Burano is truly the most colorful island in the world with brightly painted buildings covering most of the island!

It’s an easy day trip from Venice to Burano where you can explore this tiny, vibrant island in the Venetian Lagoon.

The colorful homes that Burano has become best known for attract 1-2 million visitors each year, despite only having a population of about 2,800 people on the island.

I’m drawn to colorful places like Capitola in California and Cinque Terre and Lerici in Italy. Naturally, a day trip from Venice to the island of Burano was a must for me!

Venice to Burano Day Trip Itinerary & Guide

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Burano is just 40 minutes from Venice in the northern area of the Venetian Lagoon and has been occupied by people since as early as the 5th century. It has been the home to many artists and creative people throughout history and was even visited by Leonardo da Vinci!

The island is so small that you don’t need a full day trip to see it all — the entire island of Burano can be explored in just a few hours.

How To Get To Burano From Venice

You have a few options when taking a day trip from Venice to Burano. Like Venice, locals get around by boat as there are no cars in Burano. The only way to get from Venice to Burano is by boat.

Though the Vaporetto is the cheapest and simplest option, you can also go on a guided tour or take a private water taxi.

Vaporetto From Venice to Burano

The best way to get from Venice to Burano is to take a 40-minute Vaporetto that departs every half hour and makes a stop in Murano on the way (optional if you want to get off and explore Murano).

Sometimes you’ll hear people refer to the Vaporetto as a ferry, but it is a public water bus run by ACTV. Don’t confuse it with the Alilaguna, which is the public water taxi to/from the airport.

Vaporetto Tourist Travel Card

If you’ll be in Venice for more than a day trip, it’s worth getting a Tourist Travel Card which gives you unlimited Vaporetto rides for your chosen duration. You can get travel cards for 12, 24, 28, and 74 hours or 7 days.

These cards are purchased at larger Vaporetto stops or online. If you arrive in Venice at the train station, you can buy them at the ticket stations outside of the train station exit.

We got 72-hour travel cards for 40€ each which was worth it since we spent four nights in Venice. You can also buy single passes for the ride from Venice to Burano and back for 7.50€ each if you don’t want to get a Tourist Travel Card.

Once you have your Tourist Travel Card or individual ticket, be sure to scan it at the Vaporetto station before you enter and board a Vaporetto.

Vaporetto From Venice to Burano (and Back)

There are a few vaporetto stations around Venice with routes to Burano, but the best and most direct route is from the north side of Venice at the F.te Nove “A” stop to Burano (either Burano “B” or “C” stop).

You can see the full Vaporetto route and the time tables on the Water Bus Venice website, or put Venice to Burano in Google Maps and select the public transportation option.

The Vaporetto from Venice to Burano has lots of seating inside and a restroom on board, though during busier times some people will have to stand.

It is larger than the other Vaporetti I took throughout Venice on shorter “inside” routes (the smaller Vaporetto is pictured below).

I occasionally get motion sickness and take Dramamine any time I plan to get on a boat for longer than 30 minutes; luckily, the trip was mostly smooth.

Guided Tours From Venice To Burano

Many guided tours will take you from Venice to Burano and Murano (known for glass blowing), and sometimes Torcello and San Francesco as well.

The tours include private transportation from Venice to Burano, so you can skip the Vaporetto and get a local tour too! Below are a few of the best-rated day trips from Venice to Burano:

Private Water Taxi to Burano

The third and most expensive option to get from Venice to Burano is a private water taxi.

It costs about 300€ for a ride there and back, and is slightly faster than Vaporetto, taking about 30 minutes instead of 40.

As luxurious as it is to ride in a private water taxi, the difference in cost between a Vaporetto and a private water taxi isn’t worth it in my opinion!

If you want private transportation to Burano, book a guided tour instead since the cost is less and includes both private transportation and a tour.

Is Burano Worth Visiting?

Yes, Burano is definitely worth visiting! If you love colorful places and want to see an island unlike any other, hop on a Vaporetto and head to Burano.

Venice is beautiful and I can understand not wanting to take time away from exploring its charming streets, but you can see Burano in less than three hours, including travel time there and back!

It’s worth taking a half-day trip from Venice to Burano to experience the rainbow of houses for yourself.

