Ciao! Are you trying to decide if you should take the boat ride out to Burano with your kids? You may have seen the colorful buildings of the island of Burano… but you’re wondering if there’s enough on the island to make the trip out worth it.
I’ll answer these questions, take you through some of the best things to do on Burano with kids, and give you tips for your visit (like when to go).
I’m a mamma of three living in Italy (Tuscany), and my kids love our trips to Venice. I didn’t use to be a big fan of visiting Burano with kids, but now we often add it to our Venice itinerary.
Ready to take a look? Andiamo – let’s go!
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Map of Burano with Kids
Why You Should Visit Burano with Kids (& Reasons to Avoid It)
Reasons Burano makes a good family-friendly stop on a trip to Venice:
- The colorful buildings make all ages happy.
- Burano is home to delicious Venetian cookies.
- You arrive by a boat ride in the lagoon.
- There aren’t any ‘must-dos’ so it can be a relaxing, unstructured visit.
Burano isn’t amazing with kids if:
- You can only visit mid-day in the summer. It gets extremely hot and crowded and it’s not fun to navigate with kids.
- You have a toddler or runner who you’re afraid will jump into the canals. Like Venice, there aren’t any railings between walkways and canals.
- You (the parent) are super excited about lace shopping. My elementary-age kids roll their eyes if I even think about looking at Burano’s lace shops or the Burano Lace Museum.
When to Visit Burano with Kids & How Long to Stay
My favorite visits to Burano have been in early morning during the late fall, winter, or early spring.
I realize that if you’re coming with your kids, you’re likely traveling during summer vacation. If that’s the case, do everything you can to take the first boat over to the island. Not only will the temperatures be cooler – you’ll also avoid some of the crowds that usually make their way to Burano after breakfast. I know, it’s not easy getting kids up early, but I promise – it’s worth it!
As far as how much time you should spend in Burano with kids, a couple of hours is plenty, but you could make a half day out of it.
My kids and I haven’t ever spent an entire day here, but I suppose you could if you have a leisurely lunch and check out all of the island.
How to Get to Burano with Kids
There are a few ways you can get to Burano, and I’ll start with the most popular (and what we do and I recommend) – taking the vaporetto (water bus). These are the same boats that you can take on the Grand Canal and to get around Venice. The only difference is, you’ll head out into the Venetian lagoon for a while before you reach your destination.
Take the vaporetto line 12 from Fondamete Nove. It will stop at Murano, Mazzorbo, and sometimes Torcello before arriving at Burano. It takes a little over 40 minutes.
Yes, it’s typically crowded, but if you can get up early, you’ll miss a lot of the crowds. I’ve been on the early am (7:15ish) boats outside of summer and have been the only tourist.
Helpful Tip: Please check the official AVM website (in charge of transport in Venice) for the most accurate, up-to-date, and official schedules. The site will also show if any routes are delayed or not running.
Good To Know: Unless the vaporetto is practically empty, you’ll need to collapse your stroller for the ride.
Good To Know: If your vaporetto is scheduled to stop in Torcello, you and your kids can get off at Mazzorbo and walk over the wooden bridge to Burano. It takes less than 10 minutes to get to Burano from the Mazzorbo stop.
Other options for getting to Burano with your kids:
- Join a tour. Most tours that go to Burano also include Murano. There are a ton available on sites like GetYourGuide and Viator, like this one From Venice: Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat. I find these type of tours work best with elementary age kids and up, because they can deal with tour schedules and being in a group tour. Tours are more expensive than taking the vaporetto, but they take away the planning and logistics, which can be worth paying for as a parent!
- Hire a water taxi. This is an expensive option, it’s private, and you’ve got more flexibility with timing and where you’re picked up (your hotel, St. Mark’s Square, the airport, etc). Expect to pay from €160 each way. You can book on the official Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia website.
Things to Do on Burano with Your Family
Burano doesn’t offer a checklist of ‘must-sees’ like other places in Italy, including Venice. The beauty of Burano lies in wandering the lanes, canals, and piazzas and checking out the brightly colored buildings.
Still, if you’re looking for some direction, start here:
Stand on the Tre Ponti
The ‘Three Bridges’ is an intersection of two small wooden bridges and it offers one of the best viewpoints of the colorful canals of Burano. Pretty much any direction you look is a photo-worthy view and this is a great place for a photo of your kids in Burano (especially if you can get there early, before the crowds arrive).
See the Homes in the Corte della Comare
This colorful piazza is one of my favorite places to look at the homes and imagine living here.
