Choose Murano For A Unique Venetian Experience
I'm Carol Cram, arts travel writer, award-winning novelist, and founder of Art In Fiction, a curated database of 2500+ novels inspired by the arts. On Artsy Traveler I share practical guidance for independent travelers who plan trips around museums, galleries, and cultural experiences. Artsy Traveler contains affiliate links for products and services I personally use and can happily recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the Disclosure for more information. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, Artsy Traveler earns a small commission.
The laid-back island of Murano, just minutes from Venice by vaporetto, offers a quieter and more authentic Venetian experience without sacrificing easy access to the city’s major sights.
World-famous for its glassmaking traditions, the island is an ideal base for travelers who want to stay on Murano for a night or two instead of battling Venice’s crowds.
I’ve stayed in Venice several times, and with every trip, the crowds and the prices increase. It’s all becoming just a bit too much.
Not that you shouldn’t go if you’ve never been. Venice may be crowded, but it’s also awesome. See my 3 Days in Venice: Best Itinerary for First-Time Visitors for what not to miss.
On my most recent visit, I chose to stay on Murano and discovered how much more relaxed, affordable, and enjoyable the Venetian lagoon can feel when you’re not sleeping in the historic center.
If you’re visiting Venice for several days, consider spending at least one or two nights on Murano. Or, if you’ve visited Venice before, why not bypass its expensive hotels and rip-off restaurants altogether and stay only on Murano? You can easily zip into Venice for a stroll and a visit to some of the major sites.
In this post, I present the pros and cons of staying on Murano and offer my recommendations for a two-night stay.
Table of Contents
Is Staying on Murano Right for You?
Consider staying on Murano instead of or in addition to staying in Venice if any of the following statements applies to you:
- You’ve already visited Venice and want a calmer, more local experience.
- You’re staying in the lagoon for several days.
- You value quiet evenings, early-morning walks, and space to breathe.
- You enjoy art, craftsmanship, and small-town rhythm over nonstop sightseeing.
Murano may not be ideal if any of these statements applies:
- You’re visiting Venice for the first time and only have one or two days.
- You want to be steps away from major sights like St. Mark’s Basilica.
- You’re looking for nightlife, late-night dining, or bar-hopping.
If peace, space, and atmosphere matter more to you than being steps from major sights, Murano is likely an excellent fit. But if this is your first visit to Venice, skip Murano for now and spend all your time exploring one of the world’s most enchanting cities.
Murano: Day Trip or Overnight Stay?
Many visitors experience Murano on a quick day trip from Venice, often combined with Burano or Torcello. While this approach gives you the opportunity to see a glassmaking demonstration and do some shopping for glass souvenirs, it’s also when Murano is at its busiest, with tour groups thronging the main canals and shops.
A Murano overnight stay is a very different experience. Once the day-trippers leave, you can experience Murano at its best: quiet mornings when you’re the only person strolling along the canals, evenings when the water reflects only the soft glow of lamplight, and a sense of living on a working Venetian island rather than visiting a stage set.
If you’re short on time or visiting Venice for the first time, a day trip may be enough. But if you have several days in the lagoon, or you’ve already spent time in Venice, staying one or two nights on Murano allows you to experience the island at its best.
Who knows, you might even leave with a carefully wrapped piece of glass art that will forever remind you of your time on the island.
The following itinerary shows how rewarding a short stay on Murano can be.
Murano: Two Nights & One Full Day – At a Glance
Arrival & Evening in Venice
- From the airport: Take the Alilaguna Blue Line waterbus (30–35 min) straight to Murano.
- Check in: Hyatt Centric Murano Venice – spacious rooms, canal views, and airport shuttles
- Evening: Vaporetto to Venice for cicchetti, a relaxed dinner, and post-sunset strolling. Return to Murano under the stars.
Full Day on Murano
- Morning: Glass-blowing demo at a local furnace; arrive early before tour groups.
- Shopping: Skip the cheap imports; head for Venini, Wave Murano Glass, or NasonMoretti for authentic art glass.
- Lunch: Osteria al Duomo; enjoy seafood pasta in a shady garden.