Best Time to Visit Burano

I think the shoulder seasons are always the best time to visit the coastal countries and islands in Europe. The weather is milder and there are far fewer crowds compared to July and August.

We spent two weeks in Italy in September and although we had some unexpected storms, I still think September and October are the best times to visit Europe. I visited Malta in October, and the weather was gorgeous!

As for the time of day to visit Burano without the crowds, aim to leave Venice around 9am or after 3pm. We left Venice around 4pm as our Burano day trip was a spontaneous one!

The weather was a bit cooler and overcast the day we visited in mid-September, but the colors of the buildings still popped. The next day was a bright and sunny one in Venice, so we just got unlucky the day we went to Burano.

Burano doesn’t really “wake up” until around 10am when the shops and restaurants start opening. If you want to just explore the town without any people and take some amazing photos, you can leave even earlier than 9am! Just know that most places will still be closed when you arrive.

As most tours and day trippers leave around 4pm, there will be far fewer crowds if you arrive by then. Though there were still streams of people in the main squares, we were able to walk freely without navigating large groups of people.

Things To Do in Burano

Though it’s a popular tourist destination, there aren’t many activities aside from exploring the brightly colored homes throughout the island!

This is what makes Burano a perfect half-day trip from Venice — you can see and do it all in just a few hours.

Explore the Colorful Houses

The best thing to do in Burano is to walk through the streets and along the canals to admire the colorful homes. As most of the island is made up of houses, there are a surprising number of houses to explore on this tiny island!

Every house is painted a distinctive, bright color. Some have contrasting shutters and vines growing up the side, and many have a sheet of fabric hanging in front of the entrance.

These sheets of fabric are presumably used as privacy for when the residents want to open the front door to get fresh air without groups of tourists peeking in as they walk by. Considering the ratio of residents (2,800) to annual visitors to the island (2 million), this makes perfect sense.

Visiting Burano finally made it click for me why the group of brightly colored houses in Capitola, California is called Venetian Court!

Something I wondered that you might be wondering too is if residents are allowed to paint their houses in Burano. With how iconic the colorful houses are to the island and how no houses side-by-side are the same color, I figured there were some sort of rules against painting your house.

This is partially true! Residents cannot just paint their houses whatever color they want whenever they want, but they are allowed to paint their houses with permission from the government.

Burano has a system for the houses and the colors with which they can be painted. Each lot is assigned a selection of specific colors they’re allowed to pick from to paint their house and the government must approve it.

An important note is that these houses are homes lived in by residents of the island. While a few are vacation homes available to rent, the majority of them are occupied by locals who do not want to be disturbed.

It should go without saying, but I’m saying it anyway: be respectful of the residents and their homes as you explore the island. Don’t trespass, make excessive noise, or cause inconvenience for the residents.

Spot the Leaning Tower of Burano

If you thought the Leaning Tower of Pisa was impressive, the 53-meter campanile of San Martino church in Burano is leaning even further!

The lean looks more dramatic from some angles than others, so keep an eye out for it as you venture around the island. One of the best viewpoints of it, in my opinion, is from around 72 Fondamenta di Terranova.

Walk Across the Bridges

Burano is made up of four islands with canals running through them, all interconnected by bridges. These bridges are perfect for photo ops either of you or of the houses with the canal running down the center.

The canals are best seen from bridges, and that goes for Venice as well as Burano!

Some bridges are more popular than others and you may have to exercise some patience to get the photo you want.

Visit the Lace Museum

While the colorful houses are the main thing Burano is known for today, it is also known for its history of lace-making starting in the 16th century.

Though traditional lace-making is no longer common in Burano, you can still experience that history at the lace museum and shops. The Museo del Merletto (Museum of Lace) is located in the palace that once housed the school of lacemaking.

It has four rooms that lead you through the history of lacemaking with pieces on display from the 16th century to the 20th century across three rooms. The fourth room displays the lace school’s history, which was open from 1872-1970.

Tickets are just 5€ per person to visit the museum or you can get a museum pass for 40€ which allows you to visit 10 different museums in Venice, including the Lace Museum in Burano and the Glass Museum in Murano.

