Glass Museum (Murano)

Art museum · Castello ·

Glass Museum (Murano)

Art museum · Castello ·

Museum explores Murano glass history and contemporary art

Information

Fondamenta Marco Giustinian, 8, 30141 Venezia VE, Italy Get directions

@cntraveler

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A Guide to Venice’s Islands, From Burano to Lido | Condé Nast Traveler

"The Murano Glass Museum provides a clear, museum-level context for how a thousand-year-old glassmaking craft evolved into contemporary art, making it essential for understanding the island's heritage." - Jenn Rice

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/a-guide-to-venices-islands-from-burano-to-lido

Glass Museum (Murano)

@afar

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"Exemplary Glass Museum on Murano Island On the charming Venetian island of Murano, Museo del Vetro is an exemplary glass museum in a wonderful old palace that's worth exploring if you have an interest in the art of blowing glass. It's been a museum since the mid-1800s and features both permanent and rotating exhibits. Don't miss the spectacularly painted ceiling fresco in the large central room on the first floor that overlooks Murano's Grand Canal. It is the work of Francesco Zugno (1709 – 1789) and depicts the allegory of the Triumph of San Lorenzo Giustinian, the first patriarch of Venice . Note Murano island is not in central Venice. You'll need to catch the vaporetto from St. Mark's Square (it's a 35 minute boat ride). While in the area, wander the quaint streets of this island known for its glass-blowing history and check out the myriad of shops scattered about."

Relaxing into a Week in Venice

Glass Museum (Murano)

@cntraveler

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3 Best Day Trips from Venice | Condé Nast Traveler

"Situated in a Gothic palazzo, this museum is dedicated to the traditional Venetian craft of glassblowing. It's the largest collection of Murano glass in the world, which might seem a bit niche until you get up close to the pieces themselves. They are spectacular: Ornate goblets so delicate you wonder how they even stand up, colorful handmade beads, and cut crystal are all arranged in rooms that range from frescoed great halls to modernist white cubes. The museum is well-curated, thoughtfully laid out, and visually fascinating. If you're remotely into design or decorative arts, this place is a must see." - Andrea Whittle

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-day-trips-from-venice

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Glass Museum (Murano)

@cntraveler

42,481 Postcards · 5,683 Cities

Museo del Vetro – Museum Review | Condé Nast Traveler

"Zoom out. What’s this place all about? Situated in a Gothic palazzo, this museum is dedicated to the traditional Venetian craft of glassblowing. The massive collection is arranged chronologically, starting with ancient Roman works and continuing through the renaissance and today. The pieces are spectacular: Ornate goblets so delicate you wonder how they even stand up, colorful handmade beads, and cut crystal are all arranged in rooms that range from frescoed great halls to modernist white cubes. The permanent collection: What are we talking about here? It's the largest collection of Murano glass in the world, which might seem a bit niche until you get up close to the pieces themselves. It's well-curated, thoughtfully laid out, and visually fascinating. If you're remotely into design or decorative arts, this place is a must see. And what do they have for passing exhibits? In addition to the historical deep dive of the main collection, they also exhibit work by contemporary artists who utilize glass in their practice, like modernist vases by the Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala or photographs of mirrors by the writer and photographer Matthias Schaller. What did you make of the crowd? It's a mix. In high season, there are bound to be tour groups, but if you're there in fall or winter, things are generally calmer. A lot of the pieces are quite small and invite close inspection, so the vibe is more studious than rowdy. On the practical tip, how were the facilities? There are a few benches against the walls in the larger rooms, but the seating situation is pretty limited overall. The building is fully wheelchair accessible, and the vitrines are spaced out pretty widely, allowing for easy navigation. Any guided tours worth trying? You can get an audioguide for an additional 4 euro, but unless you're a real fanatic, the simple beauty of the work speaks for itself. Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it? In addition to your usual reproduction jewelry and coffee table books, the shop devotes some of their shelf space to young local glassmakers, so it's a great chance to get a sense of the kind of work still being produced today. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged? You might miss a chance to ogle at a few pieces, but you can generally get a good sense of the collection in under and hour. Skip the temporary exhibitions, but make sure to take a few minutes to nerd out over the vitrines filled with tiny, colorful beads." - Andrea Whittle

https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/venice/museo-del-vetro

