Looking at photos of the brightly painted houses of Burano, it’s easy to wonder, are they really that colourful – and is it really worth the boat trip to Burano with kids? The answer is yes and yes!
contains affiliate links*
There are so many things to do in Venice itself that it’s easy to spend all your trip there, and overlook the surrounding islands, but exploring Burano with my daughter was one of our favourite parts of our trip.
So even if you’re just spending one day in Burano with kids – or part of one day – here’s why you should plan a visit, what not to miss and whether to combine it with time on Murano.
Discover Burano’s rainbow houses
It’s what tempts most visitors to the island, and no matter what age you are, the bright houses in the streets of beautiful Burano are guaranteed to raise a smile.
There aren’t many specific ‘attractions’ in the same way as other parts of Venice, which often leads people to wonder is Burano worth it? But it’s a definite yes from us, you can easily spend ages strolling along the canals just trying to decide which colour combination in your favourite.
Located on the outer Venetian lagoon, each house on the small fishing island is painted a different shade from its neighbours – if owners want to change the colour, they have to apply to the government for permission.
Stories say that the practice started to help fishermen find their home in the fogs which often blanket the lagoon. Others says that’s a myth and it was designed to mark the border between the small houses, when families would often extend the living space out front to provide extra room.
Whatever the reason, the vibrant panorama of these rainbow streets are perfect for some fun family photos, while teens will love the countless Insta-opportunities.
The Tre Ponti bridges – a set of three bridges spanning the water – are a particularly popular spot so it’s worth heading there early on to get the bridges to yourself if you want to snap this particular shot.
But wherever you wander, you’ll spot something to make you smile: cats sprawled in a turquoise doorway, the intriguing street sign of Fondamenta degli Assassini against a hot pink background, just leave plenty of time to stroll and soak it all up.
If you want to make sure you don’t miss any of the island’s highlights, this walking tour of Burano is led by a guide born and raised on Burano
Spot the leaning tower of Burano
It’s not only Pisa that’s got a leaning tower – keep an eye out for the leaning belltower of the Chiesa di San Martino Vescovo.
The 16th century church of St Martin Bishop replaced an earlier structure, but even this ‘new’ building has had an eventful few centuries. Once topped by an angel, the figure fell off in 1867 during a storm and was replaced by an iron cross.
Standing on the marshy ground of the lagoon, the 53 metre high tower started life pointing straight up but over time – and possibly helped along by some less than successful restoration work – it now slants off 1.83 metres to its original axis.
You’ll see it from various points on the island as you explore, but for one of the best photos, head to the marble bridge on the Fondamenta di Terranova.
Find Casa Bepi Sua
There’s just one building among the colourful facades which isn’t a single shade – and that’s Casa Bepi Sua.
The rainbow patterned house, which belonged to Giuseppe Toselli (nicknamed Bepi Sua or Bepi of the sweets), has a whole string of geometric shapes, with circles, squares and triangles in an array of colours.
Its owner also used to sell sweets in the island’s main square, Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi – as well as hosting an outdoor cinema on a white sheet hung up on the house for the island’s children.
Tucked away down a side street, if you ramble long enough you’ll find it, or head down Calle del Pistor off Via Baldassarre Galuppi to get there (you can also check on Google Maps if you’re worried about getting lost).
See the high tide house
Even more fascinating is the ‘high tide’ house, otherwise known as the Casa di Gianfranco Rossi, just off Piazza Galuppi and not far from the church.
As well as murals painted onto the walls, the house has a series of high tides marked to show just how high the water levels have risen over the years.
While barriers now prevent the worst of the acqua alta, you can measure some of the most dramatic flooding from decades gone by – and if you’re visiting Burano with kids, it’s well worth making a stop here.
Younger ones can stand against the lines on the house and discover how far the water would have risen over their heads, while with older kids, it’s an eye-catching way to start a conversation about climate change – or just enjoy the images painted on the house.
Watch glass being made
While Murano is best known for its glass, rather than Burano, you’ll still find glass jewellery, artwork, homewares and souvenirs galore on the smaller island.
We came home with a string of mementoes, including a hand-blown glass Christmas bauble, but you won’t be short of choice.
New Arte Fuga was one of our favourites, with little glass-making demos taking place in the shop. It’s absorbing just to stand and enjoy the skill involved, watching the red hot glass being shaped and little touches added to the creations which fill the drawers and line the shelves of the shop.
It’s also an easy way to get a taste of glass-making if you’re visiting Burano with kids, rather than a full furnace tour on Murano (or if you’re spending the whole day in Burano alone rather than combining the islands).
Visit the lace museum
If Murano is known for its glass, Burano is famous for its hand-crafted lace, a tradition which dates back to the 16th century – and is still continued today, with lace-making demonstrations in some of the shops dotted around Burano’s main square and streets.
According to the stories, a mermaid tried to entice a fisherman out in the lagoon with her siren’s song. But he, faithful to his fiancee back on Burano, refused to give in to her enchantments – and so impressed was she by his faithfulness that she gave him a wedding veil of lace made from foam created by the swish of her tail.
