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Burano for a few hours earlier morning

My first Venice trip was a washout, hoping for better luck this time around, late September. I'm tossing around the idea of visiting Burano for a few hours, only for wandering and photography. I would take either the 710am (753am Burano arrival) or 740am (823am Burano arrival) ferry, with plans to depart Burano on the 955am or 1025am ferry back to Venice. The last thing I want to do is be on a packed ferry, hence the early start time. My trip would be on a Tuesday or Wednesday at these times in late September?
Part of me is saying skip Burano again, and opt for exploring more of Venice, getting lost in the quieter areas. Any input on how busy those ferry times may be, I know it's hard to predict.

Thanks in advance.

Posted by
419 posts

It's impossible to say. Earlier in the day, less people will be out and about.
Burano is definitely worth a trip. But if you want a really peaceful destination, stop en route at the cemetery island of San Michele - Diagilev and Stravinski are buried there.
Venice and its islands are my favourite places.. It is unfortunate that lots of other people go as well.
You have to make a judgement as to whether to not go to places you like because other people like them too.

Posted by
29111 posts

I'd be surprised if you run into crowds at those times. I went to Burano around the middle of September 2023. I don't know which vaporetto I caught, but I'm not an early riser, so I know it was later than the times you're planning. When I got to Burano, it was nearly tourist-free, and it still wasn't crowded when I left.

This is pure speculation, but I think most visitors who want to see both islands head to Murano first.

Posted by
583 posts

I visited Burano several years ago, and wished I had spent more time wandering around. I loved it. And now that I've learned more about San Michele, I wish I had spent some time there, too.
Enjoy your time in the area!

Posted by
3119 posts

We just went to Burano. So mid June. We got there in the morning but nothing like you are talking about. We left and went to Torcello about noon. By then it was noticeably more crowded. It wasn’t that crowded when we arrived which was probably 9:30 am.

Posted by
852 posts

I'd go to Burano either very early in the morning or late in the afternoon, to catch the best light for photos. I've never been on a crowded ferry that time of day during my early/late trips. But even if it is full, it doesn't matter, because Burano is worth it.

Posted by
1027 posts

The last time I was in Venice in early May I caught the vaporetto to Burano around 8am and it wasn’t crowded. I got to Burano before 9 am and there was very few people around. Just some locals getting their day started. Burano is small enough that you can walk every street in less than an hour, so by the time more people started showing up I had some great photos. I stayed long enough to visit the lace museum that didn’t open until 10am, and I still didn’t have trouble getting on the vaporetto back to Venice. At that time, most tourists were still just arriving on Burano. As someone else mentioned, stop at the cemetery island for a nice peaceful walk.

Posted by
97 posts

Thanks all! I'm keeping Burano on my itinerary. I briefly thought about San Michele, as I love cemeteries, but decided it'd be wiser to head back to Venice for more exploring as my time there is limited.

Posted by
1501 posts

If you're going early morning to take photos without people in them you might think about getting out one stop early at Mazzorbo if your vaporetto stops there. It's a small sleepy island attached to Burano by a bridge and if you walk along the wall towards Burano there's a door that leads to the Venissa winery and their garden. You can cut through their small fields toward Burano and cross Ponte Longo to reach Burano. And when you get there the people from your vaporetto will have landed and dispersed so you won't disembark with whatever crowd there is.

Hope you find your quiet piece of the lagoon,
=Tod