Venice/Murano



Murano is an island town, about 1.5 km (1 mile) north of Venice, in northern Italy and is considered part of Venice. It can be considered a slightly cheaper base from which to explore Venice.

Understand
Murano, like Venice, is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon. Its population was just under 4,500 in 2014. The town is famous for its glass production. The climate of Murano is classified as Humid Subtropical climate with cool winters and very warm summers.

By vaporetto
ACTV, Venice's transit company, runs the water buses, "vaporetti", from Venice to Murano at frequent intervals and at many stops. If you are basing yourself in Murano to visit Venice the multi-day ACTV tourist tickets are a must: a single day tourist pass costs €15 which compares favourably with the single journey ACTV €7.50 ticket. If you use the vaporetti a few times per day the tourist pass works out as cheaper, and gets better value the longer duration of ticket that is purchased.



On foot
Walking along the many canals is part of the experience of Murano. The island is only about 1.5 km across, so it is small enough to explore by foot.

The Grand Canal (Canale Grande) splits the island into two. Walking around the island will help you discover the beautiful colors, little shops and restaurants.

See

 * Other glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, some Mediaeval and most open to the public.
 * Glass Factories (fornaci). The best glass blowing factories are not open to tourists, but there are some factories that give demonstrations. Interesting to see if you have never seen a glass furnace.
 * Other glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, some Mediaeval and most open to the public.
 * Glass Factories (fornaci). The best glass blowing factories are not open to tourists, but there are some factories that give demonstrations. Interesting to see if you have never seen a glass furnace.
 * Other glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, some Mediaeval and most open to the public.
 * Glass Factories (fornaci). The best glass blowing factories are not open to tourists, but there are some factories that give demonstrations. Interesting to see if you have never seen a glass furnace.

Do
The island is known for glass work of course, so it's a good spot to take one of the many glass making workshops offered on the island.

Buy
Murano is known for its glass worldwide. Besides that, there is not much else to buy besides the normal tourist objects, such as postcards and other souvenirs.

Many souvenir shops try to pass off cheap Chinese counterfeit glass as real Murano glass. Murano Glass is very expensive to produce; don't expect to buy Original Murano Glass for a few euros. The Veneto Regional Government (Regione del Veneto) protects original Murano glassmaking. Always look for the Vetro Artistico Murano trademark decal on the objects and in the windows of shops and showrooms that sell authentic Murano glass in order to be sure that you are purchasing original Murano Glass.

Eat
If you are staying in Murano overnight, ask your hotel receptionist which of the island's restaurants is open in the evening. Most tourists are day-trippers, so Murano's restaurants take turns staying open for dinner.

Stay safe
Beware of the scams offering to take you on a free boat ride to see the glassworks at Murano or Burano. Prices are grossly (300%+) overinflated, and the terms you are told in English will not match the terms in the contract written in Italian only. Don't fall for this scam.

Go next

 * Venice is your hub on the way out to the mainland. Just hop on the waterbus, "vaporetto", to get back to Venice.