3 Beautiful Things to Do in Murano Italy (with map)

Since we have already visited the main island of Venice Italy we felt really bad about being near Venice and not visiting more. So we decided that we would visit Venice again for the second day but this time we wanted to visit the two islands that are well known but not visited as much as the main island.  So on our second day to Venice we decided to visit the island of Murano and the island of Burano.

On a very hot August day, we started our second day in Venice by taking the boat (vaporetto) to the island of Murano. We were tired of the crowds on the main island, and Murano proved to be a very nice break from too many tourists. So, put on some comfortable walking shoes and let’s explore together my favorite things to do in Murano.

What to Expect When Visiting Murano?

Murano, Italy – Main canal and old buildings seen from the Glass Museum top floor.
See my photos from Murano

First of all, Murano is an island…another island in the string of man-made islands that make up the area called Venice in Northern Italy. In addition, Murano is a small island which is separated by a wide body of water from the main island of Venice.

While on the map Murano appears close to the main Venice island, be prepared to spend at least one hour to get from the main island to Murano. Secondly, it is small and with that come less tourists (much less tourists) and less tourist attractions. However, even though it is smaller, you can still experience the Italian charm with narrow streets and wide water canals.

My Favorite Things to Do in Murano

After lots of research we came up with the following list of tourist attractions for our walking tour of Murano. This list suited our travel style very well.

• Visit the Murano Glass Museum in the main square near the Murano Museo boat stop.
• Try to get a glass factory tour of one of the glass manufacturers in Murano.
• Walk on both sides of the main canal along Fondamenta dei Vetrai (glassmakers’ street).
• Walk on Calle Bresagio towards the Murano Faro boat stop.

Murano island map for walking
See my photos from Murano

Arriving in Murano

A water taxi boat (Vaporetto) passing in front of beautiful Church of San Giorgio Maggiore on the way back from the island of Murano
See my photos from Murano

In order to even start our walking tour of Murano, we had to first get to the island of Murano. Getting to the islands of Murano and Burano from the main island in Venice, Italy is no small feat.

You have to take into account the fact that there are no roads and no cars. Even though the distances seem small on the map, once you are in Venice you realize that it takes quite a long time by boat to get anywhere. So you need to plan accordingly and allow for extra time so that you don’t have too high expectations for what you can accomplish in one day.

Our walking tour of Murano started with waiting in line a very, very long time on a very, very hot day…waiting for the boat to take us from Venice’s main train station to the island of Murano. We waited in the hot Italian sun with our two small children for probably about 45 minutes.

When our turn to finally get on the boat came, we were so tired and exhausted that our expectations for that day became very, very low, very quickly.

In addition, the boat ride itself took a long time as well which we were not prepared for. The boat ride from the train station in Venice to Murano took over 30 minutes. It was hot and the boat was very crowded.

1. Walk Along the Main Canal

Pulling into Murano Museo boat stop on the main canal.
See my photos from Murano

However with lower expectations, we finally arrived at the island of Murano at the Murano Museo boat stop and we were finally able to start our walking tour of Murano. We picked this boat stop after some prior research and also asking around while on the boat. Murano Museo was a good stop for us because we wanted to see the Glass Museum right away before the children would get too tired.

A good walking route starts at the Murano Museo boat stop and then across the Ponte Longo (long bridge) bridge and then down on Fondamente dei Vetrai (Glassmakers’ street) slowly all the way to Murano Faro where you can then take another boat to Burano or back to the main island.

Slowly we warmed up to the place and we started liking the fact that the island of Murano is a lot less crowded with tourists even in the middle of summer. Since we were in Murano, we knew that the island is famous for the old glass manufacturers which line up every street and every corner in the island of Murano. Glassmaking is what made Murano famous throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

2. Visit the Glass Museum

Main canal and old buildings seen from the Murano Glass Museum top floor.
See my photos of Murano

We took our time. Our visit to the Glass Museum in Murano was very enjoyable as we explored the many old glass artifacts on display. We also learned a little bit of history that spans hundreds of years in Murano with regards to glass. The Murano Glass Museum quickly became one of our favorite things to do in Murano.

