Venice by Night

By Rick Steves

While Venice's splendid decay is undeniably charming by day, you must experience Venice after dark. Even during busy summer months, the city is quiet at night, as tour groups are back in the cheaper hotels of Mestre on the mainland, and the masses of daytrippers return to their beach resorts.

By 10 p.m., restaurants are winding down; by 11 p.m., many bars are closing; and by midnight, the city is virtually shut tight. But darkness brings a special romance. Get out and roam; even the dark and distant back lanes are considered safe after nightfall.

Here are some hints for soaking up the city after-hours.

Especially during the summer, you can stretch your sightseeing at the following sights: the Doge's Palace, the most powerful half-acre in Europe from 1150 to 1550, the Accademia, the greatest museum anywhere for Venetian Renaissance Art, and St. Mark's 300-foot-high campanile (bell tower).

The local way to spend an evening is to simply enjoy a slow and late dinner in a romantic canalside or piazza setting. Caffè Florian, on St. Mark's Square, is the most famous Venetian café and one of the first places in Europe to serve coffee. It has been the place for a discreet rendezvous in Venice since 1720. Today, it's most famous for its outdoor seating and orchestra (see below), but do walk inside through the richly decorated, 18th-century rooms where Casanova, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, and Woody Allen have all paid too much for a drink.

Just being in St. Mark's Square after dark is a thrill, as dueling café orchestras entertain. Every night, enthusiastic musicians play the same songs, creating the same irresistible magic. Hang out for free behind the tables (which allows you to easily move on to the next orchestra when the musicians take a break) or spring for a seat and enjoy a fun and gorgeously set concert. If you sit a while, it can be €15 well spent. Dancing on the square is free (and encouraged).

Take your pick of traditional Vivaldi concerts in churches throughout town. Homegrown Vivaldi is as trendy here as Strauss in Vienna and Mozart in Salzburg. In fact, you'll find frilly young Vivaldis all over town hawking concert tickets. You'll find posters in hotels all over town. There's music most nights at Scuola San Teodoro (east side of Rialto Bridge) and San Vitale Church (north end of Accademia Bridge), among others. Consider the venue carefully. The general rule of thumb: musicians in wigs and tights offer better spectacle, musicians in black and white suits are better performers. Another unique music experience is a "Rondo Veneziano" concert — classically inspired music with a modern electronic sound.

In addition to the concerts, Venice has a busy schedule of events, festivals, and entertainment, including, of course, Carnevale, the yearly masquerade party.

For a relaxing glide under the moon, take a gondola ride. Although the cost nearly doubles after dark, this is a traditional must for romantics. You can divide the cost — and the romance — among up to six people per boat. Note that only two seats (the ones in back) are side by side.

Drift through nighttime Venice with your head on someone else's shoulder. Follow the moon as it sails past otherwise unseen buildings. Silhouettes gaze down from bridges while window glitter spills onto the black water. You're anonymous in the city of masks as the rhythmic thrust of your gondolier's oar turns old crows into songbirds.

Updated for 2008. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Venice guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Venice.