Legend Says: Burano’s homes were painted with bright colors so the island’s fisherman could find their way home on foggy days.
Hang Out in Piazza Galuppi
Piazza Galuppi is the heart of Burano, and it’s here that you’ll find many of the island’s shops and restaurants. It’s a huge piazza with ‘branches’ so be sure you cover it all.
Helpful Tip: There’s a public toilet in the southwestern corner of the piazza, but the hours are limited.
Good To Know: There’s a market in the southwestern corner of the piazza on Wednesdays but it’s more of a locals’ market.
Buy Buranelli Cookies
In Burano, the ‘o-shaped’ local cookies are called bussolà, and the ‘s-shaped’ local cookies are called essi.
My kids won’t visit Burano without eating some (or a lot) of them, and I recommend you let your kids sample the local culture too.
The best place, even if it looks a bit like a tourist trap, is Carmelina Palmisano, on the northern part of Piazza Galuppi. This is the place locals shop at (you can see them entering in the morning), and the cookies are deliziosi!
Play at Burano’s Playground
If your kids are itching for a playground, you’re in luck. Burano’s playground is small, but it’s in a picturesque spot and there are a few toys to keep your kids busy. It has swings, tubes, and slides, but heads up that it’s on the water with no fence, and there’s no shade. Last time I was there, there was only one bench.
Good To Know: There’s another playground nearby, on the island of Mazzorbo. I’ll mark it on the map above. It’s got a little slide, a climbing structure, swings, and a merry-go-round. There’s also a water fountain, benches, and shade. And, it’s almost completely fenced (except the entrance).
Find Burano’s Leaning Tower
Watch out Pisa – Burano has its own Leaning Tower. The bell tower of the Chiesa di San Martino Vescovo’s bell tower is crooked – see if your kids can spot it!
Fun Fact: An angel used to top the bell tower, but after it fell off in a storm, it was replaced by the cross you see now.
Stop by Bepi Suà’s House
The Casa di Bepi Suà is vibrantly colored like other homes in Burano, but this one has a little more flair – and kids love it. It feels a bit like it’s out of a cartoon.
Bepi was a local who worked at the cinema, sold candies in the piazza, painted the designs on his house, and screened movies on a white sheet hanging from the walls of his colorful home.
Eating with Kids on Burano
If I’m being honest, we fill up on cookies here, so I don’t book anywhere to eat.
But, I do have a backpocket list which includes:
Ristorante da Forner (Fondamenta di Terranova, 130) – simple dining, with seafood pasta dishes and kid-friendly plates like cotoletta (veal cutlet coated in breadcrumbs and fried) and patatine (fries).
Trattoria da Primo (Via San Mauro, 296) – recommended by a local, seafood dishes (especially the risotto and the fried seafood).
Burano with Kids Logistics
Breastfeeding – You can feed your baby anywhere you please, but if you’re looking for a peaceful spot, leave the main piazza area. If you want to feed your baby and then walk him/her in the stroller, you can use one of the benches on the Strada del Cimitero on Mazzorbo (just over the wooden bridge, Ponte Longo, on the northwestern corner of Burano) and then walk on the straight, long path to put your baby to sleep.
Water – You can buy water at a shop or use one of the public fountains, like the one just off of the Corte della Comare (marked on the map above).
Strollers – Burano is fairly stroller-friendly, but there are a few bridges that only have stairs, so you’ll need to carry your stroller up and over.
Diaper Changes – Use your restaurant or find a spot outdoors and use your portable changing mat to change your baby’s diaper. There are changing tables in both of the public toilets on Burano, but I’ve found they’re not always open (even during scheduled hours).
Murano Island vs Burano Island with Kids
If you’ve only got time to visit one of Venice’s Islands with your kids, which should you choose? I’m asked this question often, and here are some things to consider:
- Murano is much closer to Venice, so transport times are shorter
- Burano’s buildings are more fun to look at, but my kids can’t get enough of the glass displays in Murano’s windows
- Murano is all about glass, so if you’ve got a toddler or kid who’s not great in shops or around glass, Burano will be easier
- My kids love seeing Murano’s glass-blowing demos and love Burano’s colorful buildings and buranelli cookies – but have no interest in Burano’s lace
- If you’re just interested in shopping for glass, you can find plenty of it in Venice
- Both islands have playgrounds
If you’re visiting Venice with your children, be sure to check out
Venice with Kids
Where to Eat in Venice with Kids
Tips for Taking Your Kids on a Gondola in Venice
How to Take a Florence to Venice Day Trip
