Visiting Murano – A Day Trip from Venice

Known for unique glass blowing, Murano is a small island only about 15-20 min away from Venice that offers something a little different for travelers. There are taxis and boats going to and from Murano all day which makes it really easy to find transportation to this island. 

Once we arrived, many visitors headed for the glass blowing museum that had a tour starting as soon as our boat hit the dock. For us, we decided to take a self-guided tour of the island and walk around on our own. We found ourselves wandering the local neighborhoods which were quiet and not frequented with tourists. This allowed us to get a better glimpse into what life looks like on this unique island. 

Our expectations going into this visit was to see those colorful, pastel houses that you see in the movies. We found that Murano is not the place to find these houses if that’s what you’re looking for. Those picturesque houses are on a different island called Burano which is about a 30-45 min ferry ride away from Murano. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t find what you’re looking for on Murano, both of these islands can be seen in one day’s time. 

Overall, we spent about 2-3 hours on Murano just wandering around and grabbing a bite to eat. Unless you’re interested in hand blown glass, most of the shopping won’t be for you. I recommend a day trip to Murano as a way to get out of the city of Venice for a while, especially if you’re staying for a week or more.