3 Best Things To Do In Murano: A Self-Guided Walking Tour + Map

Are you looking for the best things to do in Murano? On our latest trip, we discovered that escaping the crowds to reach Murano from Venice is well worth the effort. From visiting the historic Glass Museum to finding an authentic glass factory tour, here is our complete guide to exploring this beautiful island on a self-guided Murano walking tour.

First of all, Murano is an island—part of the iconic string of islands that make up Venice, Italy. While it appears close on a map, be prepared to spend at least one hour traveling to Murano from Venice. Because it is smaller, it offers a quieter experience than the main island, making it one of the best things to do in Murano if you want to escape the crowds. Even with its smaller size, you can still experience true Italian charm by exploring its narrow streets and scenic canals.

In this article:

What to Expect When Visiting Murano?

A scenic view of the main canal in Murano, Italy, as seen from the top floor of the Murano Glass Museum.
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.

Murano Walking Tour: Route Overview

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.

Follow this route for the best things to do in Murano, starting at the Museo stop and ending at Murano Faro.

Arriving in Murano from Venice

The Vaporetto water taxi ride is the most common way to get to Murano from Venice.
See my photos from Murano

In order to even start our Murano walking tour, we had to first figure out the best way to get to Murano from Venice. Navigating the islands of Venice is a unique experience—there are no roads and no cars—so reaching the island is no small feat. Even though the distances look deceivingly small on a map, once you are in Venice, you realize that traveling between islands by boat takes more time than expected.

To ensure a smooth trip, plan accordingly and allow for extra time so you don’t feel rushed. Our own experience getting to Murano from Venice was a lesson in patience; we waited in the hot sun for nearly 45 minutes at the train station to catch the vaporetto to Murano. The boat ride itself took over 30 minutes, and because it was the height of summer, the boat was very crowded. If you are traveling with children or visiting during peak season, try to head out as early in the morning as possible to beat the crowds and the midday heat.

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 Murano 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 Murano Glass Factories

Browsing local glass factory shops is one of the top things to do in Murano, even during the summer when demonstrations are paused.

Book a Murano Glass Factory Tour. Watch a live demonstration of glass-making techniques at the Gino Mazzuccato Glass Factory. Or, book a boat trip + Murano Glass Factory tour from Venice main island.

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.
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.

3 Best Things to Do in Murano: A Self-Guided Walking Tour + Map