Water taxi to Murano and Burano, with the sums done

Official city fares to the northern lagoon islands

For Murano and Burano there’s no need to haggle by guesswork: there’s a table. Council resolutions no. 227 and no. 516 of 2011 — the Comune di Venezia tariff — set a price for each route to the islands, and that price is for the whole boat, not per person.

The fare covers up to four passengers. From the fifth onwards the tariff adds a per-person supplement, luggage included: the board shows €5 and €10 in two different boxes and it isn’t clear which applies to fixed routes, so ask first. Every suitcase beyond the fourth and beyond the number of passengers costs €3. Between 22:00 and 06:00 there’s a €10 night surcharge on top.

Two things to know before you board. First: these are point-to-point fares. They don’t include waiting on the island or the trip back. Second: many operators sell the same trip at a higher commercial price. On Venezia Taxi’s booking form, at the time of checking, airport → Murano came to €110 and airport → Burano to €180, against €60 and €140 in the city table. A quote that differs isn’t illegal; it’s just useful to know the official benchmark. The full comparison of official fares and market prices is on our water-taxi prices page.

For a trip picked up on the spot at a taxi rank, get the price before you set off, and check whether it’s for the whole boat or per passenger. If the price quoted for Murano is well above €60, you can point to the official tariff.

The vaporetto to Murano and Burano: lines, times, tickets

ACTV public transport serves both islands well. From the official ACTV timetables:

• Line 3 — from Piazzale Roma and the station (Ferrovia) to Murano (Colonna, Faro, Navagero, Venier, Da Mula, Museo) and back. Piazzale Roma to Murano Colonna takes about 20 minutes. Departures every 20–30 minutes during the day.
• Lines 4.1 and 4.2 — circular routes calling at Murano and Fondamente Nove, in opposite directions, also via Ferrovia and Piazzale Roma.
• Line 12 — from Fondamente Nove to Murano Faro, Mazzorbo, Burano and, at some times of day, Torcello. About 9 minutes to Murano Faro, about 40 to Burano. In the middle of the day it leaves every 20 minutes.
• Line 9 — Burano ↔ Torcello shuttle, about 5 minutes, during daytime hours.

Not every line 12 departure serves Torcello: in the middle of the day you get off at Burano and take line 9. On some early-morning and evening runs, Torcello is a request stop, and you must book boarding by phone at least 20 minutes ahead on the ACTV freephone number shown on the timetable. The times and frequencies above come from the ACTV timetables in force at the time of checking. Timetables change with the seasons: check the ACTV website the day before.

A single ACTV 75-minute ticket costs €9.50. The 24-hour pass costs €25, the 48-hour €35, the 72-hour €45. The maths is simple: a Murano + Burano day trip with the return needs at least three legs, so €28.50 in singles against €25 for the pass. Add Torcello or other trips around the city and the pass is even better value. One 75-minute single is enough from Fondamente Nove to Burano. The ticket is valid for 75 minutes from first validation even if you change lines, but it must be validated again each time you change boat: if your route involves a change, make sure the last validation falls within the 75 minutes.

Alilaguna is the other public option: San Marco ↔ Murano and airport ↔ Murano cost €10 a trip, €18 return, with one suitcase and one piece of hand luggage included. The Blue line (all year) and the Red line (seasonal, summer) stop at Murano Colonna. Alilaguna doesn’t go to Burano; for the detailed comparison see water taxi, Alilaguna or vaporetto.

What the taxi costs per head against the vaporetto

The Murano fare is €60 per boat for up to four people. Split across the group:

For two, that’s €30 each against €9.50. For four, €15 each: still more than the vaporetto, but the gap is now €5.50 per person to skip the wait at the stop and go shore to shore without changing.

For Burano the maths is different. €115 split four ways is about €29 each one way; a return trip by taxi is €230 per boat, about €58 each, against €19 for two vaporetto singles or €25 for the day pass. The taxi to Burano makes sense when your time is worth more than the difference, not to save money.

From the fifth passenger the tariff adds €5 or €10 per person. Six people to Murano: €70 to €80, that is between about €12 and €13 each.

When the taxi really beats the vaporetto

The vaporetto is the right choice for most visitors. The water taxi wins in four specific situations.

Groups of 4–6 short on time. Line 12 from Fondamente Nove takes about 40 minutes to Burano, plus the walk to Fondamente Nove and the wait for the boat. The taxi leaves from the pier nearest your hotel.

Arriving from the airport with luggage. If you’re staying on Murano, the city tariff from the airport is €60, exactly the same as from the historic centre: few routes in the table cost so little. The budget alternative is Alilaguna at €10 per person with one suitcase included. For the arrival procedure see water taxi from Marco Polo airport.

