Cafes with orchestras other than Caffe Florian

Hi Michelle,
If there are any other cafes outside of St. Mark's Square with live music, it won't be a large orchestra as at Florian; the neighbourhood's streets are too narrow to accommodate that. Caffe Quadri , on the opposite side of St. Mark's Square, also has a live orchestra, but is also very expensive. I don't know of any other cafes with live musicians nearby. If you do decide to splurge & spend an evening at Caffe Florian watching the changing colours on the facade of Basilica San Marco as the sun sets, it will be a wonderful memory. Have a fabulous trip!

Rick Steves has long described the cafes on opposite sides of St. Mark’s Square as having “dueling orchestras.”

One of my favorite memories of travel anywhere in my entire life was sitting at Cafe Florian with my daughter, listening to the dueling orchestras as the sun set, the sky turned colors and the lights went on around St Marks Square. Yes, the prices are ridiculously expensive, but it was worth every penny. I'm going back to Italy this year and there is no way on earth I would miss it. If you are not sure you want to spend the money, you can stand with the crowd in the square just behind the tables and enjoy the music and the atmosphere without sitting down.

Also remember good ol' practical Rick explaining that it's not an expensive cup of coffee, it's a club with a cover charge with a drink included

The best $50 I ever spent was for two ice cream sundaes for me and my teen daughter at Cafe Florian while the orchestra played and the piazza glowed. You won't regret it if you go.

Hi Michelle,

I hope your first trip to Venice is magical. On my first trip, but husband and I didn't want to pay to exorbitant prices at Caffe Florian and we didn't go. On our second trip in May 2023, after seeing a video on the history of the Cafe, we decided to have an Aperol Spritz and listen to the music. It was one of the highlights of our trip. It is not just a drink, but an experience. The orchestra was wonderful and even took requests. We were not rushed and stayed there for a long-time enjoying the music and the activities in the Square. Along with the gondola ride, this was one of the best experiences we had in Venice.

I did the same as Sandy O during my third & fourth trip to Venice. Having one leisure drink while enjoying the atmosphere at the end of the day, listening to the music has been such a great memory of the last evenings in Venice.

Florian’s, Quadri and Laverna all have music.
One might describe them as orchestras.
Others might not describe them so.

The not-so-secret of San Marco is that you don't have to sit down and pay to listen to the orchestras. Just walk around the square.

If you want to sit, I don't think there are outdoor orchestras anywhere other than San Marco, but as noted Caffe Florian is not the only one on the square.

Thank you everyone. Having grown up with little money, even 50 years later I'm still "careful" with money ( ok, cheap, I said it!) But this does sound like a necessary splurge. Your comments are very much appreciated! 2 months and counting!

The duel.
Quadri opens with tunes from “The Sound of Music”.
Florian’s responds with selections from “Phantom of the Opera”.
Laverna makes a bit of noise with West Side Story.
Back to Quadri for some Fiddling on the Roof.

Opens with “If I Was a Rich Man”.

I am not rich, so will pass on the San Marco/Piazza spritz.

Michelle,

Be sure to go in the evening after the day trip crowd has left. You can always just dance in the square away from the tables - my husband & I did that several times to enjoy the music & setting.

If you want to sit at a table, I think the cover charge for the music was 6 Euro each, plus the price of a drink. When I was traveling by myself, that was worth it to me to enjoy sitting there for an hour and watching the evening light change over the beautiful square, people taking their photos, etc. Either way, it's a wonderful location!