Verona
Mingle with hip, young locals for spritz (prosecco cocktails) beneath the giant chandelier in this retro-cool bar. Come early enough and you might even…
Must-see nightlife in The Veneto
Venice
True to its name, artsy student types pack out this cafe-bar on the weekends and spill out onto the street outside. It's been serving drinks and snacks…
Venice
Enjoy Palazzo Ca' Giustinian's peerless waterside Grand Canal position in this cafe-restaurant. Try to nab a seat on the outdoor terrace – it's the…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Discerning drinkers throng to this cupboard-sized counter on a Rialto Market square to sip on top-notch prosecco and other wines by the glass (from €2)…
Venice
If sedate wine bars aren't really your bag, this reassuringly pub-like place has battered furniture, sports on the TV, tables on the square, Guinness on…
Venice
There's a pub-like quality to this friendly little back-lane bar – a rarity in ritzy San Marco. It's the main haunt of a local football team comprising…
Verona
On the town’s most bustling square, this deliciously chintzy cafe has been here since 1901, perfecting the house speciality 'filippini', a killer cocktail…
Venice
By day this is more of a cafe, but in the evening its little tables fill up with a mixed crowd, drinking wine and snacking on massive platters of salumi …
Verona
Watch the crowds filing through Piazza Erbe as you enjoy a tipple at one of the al fresco tables at this stylish cafe, one of a row on the square.
Venice
There’s really no better place to park yourself for aperitivo than at this pint-sized kiosk on the Zattere overlooking the Giudecca Canal. Even on frosty…
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
With its sexy baroque curves, stately porticoes and exuberant sunburst demilune above the door, the Lion’s Bar is the Lido’s most glamorous drinking den –…
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
Head to this neighbourhood bar for Veneto wines, beers on tap and a counter full of the island's best cicheti (Venetian tapas). It's best in summer when…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Set between the Rialto Bridge and Rialto Market, and with outdoor seating on the Grand Canal, Ancora is ideally positioned for a restorative spritz after…
Venice
This cheery yellow mini-palazzo (mansion) is fuelled by a steady stream of coffee and cocktails that cost less than you’d expect given the designer chairs…
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
The most reliable of the Lido's summertime dance spots, this beach bar has a loungy feel during the day but morphs into a club on scheduled summer party…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Cosy and chic, this popular wine bar serves a range of exemplary wines from all over Italy as well as craft beers. Traditional bar snacks are available,…
Venice
All the style you’d expect from an Italian beach club, with bronzed regulars in enormous sunglasses sprawled on lipstick-red designer chairs well past…
San Polo & Santa Croce
This osteria, named for Casanova’s licentious poet pal Giorgio Baffo, is actually a converted chapel stripped to its naked brick walls. With strong spritz…
Venice
Just a footbridge away from San Marco, this shoebox of a corner bar overflowing with happy drinkers offers quality wines and abundant cicheti (Venetian…
The Veneto
Adorned with hulking wooden machinery, this atmospheric, canalside wine bar occupies a restored 16th-century mill. Swill a coffee, or settle in with a…
Venice
After long museum days, Fujiyama offers a relaxing but pricy alternative to espresso bolted at a bar. Rainy days call for pots of organic genmaicha tea…
Venice
Decked out in primary colours and comfy leather couches, the bar of Hotel Ala takes its name from a countess convicted of a particularly sordid murder in…
The Veneto
Recycled timber, brickwork and peeling tin lamps set a warm, contemporary vibe at this new-school wine bar. Scan the blackboard for regional, well-priced…
Birre da Tutto il Mondo o Quasi
Venice
While the rest of Venice is awash in wine, 'Beers from Around the World or Almost' offers more than 100 brews, including reasonably priced bottles of…
Venice
Pose as glitterati for the night at this gold-mosaic hotel bar, where top-shelf cocktails are thoughtfully served with bar nibbles. It runs a series of…
Venice
With its exposed wooden beams and a bar laden with tasty snacks such as polpette (meatballs) and baccalà (cod), brightly lit Officina is a classic little…
Venice
For sunsets as rosy as your Aperol spritz, arrive early to snag canalside seating at this local favourite. The Dodo crew offers a warm welcome to…
Venice
Other places around this campo cater to spritz-pounding students, but this chandelier-lit medieval osteria (tavern) sets the scene for gentle flirting…
Venice
Honouring centuries of Venetian enoteca (wine bar) tradition, fourth-generation sommelier Giovanni d'Este will open any bottle on his shelves to pour you…
Venice
Billing itself as a cafe, wine bar and art gallery, modern Imagina brews top-notch espresso, pours quaffable wines and serves fresh, tasty salads,…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Refuel with espresso and a toasted sandwich at this cafe on the sunny side of the street, and return later to celebrate photo-safari triumphs over spritz…
Venice
Romance may be in the air in Venice, but the top-notch wines lining these exposed-brick walls surely help. This is mainly a restaurant, so you're best to…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
The restaurant-bar attached to the Venice Certosa Hotel is worth it for the outdoor seating and the Riviera vibe as it fills up with sailing enthusiasts…
Padua
It's standing room only behind the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hipster bar serving lots of regional tipples as well as simple snacks.
Verona
Flee the sightseeing throngs to this off-the-beaten-track cafe serving top-notch coffee, Italian newspapers and a few simple desserts.
Verona
Enjoy a mid-sightseeing coffee break at this simple cafe that has bagged a suntrap spot on Piazzetta Pescheria.
Venice
Venice's sole disco is only worth visiting during the Biennale when the art world brings a little glamour to its otherwise staid atmosphere.
