My name is Guido. I’m an Italian native, travel enthusiast and founder of Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours. I regularly travel back to Italy testing out the Italian tours and Italian vacations we offer to our guests. And as you can see from my blog, I also like to share some of the information I pick up on my travels as it might help my readers get the best possible experience from an Italian vacation.
This time, I want to talk about the best wine bars to visit in Venice. As I have said previously, I love Venice for her beauty and her architecture. And as it turns out, I also love Venice for the fact that when it comes to wine bars Venice offers something for everyone! It’s one of life’s pleasures to sit with a glass of something and watch the world go by in Venice. So much so, we even offer a wine bar tour of Venice as it’s also a great way to experience Venetian culture. More on that later! In the meantime, here is my take on just some of the best wine bars to visit in Venice:
No list of Venice wine bar tips would be complete without mention of Harrys Bar. It is a Venetian institution. Situated on the waterfront at St. Mark’s, it offers the visitor a sense of history as well as a warm welcome. It can be pricey – but I love it for the story it carries. The founder, Giuseppe Cipriani, had once known a young American socialite called Harry Pickering who frequented the bar he tended at Hotel Europa. When Pickering stopped drinking at the bar, Giuseppe noticed his absence and asked him why. Apparently Pickering’s family didn’t like his drinking habits so cut him off financially. Realising Harry Pickering was broke; Giuseppe offered him a loan of 10,000 lire. Two years later, Harry returned to pay him back and gave him 40,000 extra lire as a thank you – enough to open a bar. And of course, he asked him to call it Harry’s Bar. As you might expect, it’s had many famous patrons over the years including Charlie Chaplin, Earnest Hemingway, Orson Welles, and Aristotle Onassis.
Location: Calle Vallaresso, 1323, 30124 San Marco, Venice Italy
Al Volto is the oldest wine bar in Venice and is definitely one for wine lovers. Located just a few steps from the Rialto Bridge, this bar also has a sense of history, having been in business since 1936. The bar’s atmosphere is very relaxing and welcoming. The drinks menu shows that it has access to around 1,000 wines from Italy and overseas – but obviously they are not all available at the same time. The owners offer a selection each day, which means if you visit more than once, you will be sure to find something different.
Location: Al Volto, Calle Cavalli 4081, San Marco, Venice Italy
This sophisticated bar is situated in the 5 star Bauers L’Hotel. Overlooking the Grand Canal, the Bar Canale has a lovely outdoor terrace from where you can enjoy the peace and wonderful views of Venice, her canal and the gondoliers sailing by. It is wonderfully atmospheric – particularly at sunset in the summer. It’s a sophisticated bar, full of charm and although it’s a wonderful place to relax, being there is an experience in itself.
Location: The Bauers Venezia, San Marco 1459, Venice Italy.
Situated in Dorsoduro, Osteria al Squero is a lovely wine bar that is incredibly reasonable and serves some lovely cicheti – which are small snacks. Interestingly, this bar is opposite a working gondola yard called the Squero di san Trovaso – the oldest one in Venice. And as you can sit outside by the Canal, it’s wonderful to watch the master craftsmen at work. It’s one of the few remaining windows into the old, traditional Venice.
Location: Dorsoduro, 943-944, 30123 Venice Italy
This is another institution and it’s very popular with those who live and work in Venice. You will find many locals here after work. It lives up to its name and is quite a small bar, but it has space outside, which has a lovely atmosphere too. So it’s great if you want to get away from the bars which visitors are more likely to frequent. And, what is more – the prices are incredibly reasonable for wine and also for cicheti.
Location: Campo dei Tolentini, Santa Croce 183, 30121 Venice Italy
Now – at the other end of the scale is Caffe Florian. It has been a café on Piazza San Marco since the early 18th century. But away from the coffee and cakes, there is a bar area at the back of the building, where you will pay less for service and where you can watch the highly skilled bar tenders prepare sumptuous cocktails.
Location: Piazza San Marco, 57, 30124 Venice Italy
You will find the Skyline Rooftop Bar on the eighth floor of the Hilton Molino Stucky hotel on Giudecca Island. You can see the whole of Venice from the terrace of the Skyline Rooftop Bar. It’s well worth building this in to your trip to Venice Italy. Not only will you get a great view of the city, but also it’s a prime location to experience a beautiful Venetian sunset. This was on my own personal Venice bucket list. Tick!
Location: Giudecca 810, 30133, Venice, Italy
Venice is a fabulous place to visit on your Italian vacation. And visiting Venice’s wine bars are a great way of experiencing Venice’s culture and atmosphere. At Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours we love helping our guests visit this unique city. If you would like us to help you plan your next trip to Venice Italy, then please do get in contact with us at Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours or check out some of our tour packages below. As I mentioned previously, we even have a Venice wine bar inspired tour – which is first on the list below – naturally!
Bacaro tour – A tour of Venice wine bars in the heart of Venice.
Absolute Venice – the highlights of the city in a half-day sightseeing tour
If you would like more information like these Venice wine bar tips – please do visit our blog at ciaoitalytours.com We always say that with us, your Italian tours or Italian vacations will be one you’ll never forget.
Ciao,
Guido.
