Venice Spritz Time - Self-guided Tour

Spritz is the classic Venetian aperitif, a mix of white wine and – normally - Aperol and seltz or sparkling mineral water. This sunset-colored cocktail is one of the most famous in Venice.

It’s origin are unknown, but it seems that they date back to when Venice was under the Austrian Empire: as the Austrian were used to drink beer with a lower alcoholic degree, to dilute the Venetian wines they used to put seltz or sparkling water on their glasses; the origin therefore, came from the German verb spritzen which means “to spray”, that is the gesture to dilute wine with sparkling water.

Meeting friends for a spritz is one of the most popular Venetian habits. “Having a spritz together” as Venetians used to say, is the perfect pause between work and dinner—to catch up without having to commit to a full evening together.

Enjoy this Venetian wonderful habit in this fabulous “bacaro”, the so-called Venetian pub. You can ask for a Spritz with Aperol (the sweetest), Spritz with Select (bitter), with Campari (bitterer) or with Cynar (strong taste, only for old Venetians). Also, you will enjoy cicchetti (small appetizers) along with your Spritz.

Important information

On certain dates, most travellers staying outside Venice who wish to visit for the day must pay a €5 access fee directly to the Municipality of Venice. For further details (including exceptions) and to find out on which days this fee applies and how to register or make payment, please visit: https://cda.ve.it/en/. The fee is not required if you are only visiting the islands of Murano, Torcello and Burano.