Torcello. With line 9 running only in daytime and line 12 stopping at Torcello on only some runs, if you want to get there early or leave late, the taxi is the only direct option. The fare is the same as for Burano: €115.

Coming back from Burano in the evening. After dinner departures thin out: in the evening, line 12 towards Fondamente Nove leaves every 30 minutes or less often, with gaps of over an hour after 22:00. For four, a €115 taxi plus the night surcharge after 22:00 (€10) takes you straight to the pier nearest your accommodation. See also water taxi at night.

In other cases, especially for two, the vaporetto is more than enough. No taxi shows you the islands any better: the lagoon is the same.

Organised boat tours: what you’re really buying

GetYourGuide has three island products with a private-boat or taxi element. They are very different from each other.

Private Murano and Burano tour with hotel pick-up. About €420 per boat, 4 hours, 4.8 out of 5 from 184 reviews at the time of checking. The price is for the group: the boat collects you from your hotel in the historic centre and brings you back at the end. The maximum number of passengers included in the price is shown on the product listing before payment: check it before you do the sums. If the boat takes your whole group, that’s about €105 each for four, €70 for six.

Compared with the city tariff: two separate centre ↔ Burano trips come to €230, but nobody waits for you on the island and a stop at Murano costs an extra trip. The private tour buys you a boat at your disposal for four hours; that’s what you’re paying for.

Guided Murano and Burano tour with glass demonstration. About €49 per person, 5 hours, 4.7 out of 5 from over 7,500 reviews. The title mentions a private boat, but the price is per person and you share the boat with other participants; the maximum group size is shown on the product listing. It’s the most-reviewed option and the cheapest of the tours.

A criticism that often comes up in Tripadvisor reviews of island tours: lots of time on the boat, little on the islands. Before booking, check on the listing how many minutes are planned on each island. A documented example of this debate is in our Bucintoro Viaggi profile.

Murano glass-blowing with water taxi. About €96 per person, 4.5 out of 5 from 421 reviews, stated duration 1 hour. It includes a private-taxi leg to Murano and a workshop with a master glassmaker. It’s a glass experience with a boat ride, not an island tour. What exactly it includes, the return trip among other things, is on the product listing: read it before paying, because the title doesn’t say.

Alilaguna also sells a commercial island line (Green line: Murano, Burano, Torcello). It isn’t covered by the time passes and only runs with a minimum number of participants.

Where to show up at the start of the tour is set by your voucher: don’t rely on directions found elsewhere.

Private tour or group tour: the break-even point

The group tour costs about €49 per person. The private tour about €420 per boat. Break-even comes at 9 people: below that, for the same content, the group tour costs less. For four the difference is €196 against €420.

So why go private? For three concrete reasons:

• Your own schedule and pace. You decide how long to stay on Burano. On a group tour the times are fixed.
• Hotel pick-up. No 09:00 meet-up at a pier waiting for latecomers.
• One language. Group tours often give commentary in several languages, and reviews mention it as a recurring drawback.

If your group includes small children, older people or anyone who struggles standing around at a pier, the private tour solves the problem better than any point-to-point taxi. For the rules on passengers with reduced mobility see the page on luggage and accessibility.

Planning the day: a worked example

Four friends are staying near Rialto and have one day. Three ways to do it.

Vaporetto only. 24-hour pass at €25 each, €100 in total. Walk or take the vaporetto to Fondamente Nove, then line 12 to Murano, line 12 again to Burano, and line 12 back. Counting waits and changes, allow a good half-hour more than the sailing times.

Taxi out, vaporetto back. Taxi centre → Burano €115, about €29 each, then the vaporetto with one single for the Murano stop and another to get back: €19 each. Total about €48 each, €192 for the group. You gain the morning.

Private tour. About €420, €105 each. A boat for four hours, with pick-up and drop-off at your hotel.

None of the three is wrong. The first costs a quarter of the third; the third buys time and comfort.

Practical tips before you go

• Book a private boat 24 hours ahead. Cancellation terms vary from product to product: read them on the listing before you pay. How booking works is explained in how to book a water taxi.
• For a taxi taken on the spot, go to an official city taxi rank or call 199 48 49 50, the number the Comune gives for water taxis. Away from a rank, the tariff adds a €5 call-out fee.
• Agree the price and the return in advance. The city fare is one way only. If you want the boat to pick you up again, settle the time, place and cost before you get off.
• Cash or card? Online you pay by card; on board, not every driver accepts cards. Ask before you board.
• Check the licence. Licensed water taxis have yellow bands and a small TAXI flag at the bow. Hire-with-driver boats have green bands. To work out who’s who, see the page operators and platforms.