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Glass Museum (Murano)

Josephine W

Google

Beautiful museum offering an insightful journey through Murano’s glassmaking legacy, from ancient Roman fragments to Barovier chandeliers and 20th-century design. The galleries trace the evolution of technique, style, and symbolism with standout pieces like theatrical centrepieces once crafted for the Doge’s table. It’s a visual spectacle and a must-visit for anyone curious about the artistry behind Venetian glass.

Kevin O.

Google

The Glass Museum is both an exhibition and education centre. The museum explores the Murano glass making history as well as supporting contempory glass makers. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, demonstrations, and workshops that allow visitors to witness contemporary glass artists at work.Visitors can explore intricately crafted glass objects, chandeliers, and jewelry, while learning about the techniques—like blowing, filigree, and millefiori—that have defined Murano glassmaking. Enjoy the water bus over, easy walk to the museum and plenty of galleries and resturants along the way.

Hetti F.

Google

I have a nice time and experience visiting the Museum. There's a 10 euro entrance fee but worth it. The best way to explore the artifacts they are showing is to know the history of it, they have a self guided tour that you can download. Before you start connect to their wifi then download the App Muve, they have a guide for this, then search the Glass Museum. Actually you can also use this app in any other places you will go to in Venice.

reza D.

Google

A must see when in Venice.. take a ferry, costs about 19 for a two way ticket. The island where the museum is located has many shops and cafes you can just walk beside the main canal which is nice, and at the end is the museum.

Anna K.

Google

It was very good, had nice exhibits, but there were limited things to see. I expected a live showing of how the glass was made, or how various shapes were made, but there were only booklets and videos. The price was cheap.

Michael O.

Google

One of the small civic museums with a collection of the famous Murano glass. Of particular interest is the dinner table set, shaped like a garden which is spectacular. The main display room is also very large and beautifully painted with a fresco. There are also some archaeological finds here as well.

K. “ContentName” F.

Google

Unique designs, unlike anything I've seen. The garden at the end is a must-see (though not made of glass). Intricate craftsmanship. The washroom was out of service during my visit. No live glass-blowing demonstrations, unfortunately. Two vending machines offer coffee and snacks. Bags aren't allowed, but free lockers are provided.

Irina M.

Google

We visited the museum on October 5. The exhibition is just the perfect size – you get to learn a lot without getting tired. We loved the place! The only thing that made the experience less than perfect was the gift shop. The saleswoman was SO unfriendly: when I asked her to show me a couple of pieces of jewelry from the locked display, she actually rolled her eyes at me. I liked the earrings, and the only reason I didn’t buy them was her attitude. If she wants to sell anything, she might want to learn to be polite to people – it’s the most basic thing to do.

Susan C.

Yelp

Murano is synonymous with Venetian glasswork and I came bubbling with expectations to the island via a very crowded vaporetto on a sunny spring morning. Even before setting foot on shore I could see the glass souvenir stores, signs for showrooms and glimpses of workshops down alleys. From a number of online sources this museum was listed as a stop to learn more about the history and background of Venetian glass and although some reviews gave it a meh rating I decided to come check it out for myself. For a museum on an island full of glass artwork, I agreed with prior assessments in that there were relatively fewer glass pieces than I expected, and the museum itself wasn't extensive, comprising of about a dozen rooms and taking only about 1 hour to walk thru at a leisurely pace. There were some general history placards placed in the rooms and the path of the glass exhibits followed chronologically. Being such a popular destination the museum felt a bit haggard in the condition of the floors, though the overall atmosphere was still clean and calmer than the busy streets closer to the glass shops. Not sure that I'd recommend coming by unless you had extra time in Venice, there are many other sights around the island and beyond to check out that would probably be more arresting. Tickets can be purchased individually for €10 adult, €7.50 discounted for children, students or adults over 65. You can also purchase tickets in combination with the Burano Lace Museum for €12, or as the Museum Pass for $40 which includes a single entry over course of 6 months to several other city/civic museums including the museums in Saint Mark's Square and several others. Worth it if you plan on checking out the glass museum, Doge's Palace and one more museum, as a ticket to the palace is €30 by itself. They don't allow backpacks or jackets inside though free lockers are provided. Bathrooms are available on the premises.

