I'm headed to Venice and Stresa, Italy along with Mürren, Switzerland this summer. Can anyone recommend any good cafes in these areas?

For Venice the place to go (for the best coffee in Venice) is Torrefazione Marchi at Fondamenta dei Ormesini, 2804 in the Cannaregio district close to the Campo del Ghetto. The surrounding area is also a great place for dinner or bar hopping. Just walk by the fondamenta and pick your favourites. It is quite lively in the evening.

Caffe del Doge is another pretty good cafe near the Rialto bridge on a small alley called Calle dei Cinque. If you want coffee near the Rialto bridge or the market area, Doge is a safe bet to have a cup and give your feet a rest.

Of course the most famous cafe in Venice would be Cafe Florian at the Piazza San Marco. It is said to be the first cafe in Europe established in the early 18th century (1720 if I remember correctly). It may very well be the first cafe (since it is also said that coffee first came to Europe via Venice) and the interior is wonderful. But be warned, the prices may be steep. Especially on the terrace on the piazza. Usually there is also a band playing mediocre music on the terrace. You'll have to pay for that too if you want to sip your coffee on the terrace. Anyhow the real charm of the Florian is on the inside (unless someone absolutely loves sitting outside watching tourists taking selfies).
But if you want a bit of that old time charm, go boldly inside and feel the spirits of some historic persons who used to hang around there: Casanova, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, Marcel Proust, Thomas Moore, Charlie Chaplin, Hemingway, Jean Cocteau, Claude Monet and even Andy Warhol to name a few. Today it's filled with tourists, but like I said, at least the interior is wonderful. For coffee I would always choose Marchi.

Thanks for your response, this was very helpful.

I definitely want to go to Cafe Florian while we're there just for the historical significance, but Marchi and Doge sound like exactly what I'm looking for. Bonus points if either of them serve a decent V60, but I'm pretty much expecting to stick to espresso while we're there.

I'd recommend sitting outside on the piazza. The view of the basilica while drinking coffee was amazing

I think you'll find that Torrefazione Marchi, in Fondamenta degli Ormesini 2804, is now called Torrefazione Cannaregio. Try the Miscela del Ghetto if you want something that's a step up from the house espresso, Caffè Remer. Both of them are 100% arabica.

At Caffè Florian, you can have an espresso standing at the bar in the back of the shop for a good deal less money than at a table, although the little rooms with windows over the piazza are ultra-charming.

Hi Doug,

I studied in Venice last fall, and I had one specific bar I would go to in San Polo, Il Vizietto. The use a lighter neapolitan roast and costs €1 for an espresso, which is about as cheap as you can get without going to Giudecca (as far as I know). The owner is very nice and his name is Fabio. If you ever go tell him you know me and maybe he'll do something extra for you!

Sorry all, I seem to have missed notifications for the last few posts.

I have made note of these cafes, now just have to see which ones are relatively close to where we're staying near the Rialto Bridge. Thanks for all the suggestions - this has undoubtedly saved me lots of time and poor espresso!

Murren is easy because I believe there's only one coffee shop in town: Cafe LV. I was there last summer and found it to be the land of superautomatics everywhere you go. LV at least has a real espresso machine. Same for Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, and other nearby towns. The coffee stinks but what views! I don't recall seeing drip/pourover coffee offered anywhere, but I wasn't looking for it either. I just sucked it up and got my fix each day from my hotel's superauto, enhanced with about a pound of sugar to cut the bitterness.

Agree that you need to stop at Cafe Florian in Venice. I've had better espresso, but again, the view can't be beat. Be sure to wander through the inside even if you sit outside. They have a little gift shop if you want to buy cups.

Thanks again to everyone for the replies. Just returned from my trip and needless to say it was an amazing experience!

In terms of coffee, I did manage to get to Cafe Florian in Venice. The espresso was actually pretty good, but the cafe itself was like a step back in time. As suggested, I headed to the back and ordered a couple shots. Unfortunately, while we were there Europe was in the midst of a record heat wave, so I felt a bit out of place there as a sweaty tourist. Very glad I went though, and I even bought a couple cups on the way out.

For Murren, grind727 hit the nail on the head - LOTS of super autos. I went to Cafe Liv once but was less than impressed (plus, like most things in Switzerland, it was expensive), so I sucked it up and stuck to the coffee at our hotel. Interesting enough, it actually wasn't that bad. Certainly not award winning, but the way they prepared it (Kaffe Creme IIRC) was far less burnt and bitter than the average filter coffee you'd get in the US.

Along the way I also had a few cappuccinos, despite not being much into milk-based drinks. To my surprise they were actually pretty enjoyable, and I still find myself craving them. Think I might have to find a steamer to pair with my new Robot!

Good to hear you enjoyed your stay! Perhaps you will come back to check out the bars in Southern Italy someday

They can be something entirely different compared to the North.