Must-see nightlife in Venice

  • Cantina do Spade in Venice: bigoli in salsa and the cicchetti

    Cantina Do Spade

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Famously mentioned in Casanova's memoirs, cosy 'Two Spades' was founded in 1488 and continues to keep Venice in good spirits with its bargain Tri-Veneto…

  • The famous cat symbol on Il Mercante's canopy

    Il Mercante

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    An hour's changeover is all it takes for historic Caffè dei Frari to transform itself into its night-time guise as Venice's best cocktail bar. If you can…

  • Longhi Bar in Venice: Stylish, old-world hotel cocktail bar with views of the Grand Canal & city landmarks.

    Bar Longhi

    Venice

    Gritti Palace's beautiful Bar Longhi may be pricey, but if you consider your surrounds – Fortuny fabrics, an intarsia marble bar, 18th-century mirrors and…

  • Al Timon in Venice, Italy

    Al Timon

    Venice

    Find a spot in the wood-lined interior or, in summer, on the boat moored out the front along the canal, and watch the motley parade of drinkers and…

  • Vino Vero

    Venice

    Lining the exposed-brick walls of this canalside bar are small-production wines, including a great selection of natural and biodynamic labels. The cicheti…

  • Marciano Pub Venice

    Marciano Pub

    Venice

    With its wooden bar and gleaming brass beer taps, this Anglo-Venetian hostelry certainly looks authentic. Marciano takes booze seriously, stocking craft…

  • Caffè Florian Neo-Baroque splendor & modern art at an iconic 1700s cafe, turning out coffee, cocktails & snacks.

    Caffè Florian

    Venice

    The oldest still-operating cafe in Europe and one of the first to welcome women, Florian maintains rituals (if not prices) established in 1720: besuited…

  • Opulent cafe opening onto St Mark's Square, dating from 1638, serving coffee, martinis & snacks.

    Grancaffè Quadri

    Venice

    Powdered wigs seem appropriate inside this baroque bar-cafe that's been serving happy hours since 1638. During Carnevale, costumed Quadri revellers party…

  • The entrance to the tiny Malvasia all'Adriatico Mar

    Malvasia all'Adriatico Mar

    Venice

    Wine lovers should stake out a place in this small, upmarket and extremely welcoming bar and let owner Francesco guide them through the range of naturally…

  • Birreria Zanon

    Venice

    There’s something of a mini beer craze developing along Fondamente dei Ormesini, and Birreria Zanon is the latest contender, wooing customers with its…

  • Londra Bar

    Venice

    There may be flocks of tourists outside, but the Londra Palace is a haven of serenity and its sleek bar, decked out in wood and white leather, is like a…

  • Un Mondo di Vino

    Venice

    Get here early for first crack at marinated artichokes and sarde in saor (sardines in sweet and sour sauce), and to claim a few square inches of ledge for…

  • Osteria da Filo

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    A living room where drinks are served, this locals' hang-out comes complete with creaky sofas, free wi-fi, abandoned novels and the occasional live-music…

  • Interior of Caffe Lavena

    Caffè Lavena

    Venice

    Opera composer Richard Wagner had the right idea: when Venice leaves you weak at the knees, get a pick-me-up at Lavena. An espresso at the mirrored bar is…

  • In summer months people flock to the outdoor tables at Strani

    Strani

    Venice

    There's always a party on at Strani thanks to its excellent selection of beers on tap, well-priced glasses of Veneto wines and platters of sopressa (soft…

  • Grab a table outside to enjoy the bustle of Via Garibaldi

    El Rèfolo

    Venice

    Although the bars along Via Garibaldi may look interchangeable, the queue for El Rèfolo’s pavement tables says otherwise. Part of the draw is the ever…

  • Le Café, some of the delicious cakes and pastries.

