SAchic

I have a few days in Venice in July and would like to go to the Murano glass factory. Any suggestions on how to go about it and if I should set aside a whole day for it?

Mimar

You can take a vaporetto. Or some of the glass factories will pay for a free (water) taxi ride there. Check with your hotel.

This is only a half-day at most. You can add in a visit to the islands of Burano (cute colorful lace making town) and/or Torcello, both accessible by vaporetto.

ira

Hi SA,

there are a number of glass factories on Murano.

Most have free taxi service, if you are willing to watch the glass blowing demonstration and visit the shop.

There is a glass museum that is worth a visit.

With only a few days in Veice, I would not recommend Murano for a first-time visitor.

joearena99

I respectfully disagree with Ira. If in Venice for just a few days, I'd highly suggest a trip to Murano. It's fascinating to see the glass blowers in action, and the shops are 2nd to none when it comes to glass in every shape, size, color. I'd plan on at least a half day in Murano, checking out shop after shop. You'll enjoy the experience immensely. Go early in the morning, shop a little, eat lunch, shop a little more, and head back to San Marcos around 5:00, in time to rest before the orchestras play in the piazza.

Seamus

Murano is an intersting stop if you have the time and interest. Understand, though, that the reason the taxi is free is that it is a sales pitch masquerading as a cultural offering. Not quite as intense as the infamous time share "free weekend at a resort, just attend a sales presentation" gimmick, but the brief tour of the glass making facility is followed by the obligaotry stop in the sales area, and the return vaporetto is scheduled to keep you there a while. Of course you are free to decline to purchase anything, but you will still need to wait around for the return transport, and there's not a whole lot to do other than look at glass shops.

Amart

We loved Murano. It is pretty, quiet, interesting--you see more of "daily life". As for the factories, it all depends on what type of glass you are looking for. I love to see it created. We love modern art glass and found the best at Berengo Fine Arts http://www.berengo.com/. They took us through the museum they are creating and the fournace.

betsys

Visit a glass factory in Murano, on a private free ride from your hotel, but remember that there are MANY such factories. So when finished the mandatory visit, go to several others. We loved the visit, but were a captive audience, and bought stuff that cost a whole lot more at the factory than it would have in Venice proper. So, go, enjoy and buy after you are back in Venice and have had a chance to price check around the city. The exception would be a place like Archimede Seguso, the famous glass blowing place,(from The City Of Falling Angels, by John Behrendt) which is in Murano, and also in Venice proper, and also in the Marco Polo airport on the way home. There are OLD Seguso pieces available, but only in a few "antique" places, like the lovely guy near San Barnaba, in a little square if you leave San Barnaba by the left facing the church itself, over the bridge, and around about two 90 degree angle corners into a little square, sorry, I forgot the name. Enjoy it all.

clevelandbrown

Since you want to do it, do it!

We had vaporetto passes and took an early ride to Murano, then caught the vaporetto to Burano for lunch (a very colorful place, with more restaurants than Murano) and were back to Venice by early afternoon. The vaporettos run frequently, so there is no waiting around as you would have to do if you took the free watertaxi offer.

Our favorite memento from Venice is a couple of nice juice glasses we found at a shop on Murano.

ItalyLove

What time does the vaporettos start taking people to Murano early in the morning?

clevelandbrown

I think its lines 41 and 42, starting about 0630 in the morning.

The schedule is under waterbusses at www.actv.it/english/home.php

A very readable view of the routes is at
www.venice-rentals.com/info/routes.html

SusanP

If you take one of the free vaporetto rides over, you don't have to wait around for it to go back to Venice, just take a regular vaporetto any time you're ready.

Lily

We ate at a wonderful restaurant in Murano that was filled with locals having lunch - the Dalla Mora - right on the main canal. We also had a tour of a glass factory that we arranged when we arrived on Murano.

BigTurtle

We just got back from Venice and there is also a number 5 line that is more direct to Murano than the 41/42.

Also, we went on a Saturday and most of the factories were closed so definitely plan on going during the week. We only spent 2 days in Venice and made a point for this trip and had the time. Of course we were museumed out and only went to the glass museum so that freed up our schedule

missypie

So if you don't go on one of the free water taxi rides, and take the vaporetti instead, is it pretty obvious where to go to get to the glass factories when you get off the boat? Anybody know about what time they tend to open in the morning?

ekscrunchy

I think Murano makes a great half-day excursion. You cannot get lost, as you will see the factories right from the dock.

ronin

Sorry to say, my wife & I were "glass'd-out" by the time we got to Venice, having stopped in New Orleans on the way over to Italy. We stayed in a B&B owned by Eric Ehlenberger, who's taking the Murano style and updating it with neon accents - he makes the most wicked glass jellyfish ever!
http://www.venusiangardens.com/ (come on Lottery!) .We've been buying cast pieces from Inferno for several years now, and visited the foundry to see how they were doing post-Katrina http://tinyurl.com/nshd5

We bought plenty of glass for gifts in Venice - don't get me wrong ;-) but the day we'd set aside for our Murano/Burano trip turned a bit rough with rain & a fair amount of chop in the lagoon. I was walking on sea legs all day as it was from taking the vaporetto's within the sestiere's.

I personally never get tired of pic's from Burano, so by all means go & share your photos!