With a few days in Venice in Sept., is it worthwhile to go these islands? Is one better than the other or can you take a ferry to both and see both the same afternoon? Thanks! <BR> <BR>

I went to Murano and except for finding a nice little restaurant, which you can find all over Venice, I thought it was not worth the trip. I never saw any glass blowing, as advertised in every brochure I read (unless you count people making cutesy little dogs and things,like you used to see at tourist traps in US). The glass we saw was either too cheesey and cheap, or way to expensive for us. There is too much else to see in Venice, if you only have a few days.

I liked Murano. Actually, found it a nice break from the rest. And the valparetto ride over was interesting. I bought a couple of little souveniers that I enjoy looking at in my office.

Kathy, <BR> <BR>I LOVED Burano! We spent a few hours there during an afternoon and I only wished we had planned more time. It's an adorable fishing village that specializes in Lace. Bring your camera!

Hi Kathy: Burano is definetly worth seeing. It is a quaint island with lots of very colorful houses. The ferry takes you right past Murano. Seeing both makes for a nice day trip. If your time is limited, you might bypass Murano and just go on to Burano. Enjoy your vacation....Paul J

I too would bypass Murano for Burano, if my time were limited. Wonderful houses, lace makers, shops and restaurants. Also a wonderul old church to go through. You could do both on a half day, just get off boat at Murano, walk around a little, the glass you will see is mostly for tourists , the really good things will be in better shops in Venice itself. Then head out to Burano. We loved looking around. saw a wedding and a funeral, all in gondolas the day we were there!Be careful if you buy lace lots of it is machine made in china and not authentic

Thanks for all the good advice. I think we'll try to do both islands - less time on Murano and more on Burano. It will be better than fighting crowds! Kathy

A bit of a contrarian view . . . <BR> <BR>If you have a passion for 'glass' - Murano is a must. I have purchased art glass all over the world, and Murano glass competes at the top end. Having said that, it is expensive. (You can visit the glass blowing factories if you choose). <BR> <BR>Burano - I agree with the others. <BR> <BR>And, if I were to add a third stop. The cemetary stop before Murano. I have never, never seen so many flowers in my life (post holiday though). The cemetary rivals the Pasadena Rose parade. <BR> <BR>So take the Vaparetto to the cemetary, stay for an hour. Go to Murano, get off at the first stop. Walk the factories and shops to the middle stop. Get on and go to Burano. <BR> <BR>Have a great time.

Any recommendations from anyone on how not to be taken in by purchasing machine-made lace? I know this type of thing is common with many handicrafts worldwide, so just wondering. Any particular shops to go to or to avoid, or things to look for? Thanks!

Kathy-just my two cents but I would recommend using the water bus service (which is very cheap and you can get on and off as you wish). We took almost a whole day and stated at Murano(doing the glass blowing tour and special shops)-then hopped on the water bus to Burano for a leisurely lunch outside on that island(looked at the lace shops and other goodies) then on to the Lido island for an ice cream(good people watching and sticking our feet in the Adriatic Sea.) It was a wonderul day and being out on the water for a longer period of tourng was marvelous!You really get a feel for how special the whole Venice area is after you have toured some of the islands.Have a wonderful trip-Venice really surprised our whole family when we visited!!!!

Invariably, women like the trip, especially to the fabric stores at Burano. Men don't particularly like the trip. The Murano glass works kept my interest through about ten minutes of the glass-making demonstration.

Murano is worth exploring if you get away from the vaporetto stop (all the tourist glass places are right there) and visit the northwest corner of the island. <BR> <BR>Ditto Burano; all the tourist lace shops are near the vaporetto stop; walk away from the stop and wander the canals.

Murano has some pretty spots, including <BR>a church and a museum of glass, but imo going to Murano for glass-shopping is for dedicated browsers who want to visit factory showrooms to compare glass styles, designs, and prices. If you just want a small glass souvenir, or if you want a major "designer" piece, you can find that easily in Venice proper.

First of all, I second the idea of using the public boats. We always get a three day unlimited pass which makes it all so very easy. We took the ferry to Murano in the morning, wandered back some smaller streets and found several glass blowing factories, where they simply let us watch. Of course, they may encourage you to visit their shop, but we did not feel pressured and made it clear we weren't interested in buying any glass. We wandered Murano for a couple of hours, then took a boat to Burano, which we found very picturesque. We had a great lunch there and mainly just wandered the streets. From there we took another boat to Lido, which we had always avoided before. We wandered the island and strolled much of the beach, having drinks at a couple of the bigger hotels on the beach. We returned by another boat by early evening. It was a full day, but totally enjoyable.