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Ai Do Draghi
This tiny but historic bacaro (old-style bar) is an obligatory stop for an ombra or spritz . The place consists of three distinct spaces. First is the tiny cubicle of a bar itself, all aged timber and a perfect retreat in winter if you can get in. Out the back there's some more seating for the colder months, while the tables set out on the campo (square) are ideal in summer.
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Ai Postali
This is a buzzy locals' bar along the Rio Marin. In years gone by this spot served as an early opener for dawn posties but nowadays is an enticing spot where jazz hums in the background. On warmer nights a seat by the canal is ideal for a spritz or two and on Fridays and Saturdays there's a good chance you'll find it open still at .
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Al Bottegon (Cantina Di Vini Già Schiavi)
Wander into this fusty wine bar across from the Chiesa di San Trovaso for a prosecco beneath the bar's low rafters and in the light provided by dodgy bulbs. Alternatively, buy a bottle of whatever takes your fancy and take it away. The place has been known to stay open longer than the advertised times, and the panini (sandwiches) are great if your tummy's rumbling.
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Al Marc�
This hole in the wall is the place to kick off the evening in the market square with fine wine by the glass (around €2.50 to around €4.50 ), cicheti (snacks) or just a beer. A market workers' fave by day and popular with a bohemian set of Venetians by night, you are well placed to kick on afterwards.
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Al Prosecco
Pop into this pleasant little watering hole to taste a few wines from around the world, accompanied by a few bar snacks, in particular an aromatic selection of cheeses.
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Al Vapore
The single best place for a consistent programme of jazz, blues and other music is this spot in Marghera, on the mainland. Concerts start at and finish at midnight, generally on Friday and Saturday. On other nights you're as likely to hear ethno-chill-lounge DJ mixes.
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Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto
Although cicheti and light meals are served here, we have included this osteria as a drinking establishment. Revellers often spill out into the street and on some evenings it stages live music.
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Aurora
Piazza San Marco's funkiest bar, cunningly disguised as a typically historic café by day, is a slice of a bigger town right at the heartbeat of conventional Venice. A chilled lounge hosts local DJs who inject sparkle into the evening, nicely oiled with some of the best cocktails in town and comfy lounges.
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Aurora Beach
The hot summer spot on the Lido beach, Aurora Beach (connected to Aurora in San Marco) brings some of the sunny club scene of Ibiza to the Old Lady of the Lagoon. Stylish, perma-tanned folks sip cocktails and let rip to club sounds on the beach until late into the night (especially Friday and Saturday).
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B Bar
Can't afford a night in the Bauer? Not to worry. Why not just nip into its hip, plush ground-floor bar for a cocktail. With a little luck you'll snare a spot overlooking the Grand Canal.
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Bacaro Jazz
The dark red interior and unabashedly brash feel, not to mention the location right on the main tourist thoroughfare, may not make it your favourite, but a drink's a drink in a town where bars open after aren't exactly in surplus. You need to be inside by to benefit from the last hour's drinking, however.
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Bacaro Lounge
You feel like you've been transported to New York in this cool cocktail bar behind the Mondadori bookstore. It's best to sidle up to the red-tiled oval bar, as the rear seating area lacks atmosphere. Or head up the glass stairway, lined with wine bottles waiting to be opened at the bar, to the restaurant above.
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Bagolo
This place, with its timber floors and low lighting inside and candlelit tables outside on the campo , adds some nocturnal adrenaline to this pretty square, aided and abetted by a couple of busy spots around the corner on Calle del Tentor.
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Bar Dandolo
You may never be able to stay in Venice's grand old dame of hotels, but you can sip a spritz (around €10 ) or cocktail (around €18 to around €22 ) in this plush piano bar on the ground floor. Waiters will serve up some nibbles with your tipple and then you sit back and absorb the whimsical décor and keep you eye out for the occasional celeb.
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Café Noir
You can start the day with breakfast or hang out into the night with a mixed crowd of Italian students and foreigners. The place has a laid-back, underground feel about it. Cocktails, among the better ones in town, cost around €6 to €8 .
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Caffè Blue
At this coolish student bar you may encounter live music, but it's more likely to be a DJ (Wednesday is a good night). If the DJ is good, the place packs to the rafters and punters spill out onto the street. It can be quiet on midweek evenings, which could be a good time to pop by with your laptop, as they have wi-fi for customers. On Thursday night there's a cocktail happy hour from to . It has a good stock of whiskies, too.
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Casinò Di Venezia
It feels quite distinguished to step off a water taxi at the Grand Canal entrance to this mansion and go in for a night on the tables. This is old-world class - the jacket-and-tie dress code is no surprise. A free shuttle ferry runs every 10 or so minutes between the casino and a stop on the Grand Canal near Piazzale Roma.
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Centrale
Translucent, emerald-green lighting contrasts with swaths of black in this chilled-out lounge bar for well-dressed nocturnal types in search of a late-night tipple. Take a high table for two or head deeper inside for a low lounge in what is a slice of Soho in San Marco. You can eat here, too. On Thursday night, bar snacks are free.
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Cinema Dante D'essai
This is the best bet in Mestre for good flicks, a balanced mix of mainstream cinema and some quirkier stuff from the non-Hollywood circuits.
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Cinema Giorgione Movie D'essai
This modern cinema frequently presents quality movies, not just the big-name Hollywood schlock. There are two screens (one tiny) and as many as three screenings a day (roughly , and ).
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Collegium Ducale
The first thing you will notice about this ensemble, which plays alternately in the Palazzo delle Prigioni and the Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa, is the absence of period costume. It carries out a series of concerts, covering old chocolate-box favourites from Vivaldi, Albinoni and a few rank outsiders like Mozart and Mendelssohn. They alternate with nights of jazz.
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Corner Pub
As the name suggests, this cosy alehouse sits on a corner. Cram inside for a McEwan's or Bulldog Red, or in summer order at the hatch that gives onto the street.
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Dogado
The best part of this elegant bar-restaurant is swinging in the garden chairs on the summer roof terrace with a cocktail (around €9 ) or one of an unending variety of imported beers in hand. The dark, modern timber furnishings and candle light inside are just as tempting in the colder months.
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El Chioschetto
DJs spin tracks here on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights in the warmer months. Tables sprawl out around a tiny bar in the kind of kiosk where you'd normally expect to buy the paper. Sitting right in front of one of the Università di Ca' Foscari's faculty buildings, it attracts a mix of students and other locals in search of a little outdoor nightlife. In summer (mid-May to mid September) it organises boat parties on the Canale della Giudecca.
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Enoiteca Mascareta
A brief stroll from Campo Santa Maria Formosa you'll find the Little Mask, a genial tavern for sipping wine and offering a limited menu. Mauro Lorenzon, something of a local character, offers a rich taier misto (a fat platter of cold meats and cheese chunks), but you can also opt for various first and main courses, such as the guanciale di bue stile goulash (ox meat 'pillows', goulash style). The emphasis is on the excellent wine selection.
