The Donkey hides a small cocktail room behind a medieval gate on Vicolo Broglio, pairing a no-oversized-drink rule with a curated spirits back bar, a short cigar list and an art deco interior that splits Art Nouveau and 1950s modernist cues.
Tip: Reservations only via WhatsApp to 349 138 4953; the door does not take walk-ins. Cocktails sit around 14 euros, sized to the spirit-forward house style.
Address: Vicolo Broglio 1f, 40125 Bologna
Le Vie dei Briganti sits on Via Alessandrini above the Moline canal, with an upstairs bistro and a basement speakeasy reached by ringing a hidden bell, run by four Roman owners with a cocktail list that swings prohibition classics into Italian flavours.
Tip: Daytime food service runs upstairs; the underground bar opens for evenings only. Ask the bartender about the canal-window seat, a small basement banquette with the Moline view.
Bohemien Social Club fills a Via Marsala back room with sofas, retro lamps, a piano in the corner and a wall of bookshelves, running a jazz-bar soundtrack alongside vinyl DJ sets, book launches and small documentary nights.
Tip: Ten euro membership card at the door, valid for the year; the room runs as a private social so they keep it intimate. The kitchen sends bruschetta and salumi plates if you want to eat.
Le Stanze occupies a former chapel of the Bentivoglio family on Via del Borgo San Pietro, with rooms of 17th-century frescoes set against post-modern sofas, a cocktail list at the bar and DJ sets that push the crowd past midnight on weekends.
Tip: Aperitivo buffet runs from 18:00 with the cocktail; the room peaks on Friday and Saturday past 22:30 when the crowd spills onto the sidewalk.
Cassero has anchored the Italian LGBTQ scene since 1982, housed in a former salt warehouse by the Reno canal, with a tower-room dance floor, a rooftop garden, the Gender Bender festival and house and disco nights that fund the centre's cultural and advocacy work.
Tip: Arcigay tessera required at the door; sign up at the desk or online before. The rooftop dance floor opens in summer and is the seat to get.
Red Club runs the busiest gay floor in Bologna from a Zona Roveri warehouse east of the centre, with a main commercial room, a darker side floor and a summer pool that opens in the warm months for the Tunga party series.
Tip: Zona Roveri sits well outside the centre with no late transit; budget for a cab back. ANDDOS card at the door, bring cash for the membership fee.
Kinki has run a house floor on Via Zamboni since 1975 in the same room that opened as Whisky a go-go in 1958, making it the oldest standing gay club in Bologna with a mixed crowd, resident DJs and international house bookings.
Tip: The room is on the corner of Via Zamboni and Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, two steps from the Two Towers. The floor warms up after 01:00.