- Afternoon:
- Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato – Byzantine mosaics & “dragon bones”
- Murano Glass Museum – centuries of glass history
- Stroll the Fondamenta dei Vetrai and back alleys.
- Evening: Dinner at B Restaurant alla Vecchia Pescheria, canal-side with Venetian classics.
Departure
- Enjoy a peaceful early-morning walk along the canals before catching your vaporetto or water taxi back to Venice or the airport.
Top Tips for Visiting Murano
- Buy wisely: Look for the “Vetro Artistico® Murano” certification sticker to ensure authenticity.
- Ship it: If buying a larger piece, most reputable shops will pack and ship it securely—worth the cost to avoid heartbreak in your suitcase.
- Timing is everything: Stay overnight to enjoy Murano’s peaceful mornings and evenings, when the day-trippers are gone.
- Hydrate & shade: Glass furnaces get hot; visit in the morning and bring water.
- Ask questions: Artisans love to explain their techniques; showing interest can lead to extra demos or discounts.
My Experience Arriving for Two Nights on Murano
On my latest trip to Venice, I stayed for two nights and one full day on Murano, and took the vaporetto into Venice for the afternoon and evening of the first night.
Here’s how I spent my time.
Getting to Murano from the Airport
Murano is one of the easiest Venetian islands to reach directly from Venice Marco Polo Airport. After deplaning, take what feels like an endless number of moving sidewalks to the dock (just follow the signs).
From there, buy a ticket from one of the machines and then hop on the Alilaguna Blue Line waterbus. In about 30–35 minutes, you’ll be stepping off at Colosseo, one of the waterbus stops on Murano.
Where to Stay on Murano
I stayed at the Hyatt Centric Murano Venice, and it was an excellent choice. Located on the waterfront at the Museo vaporetto stop, the Hyatt Centric combines modern comfort with easy access to the rest of the island.
Another plus? The hotel offers a shuttle boat to and from Marco Polo Airport for a reasonable price (much cheaper than a water taxi). Contact the hotel a few days before your stay to reserve your spot on one of their scheduled runs.
My Experience: Because our flight into Venice was to arrive three hours before the first available shuttle time, we took the Alilaguna Blue Line water bus to the Colosseo stop on Murano. The Murano Hyatt Centric is located opposite the Museo stop, a good twenty-minute walk along cobbled streets (not great for dragging suitcases!).
On the way back to the airport, we wisely took the shuttle, which picked us up at the dock in front of the hotel and zoomed us across the lagoon, spray flying. An exhilarating experience!
Here are other options for staying on Murano:
First Evening in Venice
After settling into your hotel on Murano, hop on Vaporetto Line 4.1 or 4.2, and in about 15 minutes you’ll be at Fondamente Nove in Venice, ready to wander the city in the golden twilight.
Evenings in Venice are magical. The streets are much less crowded with all the day-trippers having returned to their cruise ships. Stroll through quiet campos, linger over cicchetti (Venetian tapas) in a bacaro, and then enjoy a romantic dinner alongside a canal.
Here are some pictures I snapped of our early-evening stroll through Venice.
Returning to Murano from Venice
Catch Vaporetto Line 4.1 or 4.2 from Fondamente Nove for the return trip. You’ll pass by Isola di San Michele that contains Venice’s principal cemetery glowing eerily in the setting sun.
Several famous people are buried there, including composer Igor Stravinsky and poet Ezra Pound.
Spending a Full Day on Murano
We opted to spend the entire day on Murano rather than going back into Venice. Good choice! I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to soak up Murano’s more tranquil, small-town rhythm, and explore some out-of-the-way areas where the only sounds were the wind in the trees and the buzzing of the cicadas.
Morning: Glass-Blowing Demonstration
I suggest attending a glass-blowing demonstration as soon as one of the many furnaces offering them opens. You’ll beat the crowds and get a great view of a master glassmaker work his magic with molten globs of glass.
Here are some options with GetYourGuide.
At the end of the short demo, you’ll be directed into the shop where you can admire some incredible pieces that would cost a fortune to ship home, and purchase some items that you can take with you.
I picked up two necklaces, one of which I’m wearing in the picture at the top of this post.
