Gillian Knows Best Guide to sunset drinks on Lido

5 places for a cold beer or a fancy cocktail after a day at the beach

Continuing with our February theme of seeking the sunshine during these short and cold days here is a post that serves two purposes The first is practical. Save this list for your summer trip to Venice.¹ The second is aspirational. It is mid-February after all. I hope that you enjoy this souvenir and promise of the last golden light on a long summer day.

Last summer a pal who came to visit us in Venice from California asked to go across the lagoon to Lido. He was curious about what it was like over there. He had already been to Venice a few times and was not interested in fighting the crowds at the big sites in the heat. Until that short trip I had kind of ignored Lido, mistakingly thinking it was a dull suburb and that it had little to do with Venice. Actually, it is quite wonderful. There is a wide boulevard lined with cafes and shops, a kilometers long stretch of sandy beach, reliable bus service, and fantastic views towards Venice. There are even a few canals.

The sun sets on the lagoon side and not the beach side of Lido. And most things on the beach side close earlier. Yes, even in the summer.

Something that forever baffles me (it probably has something to do with taxes) is that almost all beach clubs in Italy close at 7pm. The sun doesn’t set until almost 9pm. We are never quite ready to go home when the umbrellas have been closed and the beach empties out. We usually stop for a drink before the vaporetto ride back to Venice. These are some of our favorite places for a sunset drink on Lido.