Algiubagio runs a centuries old bar at Fondamenta Nuove 5039 in Cannaregio, with a wide lagoon facing terrace inaugurated in 2009, chef Daniele Zennaro on a seasonal menu and a sunset view straight across to Murano and the cemetery island.
Tip: The terrace is the seat in summer; the inside room takes over from November to March. Sit for a sunset spritz at 19:00 to catch the light on San Michele before the dinner crowd lands.
Address: Fondamenta Nuove 5039, 30121 Venezia, Venice
Harry's Bar opened on Calle Vallaresso in 1931 under Giuseppe Cipriani and remains the city's most photographed cocktail room, the birthplace of the Bellini and the Carpaccio and a national heritage site since 2001 with a stand up bar that holds about thirty.
Tip: Stand at the bar for the Bellini at half the table price; the dress code tightens after 19:00 and bookings are for the dining room, not the cocktail counter.
Experimental Cocktail Club hides behind a Cristina Celestino designed lobby door inside Il Palazzo Experimental on the Zattere, with the Paris and London cocktail playbook reworked through Italian spirits, a JNPR no proof menu and a small canal facing garden.
Tip: Walk ins only, no reservations; the hotel desk can hold a table for guests. The Tuesday and Wednesday close is non negotiable and the room shuts for two weeks in January.
Il Mercante runs an 1870s former cafe a few steps from the Frari basilica as one of Venice's serious cocktail rooms, with a Magellan inspired list themed on circumnavigation, a Captain's Death gin signature and a tight kitchen of cicchetti.
Tip: Order the Captain's Death if you like bitter and dry; the bar staff also build off menu. The room sits maybe thirty so reservations on Friday and Saturday avoid the queue.
Bar Longhi is the social hub of The Gritti Palace on Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, with mirrored walls of Murano crystal, eighteenth century paintings, a bespoke Martini Trolley and a small terrace that opens straight onto the Grand Canal toward La Salute.
Tip: Cocktails are nineteen euros, bar bites from twenty two; the terrace seats a handful so book ahead for sunset. Afternoon tea is the calmer slot if the bar feels too formal.
The Bar at Aman sits in the piano nobile of Palazzo Papadopoli overlooking the hotel's Grand Canal garden, with bar manager Antonio Ferrara on a seasonal cocktail list and a 50 Best Discovery listing alongside a small cicchetti programme.
Tip: The garden opens for cocktails from midday in warm months; the indoor salon takes over October through April. The Venice Cocktail Week and Architecture Biennale slots fill weeks ahead.
Metro Venezia Club has run on Via Cappuccina in Mestre since 2012 as the Venice metro area's main gay sauna and recreation club, with a Finnish sauna, whirlpool, dark room, video room, cafe bar, solarium and a roof terrace.
Tip: Historic Venice has no standing gay bar; Metro on the mainland is the scene. Five hundred metres from Mestre station, ten minutes from Piazzale Roma by tram. ANDDOS card at the door.