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…
Must-see nightlife in Venice
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
From white-sneaker cruise passengers to the €300-sunglasses set, the rooftop bar at the Hilton Molino Stucky wows everyone with its vast panorama over…
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…
Venice
Dress to the nines and swan straight past the 'hotel guests only' sign to the glamorous bar that fills the grand hall of the 14th-century Palazzo Dandolo…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Positioned on Venice’s loveliest campo (square), this wine bar specialises in vini naturali (natural-process wines) – organic, biodynamic, wild-yeast…
Venice
You might spot a celebrity or two lurking on the black-leather sofas under Centrale's moody Murano chandeliers. Meals are pricey and canalside VIP tables…
Venice
An unpretentious, popular late-night hang-out crammed with Cannaregio locals, indie rockers and students, Bagatela offers bottled beers, cocktails, board…
Venice
If you’re looking to escape the raucous student scene on Campo Santa Margherita, head to this chic bar with its sophisticated soundtrack, high-quality…
Venice
All sorts sidle into this attractive little cicheti bar, from local hipsters to candidates for hip replacements, drawn by an excellent wine selection and…
Venice
A firm favourite with students and local workers thanks to the friendly staff and reasonable prices, this is a great place for coffee and a snack, either…
Venice
If you've managed to find this wood-panelled bar in the warren of streets off San Bartolomeo, toast yourself with a cocktail and order a plate of heaped…
Venice
This inviting hole-in-the-wall much frequented by locals has a good selection of wines by the glass (€3 to €4), though a humble ombra (small glass of…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Take your (admittedly expensive) espresso with a heaping of history at this atmospheric cafe, established in 1870, with its Tiffany-style lamps and…
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
There's a lot to love about this cosy little place on the Lido's cutest car-free strip: the exposed brick walls, bare-wood bar, interesting art and…
Venice
Charming staff dispense delicious cicheti from a central horseshoe-shaped bar in this upmarket little place in the main shopping precinct. It's a great…
Venice
With its chequerboard floor tiles and Prohibition-era ephemera on the walls, this little cocktail bar is a hip extension to the spritz-swilling Campo…
Venice
Aspiring auteurs hold court at tables well scuffed by Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote and Orson Welles, enjoying the signature €21…
Venice
A bar with a ceiling completely covered with bras could hardly be accused of being classy, but if you're after a change from sedate cicheti bars, this…
Venice
While you can sit down out the back for a serious seafood feast, we prefer to sample the wine and cicheti (Venetian tapas) selection while propped up at…
Venice
That roar behind the Rialto means the DJ’s funk set is kicking in at All’Alba. Squeeze inside to order salami sandwiches and DOC Veneto wines, and check…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