    Le Café

    Venice

    So much more than a cafe, Le Café serves everything from croissants to pasta to cocktails – but the real reason to come here is to enjoy a drink at the…

  • Hostaria Bacanera

    Venice

    Hidden behind the SS Apostoli church, this bar-cum-restaurant has a contemporary baroque style with wood beamed ceilings, a signature red banquette, and…

  • Cantina Do Mori

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    You'll feel like you've stepped into a Rembrandt painting at venerable 'Two Moors', a dark, rustic bar with roots in the 15th century. Under gleaming,…

  • Osteria ai Pugni

    Venice

    Centuries ago, brawls on the bridge out the front inevitably ended in the canal, but now Venetians settle differences with one of over 50 wines by the…

  • Rosa Salva

    Venice

    For over a century, Rosa Salva has been serving tea, pastries and ice creams to the passing trade on Campo Zanipolo. Inside the 1930s throwback interior,…

  • Bariolè

    Venice

    A top-notch cocktail bar-cum-brewpub, Bariolè serves 40 craft beers alongside a well-curated selection of speciality spirits from which they conjure…

  • Torrefazione Cannaregio

    Venice

    The only micro-roastery in Venice, this brick-lined cafe perched on a sunny canal bank is filled with house-made roasts including the flagship Remer, an…

  • Vineria all'Amarone

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    The warm wood-panelled interior and huge selection of Veneto wines by the glass are just part of the popularity of this friendly bar-cum-restaurant. Other…

  • Caco Nero

    Venice

    On weekdays this hip and surprisingly spacious cafe keeps the university crowd watered and fed, with espresso served in dainty china, homemade cake,…

  • Vineria Dai Do Cancari

    Venice

    Marco Nordio has filled his jam-packed wine store in characterful Calle de le Botteghe with a stash of unusual Veneto and Italian wines, as well as some…

  • Bar Terrazza Danieli

    Venice

    Gondolas glide in to dock along the quay, while across the lagoon the white-marble edifice of Palladio’s San Giorgio Maggiore turns from gold to pink in…

  • Bakarò do Draghi

    Venice

    Not to be confused with it's large sister bar-restaurant Bakarò on the corner, this trendy, pocket-sized bar is so small that the crowd inevitably spills…

  • Osteria Al Cicheto

    Venice

    This wine bar boasts a small but impressive restaurant, but the focus is very much on all things oenological. It hosts regular wine-tasting evenings, as…

  • A La Vecia Papussa

    Venice

    This laid-back bar is all bare brick and low lighting; it's one of a handful that remain open until the early hours. Enjoy a selection of drinks, snacks…

  • Al Parlamento

    Venice

    Entire university careers and international romances are owed to Al Parlamento's powerful espresso, happy-hour cocktails (6pm to 9pm) and excellent…

  • Osteria Al Portego

    Venice

    This walk-in closet somehow manages to distribute wine, craft beer and cicheti to the overflowing crowd of young Venetians in approximate order of arrival…

  • Osteria al Squero

    Venice

    After a stroll along the Zattere, retreat to this snug local drinking hole, right opposite the city's oldest functioning gondola workshop. Wines are well…

  • Caffè del Doge

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Sniff your way to the affable Doge, where dedicated drinkers slurp their way through the menu of speciality imported coffees, from Ethiopian to Guatemalan…

  • Il Santo Bevitore

    Venice

    San Marco has its glittering cathedral, but beer lovers prefer pilgrimages to this shrine of the ‘Holy Drinker’ for 20 brews on tap, including Trappist…

  • Caffè Rosso

    Venice

    Affectionately known as Il Rosso, this red-fronted cafe has been at the centre of the bar scene on Campo Santa Margherita since the late 1800s. It's at…

  • Bacareto da Lele

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Pocket-sized Da Lele is perpetually jammed with students and workers, stopping for a cheap, stand-up ombra (small glass of wine; from €0.70) on their way…

  • Café Noir

    Venice

    Just gritty enough to be bohemian without being divey, this dark-beamed drinking den offers a long list of cocktails, Guinness on tap and cheap wine by…

  • Enoteca al Volto

    Venice

    Join the crowd working its way through the vast selection of cicheti in this historic wood-panelled bar that feels like the inside of a ship's hold…

  • Barcollo

    San Polo & Santa Croce

    Its name might mean stagger, but there's more to this party bar than its heady cocktail sessions and Friday-night DJ sets. Just steps away from the Rialto…

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