Nightlife in Bolzano is certainly not its greatest draw, but what life there is mostly centers around the long curve of Piazza delle Erbe. There you'll find a few other wine bars, pubs, Stube, and tiny live-music venues in addition to the following establishments.
The chic Café Exil, at Piazza del Grano/Kornplatz 2 (tel. 0471-971-814), is filled with a young crowd night and day for whom it probably provides a welcome alternative to the many Weinstubes around town. Exil has the ambience of a coffeehouse (excellent coffee, pastries, and sandwiches are served) and a bar as well, with many kinds of beers from Italy and north of the Alps on tap. On weekend evenings, the elegant Laurin Bar, in the Parkhotel Laurin (tel. 0471-311-000), turns its Art Nouveau lobby -- a sumptuous room overlooking the hotel's private park -- into a jazz club. An enthusiastic crowd shows up, making this one of the most popular places in town.
In Bolzano, you won't find a more distinctive locale in which to bend your elbow than Fishbanke, at Via Dr. Streiter 26A (tel. 0471-971-714); in fact, a stop at this outdoor wine bar run by a gregarious artist is mandatory, and a unique experience in an otherwise homogenous field of beer halls and taverns. Wine, beer, and a few snacks (cheese and bruschetta) are served on the well-worn stone slabs of Bolzano's centuries-old former fish market, an unusual experience that attracts a friendly crowd of regulars who are always pleased to welcome strangers into their midst.
