April 13th - Venice Evening 1

Tips for Exploring Venice at Night

Dinner:

If you have a well-reviewed restaurant in mind that you’d like to try, make reservations to ensure you get a table.

If you didn’t happen to make reservations, we recommend showing up around the time your restaurant of choice opens for dinner (usually around 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM) to have the best odds of being seated.

Don’t expect to be out too late.

Venice is not a city for nightlife, so cross late-night bars and clubs off your list of potential things to do in Venice at night–in fact, if you’re looking for traditional nightlife you’ll probably have better luck over in Mestre on the mainland.

Bars and restaurants will generally be closed by 11:00 PM, or in some cases as early as 10:00 PM, so don’t expect to stay out all night!

Venice, la passeggiata: The Italian tradition of an evening stroll

Go for a long walk past Venice’s most iconic sights.
It may sound a bit obvious, but this is truly, 100%, without a doubt, our favorite of all the things to do in Venice at night.
Stroll over the Rialto Bridge without fighting crowds. Walk across Piazza San Marco and admire how enormous and empty it is.

Make your way down the Riva degli Schiavoni and marvel at how peaceful it is to enjoy views of the city to one side while you can hear the gentle sounds of the water of the lagoon on the other–sounds often drowned out by crowds of people during the day.

Overpay for a drink at Caffe Florian.

Grabbing a drink at Caffe Florian in Piazza San Marco means parting with a truly obscene sum of money–think around 15 Euros for an espresso, seriously–but sitting at a small table, listening to the cafe’s live music, and sipping a drink from the oldest (and arguably prettiest) cafe in Venice is understandably on many Venice bucket lists.

If you’re going to splurge on the experience, we absolutely recommend putting this on your list of what to do in Venice at night rather than during the day.

For the same money, you’ll look out at a darkened, empty piazza rather than a crowd of tourists and touts, and overall, have a far more peaceful and magical experience.