There is almost nothing as luxurious as sipping a cocktail while sitting on the Grand Canal. Venice hotel bars have always had the wow factor and, in this modern cocktail renaissance we are enjoying, they only get better and better. Now the cocktails are equally as fabulous as the bars that serve them.
Alchemia Bar – Ca’ di Dio
It’s so rare to enjoy a cocktail in any inner courtyard in Venice. This new kid on the block, the Ca’ di Dio, only opened this past year and is already making waves. Seconds away from the Arsenale, you might slip past the unadorned facade of this former monastery without noticing it. One step aside and you will realize you’ve found a treasure.
Aman Bar
Set inside the Palazzo Papadopoli, one of the largest palazzi on the Grand Canal, the Aman definitely has that wow factor. With its own private gardens and only 26 rooms, it’s fun to fantasize that the Aman is yours and yours alone. Sitting in the Red Room, you are encased in Venetian splendor – red silk walls around you and the gorgeous Murano glass chandelier above you, in the middle of a high ceiling decorated with stucci and frescoes ceiling. Nothing minimalist here.
Arts Bar & St. Regis Bar
Don’t get confused. I followed the Europa & Regina sign from the Calle Larga XXII Marzo expecting to find my way to the St. Regis Venice. The St. Regis Venice may be located in what was formerly the E&R, but it’s following a totally different path. Goodbye olde worldie Venice, and hello the 21st century. After a major refurb, how brilliant of the St. Regis to appoint Facundo Gallegos as its Director of Bars & Restaurant. He’s straight from the Connaught Bar in London, and under his watchful eye, the St. Regis Bar is now recognized as one of the world’s best bars, not just Venice’s. (Finalist for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award 2022!)
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Bar Dandalo at the Danieli Hotel
You might miss it if you didn’t know it was there, Bar Dandolo is tucked away in a corner of one of the prettiest and most dramatic hotel lobbies in Venice. The Danieli Hotel, soon to be managed by the Four Seasons hotel group, is Venice through and through. It’s one of the only Venetian palazzi to have an internal staircase. One step through her threshold and you will be transported back to a time when you may have bumped into Goethe, Richard Wagner, Charles Dickens, or more recently, Peggy Guggenheim or Leonard Bernstein at the bar.
Read More: How to make the Spritz
Bar Longhi & Riva Terrace at the Gritti Palace Hotel
One step inside the Gritti Palace Hotel and you are greeted as if you were family. This is what makes the Bar Longhi so special. It’s not just a place to have a drink, it’s a place to call your own. The gorgeous etched glass that lines the walls and the Sicilian carved bar decorate what may be the prettiest bar in Venice. The low seats invite you to stay all night and it is hard to leave once you’ve settled in.
Read More: How to Make the Sgroppino Cocktail
Experimental at the Palazzo Experimental
If you call yourself a cocktail enthusiast and don’t know the Experimental Cocktail Company, you have been living under a rock. These cocktail industry legends completely changed the cocktail scene in Paris about 10000 years ago and then London, and now the rest of the world. They have definitely added to the cocktail scene in Venice. Sitting on one of the most beautiful “streets’ in Venice, the Zattere, which overlooks the island of Giudecca and snuggled into the glorious Palazzo Experimental, they were set to win.
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Gabbiano Bar at the Belmond Hotel Cipriani
Tucked into a garden on the island of Giudecca is one of the most famous hotels in the world, the Belmond Hotel Cipriani. Founded by the same Cipriani who brought you Harry’s Bar and the Bellini, the Gabbiano Bar does not disappoint. Almost unaltered since the hotel’s opening in the 1950’s , the Gabbiano Bar has seen many bartenders throughout its history, but none as influential as Walter Bozanella. Reigning for more than 44 years, he finally decided it was time to hang up his white jacket this year (2022). Now someone else has the difficult task of filling his shoes and also capturing the hearts of all who enter. Not an easy task.
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The Londra Bar at the Hotel Londra Palace
Although the Londra Bar might not get all the fanfare of the other hotel bars, if you are a cocktail aficionado, it must be on your go-to list. The Londra Hotel is the only Relais & Chateau hotels in Venice, so grab your copy of D’Annunzio’s “Pleasure” and settle in. From its location along the glorious Riva della Schiavoni, overlooking the Venetian Lagoon, you’ll understand how the author, a Londra Palace regular, could conceive of a book with that title.
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Skyline Rooftop bar at the Hotel Stucky Mulino
You can’t miss noticing the Hotel Stucky Mulino on the island of Giudecca. This massive building was once one of the most important mills in Italy. It sat empty for years until it was restored and opened as a Hilton in 2007. If there is one place to be at sunset, it’s here on the rooftop Skyline Rooftop Bar. Sip your cocktails while watching the sun disappear behind the outlying islands on the southern tip of the island.
Library Bar at the Nolinski Venice
Your stocks may rise and fall, but you can perhaps take solace in the knowledge that the Library Bar at the Nolinski Venezia, on the third floor of what was previously Venice’s Stock Exchange, is ready to help you celebrate or drown your sorrows. Brought to you by French brand Evok (whose other Nolinski can be found in Paris), this is the newest of Venice’s great hotel bars. This bar intime is a tribute to Venice, from its ceiling painting by artist Simon Buret to the over 4000 books that line its walls. Buret’s mermaid and her watery world join us as we toast Venice and her 1600-year relationship with the Adriatic.
Read About More Bars in Venice: Find the Best Hotel Bars in Venice
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