After visiting the Glass Museum, we walked around the main square. We crossed the beautiful bridge and then we found our way down the other side of the canal, going towards another boat dock called Murano Faro (the Murano Lighthouse). We learned that this is the right spot to pick up another boat for the island of Burano, where we wanted to go next.

3. Visit Glass Shops and Factories

A visit to the Murano Glass Museum is one of the best things to do in Murano
See my photos from Murano

Continuing our exploration of the best things to do in Murano, we continued our walking tour of Murano as looked for local glass factories. My research indicated the visiting a Murano glass factory is one of the best things to do in Murano. But where to see glass blowing in Murano? It turned out that it is very easy to find glass factories in Murano, once you cross Ponte Longo bridge.

We stopped in a few glass factory stores along Fondamenta dei Vetrai and admired the colorful and intricate works of art that each glass factory produces and sells. We stopped at the very accessible Mazzega Glass Factory store (click for map location). Yes all these beautiful ornaments are expensive, but you can simply walk through the stores and see all the shapes and colors…without buying anything. The glass creations in Murano are simply beautiful to look.

We wanted to visit one of the glass factories and see how glass is being produced and painted by hand. This sounded like fun for the whole family. So, as we were visiting different glass factory stores, we were also asking if we could tour the glass factory. To our disappointment however, we found that in the middle of August all the factories are closed. The simple reason is that it is too hot to work in a glass factory during the summer.

Every answer we got was accompanied by a frown from every factory owner. It felt as if we didn’t know what we were asking. The expression on their faces seem to add a new twist to their answer. Their words and face expression was implying something like this:

How could you ask to visit a glass factory where we use extreme heat…in the middle of the summer? Don’t you know that we all take vacation the whole month of August and nobody works especially in a glass factory? How could you not know that and ask me this silly question?”.

All right, all right I got it…we can’t visit a Murano glass factory in August.

All glass factories in Murano are closed from middle of July through the end of August. So, before you’re making plans to visit a Murano glass factory, check to make sure they are open.

We stopped asking about taking a glass factory tour and settled for visiting the glass factory store fronts along Fondamenta dei Vetrai. We made our way to our next boat stop called Murano Faro, along the beautiful Rio dei Verai (glassmakers’ river) canal. This is the best place where to see glass blowing in Murano.

Walking along the canal and visiting beautiful glassmaking stores turned out to be one of the best things to do in Murano. At Murano Faro we waited for our next boat to take us to the island of Burano.

Plan Your Trip to Murano

• Find best prices for hotels in Venice, Italy.
• Take a beautiful glass factory tour in Murano. Or, to make things simpler, take a Murano and Burano tour with the boat trip included and with glass making and lace making demonstrations included.
• See my travel photos from Murano, Italy.
• Read the Murano Glass Museum website for current information on opening times. This is a small museum with some beautiful history inside.
• Vaporetto schedule in Venice, Italy

Is Murano Worth Visiting?

If you have already visited the main island of Venice, then a visit to Murano will be appealing for you if you want to see the Glass Museum and avoid a lot of the crowds. If you couple your trip to Murano with a trip to the colorful Burano, then it is very well worth your time. If you focus on visiting these few things to do in Murano, then your trip will be worth your time.

1. Charming Northern Italy Itinerary
2. Walking tour of Milan
3. Charming walking tour of Verona
4. Venice Main Island walking tour
5. Walking tour of Murano Island
6. A colorful walking tour of Burano Island
7. In the Dolomites at Barcis
8. Treviso is a surprising destination
9. In-depth walking tour of Padua
10. Short tour of quaint Soave
11. In-depth walking tour of Sirmione
12. In-depth walking tour of Genoa