More Shopping for Glass
Murano is full of glass shops, some attached to furnaces offering demonstrations and many lining the two principal canals. You can’t miss them!
Avoid the “five-for-€10” trinket stands that sell imported, not genuine, Murano glass.
Good choices are Venini for contemporary art glass, Wave Murano Glass for bold and colorful designs, and NasonMoretti for sleek tableware. Even if you’re not in the market for a chandelier, you’ll leave with a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship.
Lunch Next to the Canal
Stop for lunch at Osteria al Duomo, tucked just behind Murano’s main street. Their seafood pasta is fresh and flavorful, and the garden seating is a leafy oasis in warm weather.
Afternoon: Explore the Island
Spend the afternoon wandering Murano’s quieter backstreets. Peek into the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato, famous for its Byzantine mosaics and the curious row of dragon bones hanging behind the altar.
Visit Murano Glass Museum
Make sure you allow time to visit the Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro) to learn more about the island’s glassmaking history and see exquisite historical pieces.
After entering the museum (a former palace), check out the tranquil gardens and then watch a film about glassmaking. A wide variety of techniques are described and demonstrated.
I was riveted!
After the film, tour the archaeological section on the ground floor that displays Roman works dating from the 1st to the 3rd century AD. Then, head upstairs to the first floor to view the world’s largest historical collection of Murano glass.
Take a Walk
Murano is small—you can walk across it in about 20 minutes. Take your time and veer off the main canals to explore areas where only locals go.
I walked to the far end of the island to find quiet canals, abundant greenery and a handful of local people working on their boats.
Evening: Dinner on Murano
For dinner, try B Restaurant alla Vecchia Pescheria, a cozy spot right on the canal with excellent Venetian classics and a good wine list.
Afterward, stroll alongside the lagoon to enjoy a spectacular sunset (weather permitting).
An Art Opening on Murano
One of the reasons I stayed on Murano during my most recent trip to Venice was that I was attending an art opening that featured Gregg Simpson’s work. (Gregg’s my husband and a visual artist; we often travel to his exhibitions).
The opening was at the municipal museum and featured Gregg’s work in addition to displays about the history of Murano. Housed in the Palazzo da Mula, entrance is free and well worth a quick look both to view whatever art exhibitions are on as well as to see the history displays.
Murano FAQs
Here are questions I’ve been asked about Murano:
Yes, if you value peace and atmosphere over proximity to major sights. Staying overnight allows you to experience Murano after the day-trippers leave, with quiet evenings and uncrowded mornings.
For repeat visitors or longer stays, Murano can be a better base than Venice. Hotels are often more spacious and affordable, and Venice is just a short vaporetto ride away.
Absolutely. Murano works well as a day trip, especially for first-time visitors to Venice. However, the island is busiest during the day, and you’ll miss its most tranquil moments.
Murano is about 10–15 minutes from Venice by vaporetto, depending on the line. Frequent boats run throughout the day and evening.
Murano is world-famous for its glassmaking tradition, which dates back centuries. Visitors can watch glass-blowing demonstrations, shop for authentic Murano glass, and visit the Murano Glass Museum.
If it’s your first visit and you only have a few days, it’s best to base yourself in Venice and visit Murano as a side trip. Murano shines most for travelers who already know Venice or have extra time.
More Artsy Traveler Posts about Less-Visited Towns in Italy
Murano is one of several Italian destinations I recommend for travelers who want depth over crowds. Here are posts on others:
- Beyond Romeo and Juliet: What to See in Verona, Italy
- Peaceful Piacenza: Why Visit and What To See
- A Week in Fascinating Little Padua Reveals Hidden Treasures
For all posts about Italy, see Visiting Italy.
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Carol M. Cram is the author of five award-winning historical novels inspired by art and the women who shaped it, the creator of Artsy Traveler, an arts-focused travel blog, the founder of Art In Fiction, a curated database of 2,500+ novels inspired by the arts, and the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast. She also authored 60+ textbooks on computer applications and taught at Capilano University for over two decades. She lives with her husband, artist Gregg Simpson, on beautiful Bowen Island near Vancouver, BC.