Burano is Touristy But You Should Go Anyway

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Known as the colored island of lace, Burano was made for instagrammers.

My luck was holding strong when I randomly saw that Canadian housesitter experts Hecktic Travels were also heading to Venice as well and invited me to stay with them in their apartment.

As I left Jaime he had one piece of advice, above all I must see Burano.

Near Venice, Burano is a series of four small islands connected by bridges, much like Venice.  

It draws tourists because it is painted as brightly as El Caminito in Buenos Aires; while it is also originally a fishing village it doesn’t have the reputation for crime like Boca.

It’s less than 7 miles from Venice and takes about 40 minutes to get there by motorboat, called a vaporetti, and makes for a great day trip.

Burano Italy is a great day trip from Venice and features brightly coloured buildings perfect for photographers. No two buildings are the same colour on Burano.

Although many locals have left for easier living on the mainland the population is a healthy 3000 people including many fishermen.

You won’t find the same colour on two homes.

The colours follow a system and if someone wants to paint their house they need to get permission and will be assigned a colour appropriate for their home.

While tourists come for the colourful houses, it is also known for its lacework.

The city became famous for lacework after Leonardo da Vinci bought a cloth for the Duomo di Milano altar. 

Yet today few women continue traditional lace making as the final product takes so long that the product becomes much more expensive than the market will pay.

Burano is definitely something you need to see when you go to Venice. Here’s what you need to know about this city:

Burano Italy is a great day trip from Venice and features brightly coloured buildings perfect for photographers. No two buildings are the same colour on Burano.

How to Get to Burano From Venice

There are two places to catch the express ferry from Venice to Burano. Every 30 minutes you can catch the Laguna Nord from San Zaccaria stop near St. Mark’s square or at the Fondamente Nova stop.

It costs €6.50 one way which is a bargain compared to a water taxi which costs â‚¬125 or more.

This ferry also stops at Murano and Mazzorbo if you’d like to explore more than one island. Mazzorbo is small but connected to Burano by a bridge.

It’s only a five minute walk and you can catch the 14th century Santa Caterina church.

Burano Italy is a great day trip from Venice and features brightly coloured buildings perfect for photographers. No two buildings are the same colour on Burano.

When to Visit Burano

Like Venice, the island is plagued with flooding during the winter, which is known as acqua alta. 

While Venice is well prepared with platforms to walk and pumps to push the water back out, Burano isn’t as pleasant during the floods and you’ll need rubber boots.

Burano Italy is a great day trip from Venice and features brightly coloured buildings perfect for photographers. No two buildings are the same colour on Burano.

What to See in Burano

You’ll spend most of your time wandering the streets but you can also visit the lace museum Museo del Merlettothe Church of San Martino and the leaning tower of Burano.

Burano Italy is a great day trip from Venice and features brightly coloured buildings perfect for photographers. No two buildings are the same colour on Burano.

Where to Eat in Burano

As a working island for fishermen you must eat fish. Restaurants in Burano are pricey and there are a number of tourist traps.

I’d bring snacks and then save time for Trattoria al Gatto Nero, which focuses on traditional classics with lagoon fish.

If you’re looking for the local dish order the risotto de gò which is risotto with the local goby fish.

Burano Italy is a great day trip from Venice and features brightly coloured buildings perfect for photographers. No two buildings are the same colour on Burano.

Join the Conversation

  1. dtravelsround says:

    How do they determine the colors? How cool!!! Going to have to visit this!

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      Apparently the colours are decided by some kind of coding system for when there are.

  2. Beautiful! What a unique place to visit. I wish I’d known about it when I went to Italy.

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      There is always time to go back..

  3. Oh my gosh OBSESSED. Absolutely beautiful place, gorgeous photos…so keen to get back to Europe.

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      It’s all so beautiful. I have yet to meet a part of Italy I didn’t like.

  4. I am thinking about taking a trip to Italy soon, and Venice is definitely on the itinerary. I will have to be sure to check Burano while I am there.

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      It’s only 45 minutes away, you can make an afternoon trip of it.

  5. Amazing pictures!!!! I’ve been in Venice but never in Burano. Gotta go back!!!

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      Do it!

  6. Such a sucker for color! What a gorgeous place!

  7. Jade - OurOyster.com says:

    Everything about Venice, and it’s islands is just stunning. I just loved everything about it when I was there

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      It is so much better than I could have anticipated.

  8. Stephanie - The Travel Chica says:

    Very cool! Beautiful place. Bet it is nice to get away from the tourist crowds in Venice too.