Back on the island, the girl was the envy of all her friends for this magical gift (and let’s face it, an impressively romantic story!) and they competed to make more beautiful and delicate lace with their own needles and thread.
Today, the lace of Burano is often a team effort, with as many as five skilled lacemakers working together, each specialising in a different element to create these exquisitely fragile concoctions.
The Museo del Merletto, or Lace Museum, has more detail about the art of lacemaking, as well as a collection including rare and precious pieces of lace from over the past four centuries. Open daily except Mondays, it’s set on the Piazza Galuppi.
If you buy the 180-day museum pass (which also includes the museums of St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace), you get free entry to the lace museum
Try a buranelli
If you need any more tempting to pick up a bag of Italian biscuits, the Buranelli of Burano are made to a traditional recipe going back centuries – so, really, it would be rude not to!
The S-shaped butter cookies were originally made for fishermen to take out to sea, as they’d keep well and give them extra energy on their voyages.
You might not be doing anything more strenous than strolling around Burano with kids but there’s no reason not to pick up at least one or two. The Essi are the classic cookies, made in the reverse S shape of the Grand Canal, but you can find circular Bussolai among other baked treats.
Pasticceria Costantini is one of the best known spots to buy, on Piazza Galuppi, but you won’t be short of choices.
Spot the shutter holders
The joy of spending a day on Burano is often down to the little details – that’s how you can while away hours ambling around, despite it being such a small island that you could walk from end to end in 10 minutes.
One of the favourite things I discoveed was the story of the quirky shutter holders on the houses.
Decorated with both male and female faces, traditionally you see a different one depending whether the shutters are being held open or not.
To discover more stories about the island, as well as some of its hidden gems, this walking tour of Burano is led by a guide born and raised on Burano
One day on Burano with kids: how to get there
From Fondamente Nove in the north of Venice, line 12 takes you to Burano via Murano in around 40 minutes – the stop is around a 10-minute walk from the Rialto Bridge.
Otherwise if you’re closer to Piazza San Marco, line 14 travels from San Marco Zaccaria via the Lido and Punta Sabbioni every hour – this takes around 65 minutes. If you’re staying in Dorsoduro, it can be easiest to get a vaporetto and connect with line 14 to head to Burano: not all line 14 boats go all the way to Burano, so do check connections though.
Children under six travel free, but otherwise a single journey costs 7,50 Euros for all ages and the ticket is valid for 75 minutes from the time you validate it – this includes boats to Burano and Murano.
Unless you know you won’t be using the vaporetti much, the day passes are better value though, especially if you’re staying for more than one day. A one-day pass costs 21 Euros, while a 48-hour pass is 30 Euros, a 72-hour pass is 40 Euros and a seven-day pass is 60 Euros.
We bought our travel passes at the machines in Marco Polo airport – you’ll find them by the baggage carousels while you’re waiting for your luggage to appear. They’re easy to use, with an option to see instructions and information in English, and it saves you queuing, but you can easily buy them in the city as well.
You can also take a tour to Burano – most include Murano (read on for more travel tips) – but it’s easy to travel there independently using public transport.
For more tips on getting around Venice with kids, check out this post
Visiting Murano and Burano with kids
Spending one day in Burano and Murano, famous for its glass blowing industry, is a classic combination during a trip to Venice. But if you’re going to do that, it pays to plan ahead.
While Murano is on the way to Burano, and people often visit in that order, it’s actually better to head out to Burano first. Not only do you skip some of the crowds if you get to the smaller island early, it can be easier to find space on a boat heading to Murano afterwards.
When we arrived at Murano at around lunchtime, the queues for the vaporetto travelling on to Burano stretched along the quayside – and as there are limited boats running, you could find yourself waiting a while for a ferry.
But heading from Burano to Murano couldn’t have been easier. And with multiple vaporetto stops on Murano itself, plus several lines running back to Fondamente Nove in Cannaregio, you have plenty of options to head back to central Venice as well.
Alternatively, you can book tours to Murano and Burano although it’s easy to plan it independently which also gives you more flexibility in how long to spend in each island
Personally I much preferred Burano, although the glass blowers on Murano are well worth seeing: their craft secrets were once so prized by the Republic that they weren’t allowed to leave, and Murano glass is still a symbol of luxury all across Europe.
We visited Fornace Mian – the tour costs 10 Euros but is free for kids – or head to Ferro Toso, where you can create your own murrina. Using the traditional glass beads, your own design is then turned into anything from a pendant to key ring as you learn more about glass-making (priced from 10 euros).
You can find other glass workshops suitable for kids, including transport to Murano and time to explore the island, as well as prebooked visits with a short introduction to glassblowing if you’re travelling independently.
For more tips on visiting Venice with kids, as well as ideas of more things to do in Venice with kids, check out my other posts, plus my guide to Italy with kids
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission. All opinions on visiting Burano with kids are my own
Images copyright MummyTravels
