Venice Jazz Club

Venice Jazz Club is the city's dedicated home for live jazz, and it describes itself as the only jazz club in Venice. It is in Dorsoduro, beside the Ponte dei Pugni, one of the city's most picturesque bridges, close to Campo Santa Margherita and the Rio di San Barnaba. In a city where evening entertainment tends to revolve around drinks and dinner, it offers a different kind of night out.

The focus is on live music, and the club's slogan is simply only live music. Concerts run from 21:00 to 23:00, and the club is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Programmes cover a range of jazz styles, from standards to more modern repertoire, performed by musicians from Venice and beyond. The club stresses that the shows are not only for jazz enthusiasts and that everyone can enjoy them, which makes it a good introduction for those who rarely go to jazz gigs.

The room is small and intimate, so you are close to the musicians, and the atmosphere is relaxed and attentive. Tickets are sold through the club's website, and booking ahead is advisable, as space is limited, especially at weekends and in high season. Check the website for the programme of upcoming concerts and any food or drink options available with your ticket.

Venice Jazz Club suits couples, music lovers and solo travellers looking for a sociable evening that does not revolve around a bar crawl. It is a good choice after dinner in Dorsoduro, and the concert times leave plenty of room for a meal beforehand. Prices are moderate for a live show in Venice.

The club is a few minutes' walk from the Ca' Rezzonico vaporetto stop on Line 1. After the show, Campo Santa Margherita, just around the corner, is one of the liveliest squares in the city at night, with bars that stay open late and are popular with students. The barge that sells fruit and vegetables by the Ponte dei Pugni by day is a well-known local sight, and the bridge itself, with footprints set into its stone, recalls the fistfights once staged there between rival factions.

Arriving a little before the start gives you time to settle in and choose a good spot in the small room.