Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by Tori’s VA
There’s no question about it, the most colorful island in Venice is Burano and it needs to be on the top of your list of things to do in Venice.
Planning a trip to Italy can be overwhelming, so read all of my Italy content to help you have the best vacation yet! My guide to plan your perfect vacation will walk you through my step by step process that I use every time!
This post may contain affiliate links for activities, destinations and products that I love, and think you will too!
What is the Most Colorful Island in Venice?
Venice is made up of over 100 individual islands, most of which are connected by bridges, with a few additional ones located a boat ride away. Burano is one of the distant islands, and is a quiet fishing village. The island is made up of less than 3,000 residents, compared to the nearly 60,000 in all of Venice. It’s small and quaint and has great views of the water, but that’s not why you’ll want to visit.
The island is known for being the brightest and most colorful island in Venice, there’s no question as to why. Each house is painted a different bright and bold color, making up a rainbow of an island. You have to visit just to enjoy the beauty, and to take hundreds of photos of course.
The island is small, and easy to cover by foot in just a few minutes. However, you’ll likely want to stay longer to wander, relax, shop and eat a delicious seafood lunch.
Should You Visit Burano?
Visiting Burano is not for everyone. Honestly, the only reason I think you should visit is if you want to see the colors, or if you want to buy handmade lace from the locals. It was my favorite spot in all of Venice, but I am a sucker for a good photo backdrop.
Deciding to visit the most colorful island in Venice should also depend on how much time you have in town. If you only have a day, you might not want to take up so much of your time here. It will take about 4-5 hours minimum for the whole experience.
But, if you have two or more days in Venice, then you should definitely spend a whole day visiting Burano, Murano, and maybe even Torcello!
All that being said, I think everyone should want to see the beauty of this island! It is so special, and unique, unlike anywhere else.
How Do You Get to the Most Colorful Island in Venice?
Now, here’s the tricky part, getting to the colorful island in Venice is not extremely easy. Most people will take the vaporetto, which is Venice’s water bus, the public transportation in the city. This will cost 7.50 euros each way or you can buy day passes.
Vaporetto passes are 21 euros for 24 hours, 30 euros for 48 hours and 40 euros for 72 hours.
Once you have your tickets, you’ll have to find the right stop to go to. I recommend you ask your concierge to see what they recommend, as the stops can change seasonally and daily. Assuming everything is running normally, there is one line that takes you directly to Murano and Burano. This line should only take about 45 minutes. You’ll want to make your way to the Fondamente Nove stop, on the north side of the main island. From there you’ll get on line 12.
There are other lines that go to Burano, but stop at many, many, many more stops. I don’t recommend you make the same mistake we did, so ask someone if you are lost or confused!
For a lot less time, energy and confusion, I highly recommend that you book a private tour of Venice and Burano with Mark from See Italy Tours. He will spend the whole day with you showing you around the local spots in Venice and then ending with a limo boat ride to Burano for lunch and the afternoon there. If you can make it work in the budget, then I highly recommend that you do! The experience will be much more relaxing.
The last option is to book a group day tour to both Burano and Murano. This will limit your flexibility, but you won’t have to wait on vaporettos or make other stops along the way. This is definitely a better option for some people!
What is There to Do on Burano?
Burano is a small and quiet fishing village, not full of activities or things to do. The best part of visiting this island is wandering, taking photos (it is the most colorful island in Venice for goodness sakes!!!) and eating yummy food.
Start by walking around the island. It’s so small it will only take you a few minutes to do a loop around it. Stop and take photos, you’ll regret it if you don’t, these are by far my favorite pictures from all of Italy!
PRO TIP: Wear white to stand out in the photos with all of the bright colors around you!
Next, check out the leaning tower of Burano. Okay, so it’s no leaning tower of Pisa, but it’s still pretty neat to see another leaning tower while you’re there!
Afterwards, find one of the many lace shops, and watch a demonstration of them making the hand-made lace. Burano is obviously famous for being the colorful island in Venice, but it’s also famous for its lace! You can’t visit without checking it out and buying some of the beautiful artwork.
