Is Burano/Torcello worth a visit if I only have 3 1/2 days in Venice?
May 31st, 2010, 09:44 AM
#1
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Is Burano/Torcello worth a visit if I only have 3 1/2 days in Venice?
I have three full days and a half day in Venice in July. Is it worth it to take time to visit Burano and Torcello or is my visit too short to try and do these islands? Also, are both islands worth a visit or just one of them?
In addition, are there any restaurant recommendations for either one of these islands? Preferably outside, perhaps on a canal.
Thanks so much!
In addition, are there any restaurant recommendations for either one of these islands? Preferably outside, perhaps on a canal.
Thanks so much!
May 31st, 2010, 10:42 AM
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Torcello is my favorite of the three lagoon islands. It is the most remote/rural and has beautiful 12th century mosaics in the
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.
Here's a link from last year with ideas for restaurants on the islands including Locanda Cipriani
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...fm#dest-header
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.
Here's a link from last year with ideas for restaurants on the islands including Locanda Cipriani
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...fm#dest-header
May 31st, 2010, 10:43 AM
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Burano is lovely as is a nice complement to a trip to Venice. You could ride a vaporetto to Murano and Burano and explore both islands in 4-5 hours. I didn't make it to Torcello and regret it now. There is something very wistful about the islands that added to the romance of Venice.
May 31st, 2010, 10:58 AM
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Thanks everyone! It seems as though the main consensus is that a trip out to Burano/Torcello is worth the time even with only 3 1/2 days in Venice.
I will definitely look into the restaurant recommendations. Thanks so much!
I will definitely look into the restaurant recommendations. Thanks so much!
May 31st, 2010, 11:15 AM
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Yes both are really interesting IME and the boat ride as well - seeing Venice from afar across the lagoon just like ancient mariners did when they glimpsed this then 8th Wonder of the World from across the water.
Torcello i believe is infested with wild cats - like all of Venice is but i just remember the critters lurking everywhere there.
Torcello i believe is infested with wild cats - like all of Venice is but i just remember the critters lurking everywhere there.
May 31st, 2010, 01:44 PM
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Don't miss both Burano and Torcello. I have pics of Torcello taken years ago. The mosaics are really spectacular. Yes they are in the church. You can do both in a little over half a day if you time it right.
May 31st, 2010, 01:56 PM
#16
hi jill,
i only got to Torcello on my 5th visit to Venice, and was vey impressed. you get the ferry [every half hour] from the quay on burano, and then have to walk about 10 mins along a path next to the canal until you get to the centre - which is just a restaurant or two and the cathedral. the mosaics are at both ends of the basilica, and we ended up buying a set of postcards of them, as we weren't confident of our ability to record their beauty. try if you can to get there when the school groups have left - it will be much more atmospheric.
we ate at the trattoria attila, which was fine, and on the wet and cold day we went had a good fire going - which you hopefully won't need in July.
as for Burano, i much prefer it to Murano - it is much prettier and seems still to exist as a community which isn't entirely tourist oriented. with long evenings in July, you could easily do both islands in an afternoon/evening, so long as you checked the times of the ferries and the basilica first. we ate at a restaurant in the main street [can't remember its name] and enjoyed it a lot.
however, you don't actually need to decide this in advance as you can make your mind up when you are there - there is not booking to do. I'm sure you'll have a great trip, whatever you decide.
regards, ann
PS - click on my screen name and you'll find my trip report from our 7 day trip to venice which included a half-3/4 day trip to Torcello and Burano, including details of ferry times, which I've not forgotten.
i only got to Torcello on my 5th visit to Venice, and was vey impressed. you get the ferry [every half hour] from the quay on burano, and then have to walk about 10 mins along a path next to the canal until you get to the centre - which is just a restaurant or two and the cathedral. the mosaics are at both ends of the basilica, and we ended up buying a set of postcards of them, as we weren't confident of our ability to record their beauty. try if you can to get there when the school groups have left - it will be much more atmospheric.
we ate at the trattoria attila, which was fine, and on the wet and cold day we went had a good fire going - which you hopefully won't need in July.
as for Burano, i much prefer it to Murano - it is much prettier and seems still to exist as a community which isn't entirely tourist oriented. with long evenings in July, you could easily do both islands in an afternoon/evening, so long as you checked the times of the ferries and the basilica first. we ate at a restaurant in the main street [can't remember its name] and enjoyed it a lot.
however, you don't actually need to decide this in advance as you can make your mind up when you are there - there is not booking to do. I'm sure you'll have a great trip, whatever you decide.
regards, ann
PS - click on my screen name and you'll find my trip report from our 7 day trip to venice which included a half-3/4 day trip to Torcello and Burano, including details of ferry times, which I've not forgotten.
May 31st, 2010, 02:22 PM
#18
As an observer of your 'big picture' planning of this trip reading this forum I see every place you are staying you then have a whole bunch of other extra 'day trips' you are adding on. You can see for yourself as the experience unfolds in Europe, but you may 'hit a wall' along the way and actually ENJOY just staying put in a town or city for a couple of days in a row.
May 31st, 2010, 02:51 PM
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Hob, no...you may not take photos in Santa Maria Assunta. I really wanted an image of part of the mosaic. I would have settled for a postcard...but no close up was sold either.
Jill Every year I take a trip out to Burano...then onto Torcello. I have lunch on Torcello at Locanda Cipriani...they have a lovely patio with a view of Santa Maria Assunta. Lovely meal with a friendly and professional staff.
But it really is an all day affair. I take the 10am boat departing from San Zaccaria and usually don't get back to Venice til 5:30ish. So I'm not sure I'd recommend spending one of only three and a half days.
If you do go make sure you climb to the top of the campanile on Torcello....the view is divine!
Jill Every year I take a trip out to Burano...then onto Torcello. I have lunch on Torcello at Locanda Cipriani...they have a lovely patio with a view of Santa Maria Assunta. Lovely meal with a friendly and professional staff.
But it really is an all day affair. I take the 10am boat departing from San Zaccaria and usually don't get back to Venice til 5:30ish. So I'm not sure I'd recommend spending one of only three and a half days.
If you do go make sure you climb to the top of the campanile on Torcello....the view is divine!
