Burano and Murano – two of the most charming islands near Venice.
The former became famous mostly thanks to its colorful houses whereas the other one is renowned for its glass-making tradition.
If you’re heading to Venice and have enough time, I recommend you plan a day trip to Burano and Murano as well. They’re both not that big and thus easily visitable in one day.
When my sister and I planned our day trip to Burano and Murano, we weren’t sure which island to see first.
After a short discussion, we agreed on Burano as it’s been high on top of both our bucket lists. Plus we’d seen so many colorful pictures of it already and had quite some expectations!
It doesn’t really make a lot of difference which island to see first and the decision is completely up to you.
However, Burano is the more touristy one so I highly recommend you to go there in the morning.
First Stop: Burano
Welcome to Burano – the most colorful island in the entire world!
How to Get to Burano
Before I start going into raptures about this wonderful island, it’s better and probably more helpful for you to find out how to get there
As you may know, public transport in Venice mainly consists of water buses – the so-called vaporettos.
The only water bus that goes to Burano – and Murano as well – is route 12 which departs from Fondamente Nove (Ft. Nove).
This stop is in the northern part of Venice and a 20-minute walk from St. Mark’s Square.
A one-way ticket costs €7.50, which means a return trip costs €15. It depends on the duration of your stay and how often you use the vaporetto but you may even want to buy multi-day tickets.
Roaming Around The Colorful Streets of Burano
No matter what favorite color you have, you’ll most likely see (at least) one house painted in it.
You may think it’s only a small part of Burano which is colorful. At least that’s what I thought. However, I quickly discovered that colorfulness can be found off the main route as well!
With only 0.2 square kilometers, Burano is a very small island and every point can be reached within 10 minutes from the waterbus station.
The best thing you can do is simply stroll around and see where the path leads you.
Make sure you explore both, the main route along the canal and also the hidden places. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the cutest courtyards like the one pictured below.
Next to the main canal are quite a few souvenir shops selling typical stuff like handcrafted jewelry, postcards and magnets in the form of houses.
They’re really cute souvenirs to buy but there’s something more extraordinary and special you can get.
Burano & It’s Wonderful Tradition
Besides its lovely fishing houses, another thing Burano is known for is the long tradition of needle-lace making.
The real and iconic Burano lace can take a long time to make – sometimes even weeks for just a small piece! So it’s no wonder that the beautiful lace is quite pricey and a tablecloth can cost €500 or even more.
A great address for authentic lace is Emilia Burano. Another good shop is the atelier Martina Vidal with three floors of clothing, housewares and gifts.
If you want to learn more about this interesting tradition, plan a short visit to the lace museum Museo del Merletto.
Even if you plan to visit all the places I mentioned above, you’ll still have enough time to eat lunch or have a nice cup of coffee before heading to Murano.
Some good restaurants in Burano are Trattoria Al Gatto Nero and Ristorante Pizzeria Principe.
Both offer traditional Italian dishes with vegan options including vegetable pizza without cheese and pasta with tomato sauce.
Second Stop: Murano
Burano and Murano – two islands with almost the same name and yet they’re both so different.
Like Burano has its lace, Murano is known for its old glass-making tradition. I’m getting into detail about it later in this blog post but now let me tell you how to reach this island.
How to Get to Murano
If you went to Burano first, take line 12 again back to Venice. After around 25 minutes get off at the stop called Murano Faro.
In case Murano is first on your itinerary, take line 12 from Fondamente Nove – same as for Burano – but leave the ferry earlier.
The ride from Fondamente Nove to Murano Faro is approximately 10 minutes.
What to See in Murano
Murano is not only one island but consists of seven individual islands connected by beautiful bridges.
This might sound a bit overwhelming but the island actually measures only 1.5 km across and is thus easily walkable in less than 20 minutes.
Exactly like Venice, Murano has its own Canale Grande running down from one end of the island to the other. Although it’s not as big as the original one it’s still nice to see all the old buildings on each side of it.
Apparently, this basilica contains bones of a slain dragon that can be found behind the altar.
Myth or truth – I can’t tell because I didn’t even see the bones, unfortunately.
What I did see tho was the amazing mosaic pavement leading from the entrance to the altar.
Whether there are dragon bones or not, the church is worth a visit simply because of this Byzantine mosaic!
The main reason many people visit Murano is neither the church nor the smaller Canale Grande.
It’s the long tradition of glass-making. Visitors from all over the world come to this island to purchase the most gorgeous things made out of the iconic Murano glass.
The Art of Murano Glass
To understand this tradition a bit better, I recommend a visit to the Museo del Vetro. There you’ll learn the story of glass through many centuries.
What makes this kind of glass so special is the unique glassblowing process that’s more than a thousand years old.
It enables extraordinary creations with the most beautiful coloring and sometimes almost surreal patterns and shapes.
Creating this kind of glass is massive work so it’s no wonder that some glass pieces can cost up to a few thousand dollars.
In case you can’t and don’t want to spend a fortune on a piece of artwork, I have some good news for you!
While walking around Murano, you’ll see many art galleries and glass & mirror shops selling more inexpensive stuff made of Murano glass such as small animal figures or jewelry.
If you’re lucky, you’ll even have the chance to watch glassmakers at work.
When we entered one of these shops we saw a woman working on tiny glass figures. The technique she used was seriously so fascinating so we stood there for a while and watched her create these art pieces.
Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying something from her.
I decided to go for a small Panda figure which was way too cute to resist!
Besides animal figures, she was also selling various decoration stuff and the most wonderful handcrafted jewelry.
Unlike in Spain, France and the UK, Italy requires people to register their Italian phone numbers with an Italian tax id. Those of us who are residents for only a few days have a problem there! I've researched many sites and am confirming this info that I find over and over again and feel is reliable.
