Caffè Florian, Venice

A short history

In 1720 Floriano Francesconi opened a coffee house under the arcades of St Mark's named Alla Venezia Trionfante — "Venice Triumphant" — but customers soon simply called it "Florian's". Coffee was a fashionable novelty, and Venice's coffee houses became places for meeting, gossip and business.

Over three centuries writers, artists and musicians came here: the playwright Carlo Goldoni, Lord Byron, Goethe, Charles Dickens, Marcel Proust. Florian was one of the few 18th-century venues to admit women. In the 1890s, artists and city officials meeting at its tables dreamed up the Venice Biennale, now one of the world's great contemporary art shows.

The painted rooms

Inside is a string of small, cosy rooms decorated in 1858: velvet banquettes, marble tables, gilt-framed mirrors and painted walls and ceilings. Each has a name and style — the Senate Room, the Chinese and Oriental rooms with exotic scenes, the Hall of Illustrious Men with portraits of famous Venetians, and the Room of the Seasons. Waiters in white jackets serve coffee, hot chocolate and pastries on silver trays, much as a century ago; it's cooler and quieter than the square, and especially cosy in winter fog.

What to see

• The Senate Room — where the Biennale was dreamed up.
• Chinese and Oriental rooms — exotic paintings.
• Hall of Illustrious Men — portraits of Venetians.
• The wooden shopfront with its gilded sign.
• The orchestra on the square — classics and film tunes.
• The bar — coffee standing, for less.

The cafés of St Mark's

Florian isn't the only historic café on the square: opposite, in the Procuratie Vecchie, is Quadri, opened in 1775, and by the Clock Tower is Lavena. In the evening their orchestras take turns, turning the square into an open-air concert hall — you can simply stand nearby and listen for free. Come early, when the square is empty and Florian's rooms are just opening, or late, when the arcades are lit and the music plays.

Is Caffè Florian worth it?

Yes, for at least one coffee: it's living Venetian history, and the 19th-century rooms are worth seeing like a museum. On a budget, have an espresso at the bar or just listen to the orchestra from the square. For a treat, sit on the terrace in the evening, knowing you're paying for music, a view of the basilica and three centuries of history.

Venice after dark: compare and choose

Places for an evening in Venice rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.

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How to do it right

• Cheaper at the bar.
• Music surcharge on the terrace.
• The 1858 rooms are like a museum.
• You can hear the orchestra from the square.

Questions