Hello,
Two of us are hoping to see Burano, and possibly Murano without an expensive tour. What is the best way to do this? Can we do this on our own without too much trouble? We are looking at this coming Friday, 5 October.
Thanks,
Pat

It's very easy to go on your own.

Yes, we were able to just catch a ferry and stroll about the islands. We particularly enjoyed Burano. Have a great time!

Ditto. I was 'invited' to go to Murano by a glass seller. Of course we had to visit his factory, but it was nice.

Absolutely NO need for a tour! Take vaporetto line 12 from Fondamente Nove. It is easy and fast to go on your own. Enjoy walking at your leisure.
Venice vaporetto - water-bus - route map | www.Venice.nu

To save time in Murano, don't get off at the first Vap stop--you'll be at a glass-blowing shop. Unless you want to watch the glass blowing, go to the Museum stop.

If possible, go to Burano first--it is more a visual feast in my opinion.

As others have said, the No 12 Vap from Fond. Nove gets you there. If you are tight for time, skip Murano. Torcello is really worth visiting; Torcello was the first settlement in the lagoon. Silting of the canals and malaria forced the inhabitants to move to Venice, and it was a similar stort for Mazzorbo.

When travelling to burano, get off the vap at Mazzorbo and it is a pleasant stroll through a vineyard and over the bridge to Burano. Coming back from Burano, the line for the vap can be very long and you might not get on the first boat. But if you walk back to Mazzorbo, they will always let you board.

The vaporetto #12 route map and schedule https://www.visit-venice-italy.com/w...p-line-12.html or the entire system route map WEB_R2_mappa_linee_di_navigazione_maggio_2018.pdf

>>> best way to do this?
Another "best". Expensive tour = easiest. Just as easy = get multi-day unlimited Vaporetto ride pass covering your stay in Venice. It is a contact-less RFID card. You tap your card at the card reader on the dock before you hop onto the boat. Make sure you hear the beep when you tap your card.
Both Burano and Murano get super crowded during the day. If you look at the map, the #12 vaporetto stops at Murano on the way to Burano and again back from Burano. Also, there are multiple Vaporetto connecting Murano to Venice while only one from Venice to Burano. What this means is that it give you most Vaporetto options by going to Burano first and as early as possible before hordes of tourists start inundating the brief period of relative tranquility. You can take the first #12 vaporetto, get off at Torcello, a stop before Burano, spend one hour there, catch next vaporetto to Burano, walk around Burano, eat lunch there, walk to Mazzorbo, walk around there, catch Vaporetto to Murano.

Murano, IMO, is like visiting a mall - very little there that appeals to me. Burano is slightly better because it's so colorful. Torcello is the real prize, though.

And of course you can visit them on your own. You just get on the vaporetto. Absolutely no need for a guide, assuming you have at least a vague idea of what you're visiting.

Thank you so much for all your valuable input. These posts are so much better and easier than a guide book!

Pat

If you like glass, Murano is a must. My kids loved to watch the fabircation of the small horse made from coloured glass. Since we tipped the guy quite a lot (something very unusual for me), we got the horse...
For the rest, yes a mall...

Input from Fodorites can be invaluable, but IMO, our comments are rarely a substitute for a good guidebook.

I’m inclined to disagree with kja’s comment about guide books. The guide books for Venice will list the things and venues that are static, that never change like the Doges palace, Basilica, half a dozen museums and churches, Murano/Burano/Torcello, but they can’t list the temporary exhibitions, and it can be hard to find out about them.

a good example is the Homo Faber exhibition on San Georgio which ran for only two weeks on San Giorgio and was just brilliant, undoubtedly the best exhibition I have ever seen in Venice (and over nine visits, I’ve spoent about a year here). Displays of superb crafts, book binding, art restoration (with the restorers at work), glass engraving, a couple of restored sports cars worth about $20,000 million each. A restored yacht, Mont Blanc showing the 20 or so stages that go to make a bespoke pen nib, fashions, you name it. What’s more, it was free, with a free shuttle boat from San Zaccharia.

The Tre Oci photo gallery with a retrospective of Willy Ronis’ photos, spanning about 75 years.

A tour of the Foscari University.

A display of about 40 pretty special motorbikes at Forte Marghera, the oldest a 1920 Mars 1000 cc monster.

The list is endless, but you won’t find them in the guidebooks.

On this website is a link where you can subscribe to a weekly newsletter that lists many of the “Off Broadway” things that are happening in Venice.
https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/conte...ourism-venezia

Worth a look.

Murano to me was a total tourist trap - but if you are really into Murano glass then that's fine but a mob scene when I've been there even long ago. Torcello was a gem to me - fairly deserted compared to other two but much longer ride. It's known for its herd of feral cats which were lurking everywhere (as they do all over Venice) - I especially enjoyed seeing Venice from very far across the lagoon - being like ancient mariners who when approaching this then and now magical city across the water - eagerly awaiting their arrival in then one of world's richest cities.

Of course there is information one can't get in a guidebook! But the cost is nominal in comparison to the cost of a trip, and in return. one obtains a wealth of information, including things one doesn't otherwise even know to ask. IME, guidebook users are MUCH better positioned to make choices that match their personal interests than possible when relying on strangers on a forum (no matter their expertise).

Guidebooks have their uses and so do forums like Fodor's - I would take from as many sources as possible. And yes a guidebook is outofdater as soon as printed - online sources need not be. There is so so much available online you could print off and not lug a hefty guidebook around. Or go to library and photocopy relevant portions of several guides as each has a different angle and just bring those along and not the actual guidebook that may contain lots about other places you won't even visit.

Another vote for Torcello