Bepi’s House, also known as the House of Bepi Suà, is one of the most iconic homes in Burano. This used to be the home of Giuseppe Toselli, known locally as “Bepi,” a man who loved movies, color, and painting new shapes onto his house almost daily.

The passion for cinema came from his job as a maintenance man at the local movie theater. When that closed, he decided selling candy sounded awesome, so he did that next on the Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, the main square.

That bit earned him the name “Bepi of Candies.”

He was a hit with the kids in the neighborhood for the candy and for what he was doing to his house. In addition to the painting, he’d also throw a white sheet up against its walls and show movies for the neighborhood. 

Bepi is no longer with us, but the tradition of painting new shapes on his home persists thanks to locals who knew and remember him for being such a positive force.

See the high tide house.

This colorful house is known as the island’s “high tide house” because of the painted chart out front that gives a bit of history on high tide events on the island. If you zoom in on my image, you’ll see it to the immediate left of the front door, looking straight on.

Its facade is also painted with what locals associate with Burano, including its leaning tower and fishing boats. You’ll find this one on the Rio Terrà del Pizzo.

Note: This is a popular one for posing. If you can’t resist, snap your photo in front and move on. The stoops on the island aren’t for taking a load off. 

Check out the leaning tower of Burano.

You’ll spot the leaning bell tower in Burano, or Il Campanile Storto, from quite a few vantage points on the island, even if you’re dealing with the fog that we were.

We saw it from the water bus on the way in.

If you’re still not seeing it for whatever reason, look for the historic Church of Saint Martin Bishop, or Chiesa di San Martino. The church is home to the Cappella di Santa Barbara and relics of my mom’s patron saint. You’ll find the tower on the backside of that.

The tower has undergone quite a bit of renovation over the years, but much like that other one in Pisa, no amount of work has stopped this one from doing its thing. You can visit the church it’s attached to for free.

Do some learning at the Museo del Merletto.

Burano lace is a big deal, and the best place to learn about it is at Burano’s Lace Museum. It’s a cheap ticket and you’ll learn about how lace came to be more than a niche hobby on the island. 

I did have some lost-in-translation moments on the placards between the English and Italian descriptions, but the gist was there. 

Fun fact: The building this operates out of is historic, too. It’s the palace of Podestà of Torcello and the former home of the Burano Lace School until it shut down in 1970.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to observe some live lace work courtesy of women who still practice lace-making.

Watch from a distance and let them do their thing, please. You don’t need to stick the phone all the way up in their face. (Yes, this happened.)

Linger on the main square.

The Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi, or Piazza Galuppi, is hard to miss. If you’re headed to Burano’s leaning tower, you’ll see it. If you’re visiting the Lace Museum, you’ll see it then, too.

Take some time to linger and enjoy your surroundings as you walk to these attractions. This is the island’s hub for tourist shops, cafes, and dining, and many of the island’s most colorful homes are found off little alleyways that start here.

It’s just good for getting your bearings around here, too. 

Eat fresh seafood.

Where you go eat in Burano is less important than the “what.”

You’ll want to find restaurants serving up fresh seafood. If you’re not into seafood, by the way, you’re probably missing out on some essential omega-3 fatty acids, but I’m no physician.

Many of the restaurants around the main square will have decent reviews for a nice meal in Burano. Our pick was the family-owned Trattoria Da Primo. It was one of the most expensive spots we visited during our time in Venice, but I’ll allow it. 

Everything was fresh and delicious. The service was excellent and everyone was very attentive. We loved their mixed platter of grilled, pickled, and marinated seafood in particular. Brian had his fill of octopus for sure.

Note: Look for menus that have fresh fish from both the lagoon and the sea for some variety.

Try bussolà.

Burano is known for a dense cookie called bussolà, or buranelli.

Fun fact: They were originally made by the fishermen’s wives as a treat for when the hard-working men returned until the women were put to work making lace. 

The cookies are fine. If I’m in Italy, I’m more likely to be noshing on gelato.

You can get some of that at Gelateria Crema. They do have some limited hours in the off-season, but there are a few more options on the island that are likely fine if not as highly rated.

Drink some wine.

If I’m not taste-testing the wine at an Italian destination, I feel like I’m not doing something right.

We stopped by Bar Cafe Palmisano for wine and a cannolo despite the horrific reviews. The wine was cheap and fine. The cannolo was admittedly overpriced and not as yummy as what we’d had on the main island of Venice.

We didn’t have any issues with the staff, but it was also the low season. Expect more hectic vibes anywhere you go during the busiest times of the year, like spring break and summer, and cut the workers some slack.

This place wasn’t made for hordes of tourists and they have to deal with it.

If you’re really put off by those reviews, Vineria da Jacopo looked promising. It just wasn’t open during our trip.

Go home with some Burano lace.

I already told you my place is small and still void of lace, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go home with some fancy lacy things.