After all of this wandering and photo taking you’re bound to be hungry. Stop for some of their fresh seafood at Riva Rosa. Located right in the heart of the little island, you’ll get to sit outside along the canals and in the midst of the beautiful colors and enjoy a gourmet lunch. This area is known for its fried seafood and risotto, so try both; they were to die for.
This restaurant was perfect for lunch on the island. The views were the best, the service was great and the food was extremely high quality and delicious. If you are wanting a cheaper and more casual lunch, check out Fritto Misto, right by the vaporetto stop for a wide variety of fried seafood!
Tips for Taking Photos on the Most Colorful Island in Venice
If you are coming to this island for the beautiful photos, as many people do, you’ll want to learn a few tips before you go!
First, and most importantly, wear white! This will help you stand out in the photos, and not clash with the colorful background. This white dress is similar to the one I wore, it was so comfortable and trendy, and the perfect contrast to the bright colors!
Try to visit on a day that there will be nice weather. Any place looks dreary and sad on rainy days, and this is the last thing you want to see in your photos of a bright and colorful island in Venice! On a sunny day this place is so bright and cheery, so try your hardest to plan accordingly.
Get to the island as early as possible. Your photos are obviously going to look best without loads of tourists in the background. Try to get there by 9am for the best photo opportunities! If you can’t or oversleep it’s not the end of the world as there will likely be some spots tucked away from the crowds that you can find.
Bring a nice camera with you to capture the beauty. A DSLR or Mirrorless camera is obviously best, but even just investing in the newest iPhone is an awesome second choice! Upgrade before you leave for your Italy trip!
Get in front of the camera! Most people take photos of the houses, but what makes those different than the millions already online? Have someone else take your photos or bring a small tripod with you so that you can be in the photos; they’ll be much more special to you if you are actually in them!
Once you’re in front of the camera, move around! Action shots are so much more visually pleasing than just standing there smiling at the camera. Walk, skip, twirl, laugh, play with your hair, do anything that adds a little motion and movement to the photo.
PRO TIP: If you’re using your iphone, make sure you are taking photos on live mode so that you can pick the perfect spot in your movement when reviewing the photos later!
Where to Stay on Burano?
There are many adorable little places to rent on the island of Burano. Who wouldn’t want to wake up in the middle of the most colorful island in Venice?? You can get up early and see the village wake up, stroll the canals before a single tourist arrives and catch it falling asleep that night after the day’s adventures.
If staying so far from the main island of Venice isn’t exactly what you were looking for, then stay at Hotel Danieli or The Gritti Palace, both located right on the canal near St. Mark’s square. Or, for a budget option, check out the AC Marriott Hotel. There are thousands of other hotel and home rental options in Venice too!
Or, if you’re looking for a more luxury (but surprisingly affordable) experience, book a few nights at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa, located on its own private island!!
We stayed at the Gritti Palace and had a nice stay! Read all about our time in Venice and Burano!
I hope you take the time to visit Burano, and take some gorgeous photos that you can print and hang on your wall when you return home! Be sure to share any of your beautiful photos with me afterwards, I’d love to see them!
What Else is There to do in Venice?
Take a walking tour to learn the history of Venice
Go on a gondola ride
Walk across the Rialto Bridge
Take a food tour to try the best food in town
Visit St. Mark’s Square
Climb the Campanile di San Marco
Visit Murano, Torcello and Lido Beach
Eat gelato at Gelateria Suso
Take a day trip to the Dolomites
There’s so much to do in Venice, and tips to know before you visit! I’ll be posting much more about this magical city soon, so be sure to sign up for my email list to be the first to know when the blog is live!
Torri,next time you come to visit, feel free to contact me and let me show you a very interesting Venice. I’ve been doing it for 12 years and am the only American that is licensed in Venice. I think you will see why I’ve a 5 star rating for 12 years now.
Mark, that sounds lovely! I am hoping to return next year, and will definitely let you know when I do.