Venice Nightlife Is Cicchetti, Spritz, and Campo Santa Margherita

Venice doesn't do late clubs — the Venetian nightlife pattern is the bàcaro: small wine bars serving cicchetti (Venetian tapas) and spritz from afternoon through 10 PM. Al Merca, Cantina Do Mori, All'Arco run the format that's been Venice's drinking life for centuries.

Campo Santa Margherita in Dorsoduro is the university-student piazza — bars on the square fill until midnight, student crowd spills into the campo. Harry's Bar at San Marco is the legitimate cocktail institution (the Bellini was invented there in 1948). Bar Longhi at the Gritti Palace is the hotel-bar alternative.

Venice goes to bed early — most of the city is quiet by midnight. The student areas run slightly later. Vaporetti run late on main lines, thin on smaller routes.