Maggie H.

Yelp

Though I'm a nerd, I'm not crazy about museums. And I'm not into glass. However, this museum was pretty cool. We saw old glass, new glass... I guess it's worth 10 euro/person... barely. It would be a better deal if they charged 5 euro/person or included the audio tour (that was extra, so we didn't do it). Still, the Musel del Vetro is an OK place to spend 30 minutes.

Rebecca C.

Yelp

Soooo boring and rude workers. Workers look you up and down and will give you dirty looks. Would not recommend wasting your money here.

Nicole R.

Yelp

Smooth glass, rude people. We decided to spend the morning in Murano, and this was the main/only thing to do there. The museum installations are nothing special. An interesting video without audio that explains the whole process. The exposition might be interesting because of the awesome things they can do with glass, but it is not a 10 euro per person museum and it is poorly distributed (the expositions are not in order). You can walk the whole thing in 30 minutes. Regarding the service I have my personal complaints. I am traveling with my 5 months old baby and I have never had a complaint in Europe regarding breastfeeding in public. I've breastfed inside La Sagrada Familia, the colosseum, Pompeii, etc. And NEVER got uncomfortable doing it because in Europe it is a natural thing to do. However, when I tried to breastfeed my baby in a bench at the margin of the exposition, the personnel invited me to go to the restroom and do it. This for me was a determining point to leave the building as fast as I could. Wouldn't recommended to anyone, and not only because of my experience, but also, there is nothing to see there and the Murano glass is as expensive as in Venice, so there is no point in visiting Murano.

Anahita Y.

Yelp

I am a huge fan of glasswork and had very high hopes for this museum. The exhibit was very limited and lack luster. It was definitely not worth the price of admission of 10 euros per person. I would recommend you save your money and go walk around and look at the galleries and shops instead. Many of them have more beautiful glassworks to see at no cost.

Joshua S.

Yelp

This was a cool place. Not too expensive to get in and you get to see a lot of different applications of glass blowing throughout history in Italy. Lot of different styles of glass blowing. They also have a shop with some reasonably priced Venetian glass. Worth a stop if you're in the area

Qype User (.

Yelp

Entrance to the Glass Musuem in Murano was included with the VeniceCard. The good thing about it was that it got us over to have a look at the island of Murano. The musuem is a lovely little building and had very few visitors when we were there but I can't imagine it has many visitors even during peak season. It's not a great museum if you're very interested in the actual business of making glass, as there's not a great deal of multi-lingual information about it and no demonstrations or workshops. It's more like an exhibition on glass design over the last 500 years - which was actually interesting. I really liked the stuff from the last century - a bit of modern art amongst all the renaissance stuff. There's a small and pretty garden to wander about in. Not worth the entrance fee alone but as a part of a multi-entrance card it's a nice diversion and a good reason to visit Murano and have a look at all the glass shops.

Bill M.

Yelp

The Murano museum of glass is interesting, but limited. As others have mentioned, only about a third of the museum is open (and has been that way for quite a while now). The price is reduced due to the closed sections, but what is left is a little disorganized. I didn't feel that there was a distinct curation plan for the displays...in one room you went from ancient Roman glass to modern art. The display cases themselves are made of highly reflective glass making viewing of the items inside difficult (you have to look through your own reflection.)