  9. It was so good to hang out with you and have a few/many bottles of wine. Loved how your photos turned out 🙂

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      We should have had more balls of cheese!

  10. Burano is also my fav, but I haven’t been in more than ten years. Your photos are stunning.

  11. Bohemian Trails says:

    Wow these photos are amazing! I remember first stepping foot in Venice and I was completely enchanted by every little detail. I am really hoping to make it back there in the next 2 years.

  12. Such beautiful colour…a bit like Lunenburg……

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      Yeah it does, it must be a water thing.

  13. Andi of My Beautiful Adventures says:

    What gorgeous pictures!!! I LOVE colorful places.

  14. was sad I didn’t get back to Burano this summer when I was in Venice w/daughters… these pics are beautifully inspiring. I love the way they have taken boring architecture and transformed it into something unique with color… Whenever I see the colors in many places in Italy, I always wonder why we don’t do that here in US more. I then always end up blaming lingering Puritanism.

  15. Absolutely gorgeous! I love colorful places!

  16. Loooove colourful cities, and I’m totally putting Burano on my bucket list now. St. John’s works in the same kinda way…all houses in historical downtown must be painted certain colours, approved by the city. I live next to an orange house with a lime green door.

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      Nova Scotia also used to be different colours. But some how the beige blahs from the rest of Canada took over.

  17. Waegook Tom says:

    What a beautiful place! I love how no two houses can have the same colour as well! I think my favourite is the turquoisey-cyany one in the very last photo, in the middle of the left-hand picture.

    Thanks for sharing 🙂

  18. Love the colours!
    I went to Burano in a grey winter day and it was already beautiful but nothing compared with what you show in the pictures. I should go back 🙂

  19. We are headed to Venice for Carnevale this year. We are only there for 2 nights, so not likely enough time to go see Burano. Will keep it in mind though.

    How far out is it timewise from Venice?

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      Not far at all, a 45 minute water taxi that costs $6.

  20. Amazing photographs! I love the bicycle and its purple shadow. I missed Burano when I was in Venice… I guess I’ll have to go back:)

  21. Debbie Beardsley says:

    Wow all those colors are fantastic! I bet it was beautiful in person.

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      The photos don’t do it justice.

  22. nicoleisthenewblack says:

    I am in love with the purple one. So adorable.

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      My favourite is the blue and black home with matching black and white laundry outside.

  23. Ooh! I wonder what color mine would be!

  24. Glad I saw these beautiful photos because I have not been there and had heard it was too touristy, to skip it. The colors and light in your photos are gorgeous.

  25. Wow, this would definitely be the place for me. I LOVE bright colors, and Burano seems to have no shortage of them!

  26. These photos are great! I’ve never really heard about Burano before, but it sounds so interesting. I can’t believe the colors!

  27. Camels & Chocolate says:

    Like Laura, I’ve never heard of Burano either–but the candy-colored houses remind me a lot of where we used to live in Denmark. Pretty!

  28. Nomadic Samuel says:

    The colours here remind me a bit of La Boca barrio in Buenos Aires.

  29. Oh, that is beautiful! I wonder what color my home would get assigned?

    P.S. I love bicycle pictures. 🙂

  30. I love that there is a system for house colors. It’s nice to see a community paying attention to artistic details instead of just painting every house with the cheapest color bought in bulk… which is what I’m pretty sure the housing developments do at home.

  31. The GypsyNesters says:

    This is SO my kind of place – love the quirk! -Veronica

  32. Paige @ Green Global Travel says:

    This is gorgeous! I must visit!!

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      You really should you won’t be disappointed.

  33. Robin | Melange Travel says:

    Yes, Burano is a MUST if visiting Venice. Lovely photos!

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      So glad you agree, I would recommend it to anyone.

  34. Wow. I always used to think coloured houses were really tacky because you only find them in seaside towns in the UK but since being in Mexico and seeing so much colour, I just can’t help but loving them.

    Burano looks beautiful. Lovely photos. <3

  35. I usually like to say I’m not interested in travelling in Europe, nor am I a city person.

    But I love colour and architecture too, so when I see posts like this it makes me want to go to Europe…and in this case Italy.

    Fantastic photos!

    1. Ayngelina Author says:

      You know not a lot of Europe really interests me either, but something about Spain and Italy feels so much more romantic than the other countries.

  36. Dale Louise Skelton says:

    We visited Burano a few years back and I must say it was very memorable. I have a blouse I bought there which has lace around the collar – I love it. I always thought that the house colours were designated to families and a family was known by a specific coloured house – I am sure our tour guide told us that, but I obviously got it wrong. What a beautiful place it was to visit.

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