# Caffè Florian, Venice > Florian is the legendary café under the arcades of the Procuratie Nuove on Piazza San Marco, open since 1720 and still serving. Inside are small painted 19th-century rooms; outside an orchestra plays on the square. It's expensive, especially at an outdoor table with a music surcharge, but a coffee at the bar is an affordable taste of old Venice. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/caffe-florian - City: [Venice](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice), Italy - YesGo score: 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Walk in; among the city's highest prices - Terrace: Music surcharge added to the bill - Opening hours: Daily, morning to late evening - Highlights: Painted rooms of 1858, the orchestra - Time needed: 20–40 minutes - Location: Piazza San Marco, Procuratie Nuove - Coordinates: 45.43368, 12.33821 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1720** — Floriano Francesconi opened the café (source: English Wikipedia) - **1858** — the rooms received their present decoration (source: English Wikipedia) - **Biennale** — the idea for the Venice Biennale was born at its tables (source: English Wikipedia) - **Oldest** — among Italy's oldest cafés still in business (source: English Wikipedia) - **Orchestra** — plays on the square in front (source: English Wikipedia) ## 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. > **How not to overpay** At a table on the square a music surcharge is added, and the prices of coffee and cakes are among the highest in Europe. Check the menu at the door before sitting down. The cheapest option is an espresso at the bar inside — the same setting for far 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. ## How to get there 1. The café is under the arcades of the Procuratie Nuove on [Piazza San Marco](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/piazza-san-marco), on your right as you face the basilica. 2. Vaporetto 1 or 2 to **San Marco (Giardinetti)**, 3 minutes. 3. From the [Rialto Bridge](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/rialto-bridge), 10 minutes on foot. 4. Facing it: the [Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/st-marks-campanile) and [St Mark's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/st-marks-basilica). ## 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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Check the menu and prices before sitting - [ ] Remember the terrace music surcharge - [ ] Peek into the painted rooms - [ ] Save money with coffee at the bar - [ ] Come early or late in the evening ## Venice after dark: compare and choose Places for an evening in Venice rated by YesGo. - [Piazza San Marco](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/piazza-san-marco) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [La Fenice](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/la-fenice) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid - [Caffè Florian](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/caffe-florian) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, pricey ## An evening at San Marco The Campanile before sunset, Piazza San Marco with its orchestras, and coffee at Florian. 1. [St Mark's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/st-marks-campanile) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid 2. [Piazza San Marco](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/piazza-san-marco) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 3. [Caffè Florian](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/caffe-florian) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, pricey ## Don't mix it up Florian isn't Quadri: the two historic cafés face each other across St Mark's Square — Florian in the Procuratie Nuove, Quadri in the Procuratie Vecchie. ## Tips - 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 ### When did Caffè Florian open? In 1720; it's still open and counts among Italy's oldest cafés. ### Why is Florian so expensive? Prices reflect the setting and history, and a music surcharge is added on the terrace. ### How can I have a cheaper coffee at Florian? Order an espresso at the bar inside rather than at a table on the square. ### Who went to Florian? Goldoni, Byron, Goethe, Dickens, Proust and many other writers and artists. ### Where is Caffè Florian? Under the arcades of the Procuratie Nuove on Piazza San Marco. ## How we checked History and description from English Wikipedia. Prices and the music surcharge weren't confirmed — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Caffè Florian - Official site caffeflorian.com --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.