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Nightspots in and around Venice can be difficult to categorize. Pubs, of the English or Irish variety, with beer on tap and occasional live music, are easy enough to identify and are especially popular with local and traveling youth. When you're looking to dance, things get murkier: lounge-type piano bars generally have small dance floors, while dance clubs are scarce but may serve snacks and even late-night meals. Bars and cafés are even harder to classify, as availability of snacks, meals, beverages, and music varies with the time of day and the season. Many also decorate their walls with works by local artists, whose paintings are for sale.
The proximity to the university makes Campo Santa Margherita and the surrounding area one of the livelier gathering places in town after dark. The Erbaria, a wide open campo running along the Grand Canal at the foot of the Rialto Bridge on the San Polo side, and the Fondamenta Misericordia in Cannaregio are two other areas that have a happening evening scene.
It's worth noting that during Carnevale many ordinary bars, which close around dinnertime the rest of the year, stay open around the clock.
The Gritti Palace is home to one of the most exclusive watering holes in town (though thankfully open to the public), lined with 18th-century paintings and Murano chandeliers. You can also enjoy your cocktail on the patio with prime views onto the Grand Canal.
Just outside Piazza San Marco (near the Museo Correr), Hotel Luna Baglioni's pleasant bar—complete with 16th-century art pieces and an 18th-century fireplace—is perfect for an intimate chat in the cold winter months.
The sign above the door simply says "CAFFÈ," but it has long since been called "Bar Rosso" for its bright-red exterior. The ideal people-watching spot on one of the busiest campos, it has far more tables outside than inside. A favorite with students and faculty from the nearby university, it's a good place to start the day with coffee and croissant, or later to enjoy a drink.
When the clock strikes 6 pm, historic Caffè dei Frari transforms into this lively craft cocktail bar that will dazzle your inner adventurer. Relax on a velvet sofa while savoring remarkably inventive drinks paired with flavorful small bites. Each pairing has a distinctive name; "Amatriciana" is composed of vodka, dry vermouth, and black tea, served with Parmesan foam, pineapple gel, and balsamic vinegar (billed as "strong, smoky, tasty").
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