Currently, TIM Italy, Vodafone Italy, Wind Tre & Iliad offer eSIMs to prepaid customers.
Note that the Italian mobile operators require your identification (ID for EU/EEA travelers and passport for anyone else) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards as part of Italy's SIM card registration requirements. I know I do not want to deal with any of that for privacy reasons. Luckily, there is a way to avoid this registration scheme: by roaming (super expensive) or using a travel eSIM (affordable AND can be cheaper than local SIM cards in many countries).
Travel eSIM providers Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, SimOptions & Ubigi offer attractive eSIMs for Italy, allowing them to be set up before arriving in Italy and activating them as soon as you land.
Very convenient, right? And I have used eSIMs from Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, SimOptions & Ubigi before, and I can assure you they work well!
Airalo eSIMsare my favorite travel eSIMs out there because they are always good value for money compared to other travel eSIM providers (especially travel eSIMs not mentioned in this guide).
And the same can be said for the Mamma Mia eSIM – 20 GB of data is available for only 33 USD.
You can purchase and set up your Mamma Mia eSIM before arriving in Italy (and activate it upon landing)
The eSIM will start once you have it enabled and are in Italy – not earlier (so you can pre-purchase your eSIM months in advance in peace – I do this often)
You get full (up to 4G/LTE) access to the Wind Tre Italy network
The eSIMs are affordable and have generous data allowances
You can manage your eSIM easily on the Airalo website or its apps (Android and iOS)
If you need more data, top-ups are available (at the same prices as listed earlier – not at a markup)
What are the main cons of Airalo's Mamma Mia eSIMs?
You cannot call or text with the Mamma Mia eSIM – it is a data-only eSIM (so you do not get a (Italian) phone number either)
While you get access to Wind Tre's network, your speeds will not be as fast as going with Wind Tre Italy itself because you will be roaming on their networks (and not be a native customer)
The Italian mobile operators have much more generous data allowances (while Mamma Mia's is capped at 20 GB, but top-ups are available)
There are no unlimited data plans (unlike some other options mentioned in this guide)
There is no 5G NR access with the Mamma Mia eSIM (but you will have 5G NR access with the Airalo Eurolink eSIM instead – more about it later)
Airalo Mamma Mia eSIM Overall Thoughts
I am a big fan of Airalo and its eSIMs in general, as mentioned in my Airalo review, including the Mamma Mia eSIM.
It offers reasonable data plans for low prices – even for Italian standards.
You get fast (up to 4G/LTE) speeds and access in Italy without standing in queues or dealing with SIM card registration bureaucracy.
But if making actual phone calls and sending real text messages are important to you (so not through an app like WhatsApp), you may want to buy a Italian SIM card instead (an in-depth guide).
But if you do not want to worry about data allowances, Holafly's Italy plans are completely unlimited. BUT unlimited data plans are more expensive than any eSIM mentioned in this guide.
You get full (up to 4G/LTE) access on the Wind Tre, TIM Italy, Vodafone Italy & Iliad Italy networks
You do not have to deal with hard data caps because you get unlimited data (50 GB – here I come!)
If you, somehow, experience any problems, Holafly's support team responds surprisingly quickly (even on weekends)
Holafly Italy eSIM eSIM Cons
What are the main cons of Holafly's Italy eSIMs?
You cannot call or text with the Holafly Italy eSIM – it is a data-only eSIM (so you do not get an (Italian) phone number either)
While you get access to the Wind Tre, TIM Italy, Vodafone Italy & Iliad Italy networks, your speeds will not be as fast as going with the mobile operators themselves themselves because you will be roaming on their networks (and not be a native customer)
The eSIM's validity, supposedly, starts as soon as you scan the QR code, not upon using it in Italy
I say supposedly because I have installed eSIMs literally months in advance and had no issues using them later, but I do not want you to experience this issue with your hard-earned money
While you get “unlimited” data, the soft cap seems to be 2.5-3 GB/day and 90 GB per month (if you get the 30-, 60-, or 90-day eSIM)
I have not experienced this soft cap myself
You cannot use your phone as a hotspot (tether) with any Holafly unlimited data eSIM
There is no 5G NR access with the Holafly Italy eSIM
You cannot top-up your eSIM – you have to buy a new one (in case you stay in Italy for a bit longer than initially planned)
Holafly is the most expensive eSIM provider in this guide
Using Italian SIM Cards in San Marino and Vatican City
San Marino is a country within the borders of Italy. The same counts for Vatican City, although the latter is within the boundaries of Metropolitan Rome. Both countries, city-states, nation-states, or whatever you want to call them, have their own government.
However, there is no official border crossing or passport checks when entering San Marino or Vatican City.
Due to the size of Vatican City, it does not have a domestic mobile operator – so you cannot buy a Vatican SIM card, as there is none.
Instead, the Italian mobile operators cover Vatican City in full. You will have good reception throughout the entirety of the city. Likewise, it is unnecessary to buy a Sammarinese SIM card because the Italian mobile operators also cover all of San Marino. However, reception and speeds may suffer (slightly) the more inland you go.
Overview of the Best eSIMs for Italy
So, we reviewed some eSIMs that can be used in Italy.
I will give you a quick recap of each and link to their product pages in case you need more info or want to purchase an eSIM already (just remember the activation policies of Holafly, Nomad & SimOptions – do not buy their eSIMs too early):
AIS eSIM2FLY Global eSIM through SimOptionswith 5G NR access in Italy (eSIM with the most 5G NR supported countries (50/123) at a reasonable price but with a short validity)
Nomad Global eSIM (extensive global coverage (110 countries) at high(er) prices)
Ubigi World Plan (most extensive global coverage (175+ countries) at the highest prices)