Check Out the Shops

The area between the Vaporetto stop and the church is where most of the shops are in Burano. As tourism is Burano’s main economy, many of the shops are tourist trinkets and knick-knacks that aren’t necessarily authentic to Burano or even Italy for that matter.

Even lace shops that claim to sell handmade lace have been shown to be untrustworthy when people take their “handmade” lace purchase to get examined by professionals in their home country.

I’m often weary of buying things at shops located in tourist hot spots, but it can be difficult to discern what’s authentic and what’s not. Either way, buying from shops in Burano does help support the locals who own the shops!

One lace store that does carry authentic, handmade Burano lace is Martina Vidal Venezia. Their prices are not cheap, which tells you you’re paying for authentic, handmade lace that takes years to learn and many tedious hours to make.

Take a Guided Tour

If you want to experience Burano with a knowledgeable guide, there are a few highly rated day trips from Venice to Burano and Murano!

As I mentioned earlier, these tours include transportation from Venice to Burano (and back) and any other islands that are part of the tour itinerary. Though some tours don’t get amazing reviews, I’ve found the best ones with the highest reviews:

Eat Fresh Seafood

Like Venice, the main type of dish in Burano is seafood. Burano has been a fishing island since it was first inhabited and is known for its fresh seafood dishes!

While there aren’t as many fishermen today, you can still eat fresh fish from Burano in the restaurants on the island or purchase it daily at the Rialto Market.

There are over two dozen types of local fish and shellfish caught around Burano so you’ll have quite a variety of choices! The most popular fish dish in Burano is called risotto de gò, which is goby (the name of the fish in English) with risotto.

If you like seafood and visit during lunch, find a local restaurant to get a taste of the fresh Burano fish!

Where To Stay in Burano

If a day trip to Burano just isn’t enough, you can stay overnight in one of the colorful homes! Though there aren’t many accommodations on Burano, most of them get glowing reviews.

Staying in a colorful Burano house would be such a special part of your trip!

Most of the accommodations in Burano require a 2-night stay at a minimum. The ones that do not have a minimum stay requirement are denoted with * below. All accommodations listed below have air conditioning.

Over 150€/night on average

Night Galleria Holiday Home: Two-bedroom, split-level home painted bright pink on the outside.
Flora Cottage Guesthouse Burano*: Two-bedroom apartment with floral murals all over the inside and views of the canal and city.
Ca' Nova*: Two-bedroom, split-level home with canal and city views.

100-150€/night on average

Tiffany Gold: One bedroom with sea views, kitchen, and washing machine.
Tiffany Home: Choice of 3 different apartments, two with sea views.
Casa Nova: Choice of apartments with a shared lounge, city views, and a terrace.
Cà Comare Burano: One-bedroom house with views of the canal and leaning campanile.

What To Bring to Burano

Antitheft backpack: I always travel with my antitheft backpack because 1. It’s cute and 2. It gives me peace of mind that no one can access my wallet, passport, etc. while I’m exploring.
COOLA sunscreen: Sunny days in Burano (and anywhere, for that matter) call for plenty of sunscreen! COOLA has become my go-to sunscreen since it’s reef-safe and feels like a moisturizer.
Reusable water bottle: This is an excellent way to stay hydrated while traveling. Owala is my absolute favorite brand and their 24oz water bottle is the perfect size for travel and day trips.
Travel umbrella: My biggest lesson from our two weeks in Italy is to always carry a travel umbrella. Unexpected rain is much more tolerable when you have an umbrella with you! The best umbrella is the Weatherman, but the Gorilla Grip is cheaper and still gets great reviews.

What To Wear in Burano

You can either dress colorfully to match the buildings or wear white to compliment them nicely. I opted for a white crop top and wide-leg linen pants since it wasn’t a hot day when we visited.

Whether you wear a nice dress or go casual with shorts/pants and a T-shirt, you’ll fit right in. Visitors wear a wide variety of clothes and there are no specific rules for what you need to wear in Burano.

If it were a hotter day, I probably would have worn a white midi dress or some linen shorts and a white t-shirt!

As for footwear, something comfortable is ideal. Burano may be small but you can still get plenty of steps in as you walk around the island. I packed my Allbirds Tree Runner Go and they were perfect for walking around all of Italy!

Find more outfit ideas on my European Summer Packing List post!