Burano lace costs vary depending on the shop you target and what you’re buying. Legitimate Burano lace will cost quite a bit more than the mass-produced stuff you’ll find on Amazon.

You can put a blindfold on and walk into a lace shop in Burano, but if you’re really not sure where to start, the Lace Museum shop is a good option.

You may also find lace-makers selling their creations throughout the island in the warmer months. (We didn’t.)

I’d suggest comparison shopping while you’re there rather than picking some up in the first shop you see. I’ve made some mistakes in life that way.

Take a guided walking tour.

We saw a few small and larger groups on the island during our visit. While I won’t pretend a guide is necessary here due to the size of the place, you may be a traveler who likes a little more background on a place than even I’ve provided.

I support that.

This one is a highly-rated option with a local who promises a history of Burano on top of a guided walk through the island’s colorful alleyways.

Walk over the Ponte Longo to Mazzorbo.

Did you get all that? I’m not speaking in tongues. I’m just suggesting that you walk across this bridge to Mazzorbo, a new island. It’s not far and you can say you’ve seen more of the Venetian Lagoon that way.

There are some colorful homes in Mazzorbo, too, but they’re definitely not as vibrant as in Burano.

The big deal over here is Venissa, a Venetian fine dining establishment and vineyard that would probably be a hit on a special occasion.

Its reputation has earned it a Michelin star, by the way. You’ll want to make reservations far in advance for this one.

Catch a sunset near the old fish market.

If you’re looking for things to do in Burano at night, don’t expect an intense nightlife.

Locals here love a good sunset, though. A good spot to catch them is around the old fish market.

We missed out on this because we were headed to check out the Murano glass after our Burano sightseeing, but the photos do look like a treat.

Just make sure that you’re watching the ferry schedules. There aren’t many options for accommodations in Burano, and they do book up in advance during busier months.

Boat over to the other islands.

You can do Murano and Burano in one day. The two are connected on the same water bus line. If you’re trying to decide between the two, Burano is nicer if you’re strictly speaking about the aesthetics of each place.

Murano doesn’t have the same colorful vibrancy as Burano, but it does have more to do because it’s the larger island. If you’re worried about missing out on Murano glass, the New Arte Fuga shop in Burano can fix that for you.

That said, we were even able to fit Torcello into one day of boating around the lagoon. It all felt quite doable and not even too long a day. You can have it all!

READ MORE: Love the sound of that? Check out my guide to all three islands.

How to Get to Burano From Venice

From Venice, you’ll need to take a vaporetto, or water bus, to Burano. Pick up the number 12 from the Fondamenta Nove ferry terminal in Venice. Ferries run every 20-30 minutes.

The most economical way to do this is to purchase a 24-hour transportation pass that covers bus and water transport in and around Venice.

If you’re in Venice for a few days, you may want to check out the Venezia Unica City Pass for discounted public transportation and admission to the city’s most popular tourist attractions. 

The validity of your pass starts with your first ride, but that gives you plenty of time to see Burano and the other islands.

If you’re on a group tour for the day, you may be picked up at St. Mark’s Square. This isn’t where you’ll leave from if you’re here on a self-guided adventure, so make sure you plug in that terminal I shared with you above in those maps.

The journey to Burano takes about 45 minutes. It stops in Murano and Mazzorbo on the way. You may be tempted to hop on the ferry at Mazzorbo on the return trip as it is quite close, but I’d caution against it.

The return ferry was VERY busy on our trip, and we were traveling in the low season.

The ride is a scenic one unless you’re unlucky with fog as we were. I didn’t have any need for my usual seasickness medication.

READ MORE: Need more day trips from Venice? Introduce yourself to romantic Verona.

Where to Stay on Trips to Burano

You can stay on Burano island, but whether you’re visiting Murano or Burano, both are easy to visit on a day trip from Venice. You’ll find much less expensive (and plentiful) accommodations there.

We stayed at the Hotel Canaletto for four nights on our recent Venice trip. The staff was excellent, the decor was fun, the breakfast was delicious, and the price was right. I’d highly recommend it as a solid base for exploration in the city.

Want to do some browsing? Check out the map below for apartments and hotels in Venice:

What is it like to visit Burano?

Visiting the colorful city of Burano is like visiting a place you dreamed up in your literal dreams.

While the island doesn’t need much of your time, any amount of time spent here is memorable. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

Even though we visited on what was apparently one of the foggiest days in recent memory for locals in Venice, the colors of this place still packed a punch. I can only imagine this place on a sunny day. Sounds like a return trip may be in order!

Traveling elsewhere in Italy? Check out these guides:

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• Spend a Busy Three Days in Rome, Italy
• How to Take the High-Speed Train to Pompeii
• First-Time Visitors: Rome vs. Florence
• Is Bologna Worth the Visit? My Honest Thoughts

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