An infinity pool on a rooftop bar is a serious design proposition. Done wrong, you get a lagoon in the sky that nobody is actually allowed to swim in and a cocktail list that coasts on the novelty. Done right, you get one of the most complete sensory experiences that drinking in public can provide: the water extending to the horizon, the city below the edge, and a drink in your hand that holds its own against both.

We tracked down 12 venues that get the equation right. The pools are swimmable, the cocktails are serious, and the views justify the prices, which at these establishments tend to run toward the higher end of the global rooftop bar spectrum. Most require a reservation or a hotel room to access. All of them are worth the planning.

The 12 Best Rooftop Infinity Pool Bars Worldwide

Dubai rooftop infinity pool bar
No. 1 · Dubai Marina
Azure at The Address Beach Resort
Seventy-seven floors up, the infinity pool at Azure appears to merge with the Persian Gulf on the horizon. The bar program is handled by a dedicated team that runs a separate menu for poolside service: spritzes, long drinks, and a signature cucumber-rose cooler that outsells everything else by a factor of four. Hotel guests have priority access; non-guests can reserve the pool deck with a minimum spend. The golden hour between 6pm and 7pm is the window to aim for.
$$$$ Hotel access 10am to midnight
Singapore rooftop bar infinity pool
No. 2 · Marina Bay, Singapore
CE LA VI at Marina Bay Sands
The most photographed infinity pool in Asia sits on the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands, and CE LA VI is the bar and restaurant that occupies the same level. The cocktail list is genuinely impressive for a venue that could easily coast on the view: the Asia-Pacific spirit selection covers over 200 bottles, and the team's tasting menu experience pairs each course with a matching drink. The pool is hotel-exclusive, but CE LA VI accepts outside reservations from 6pm daily.
$$$$ Reservation required 6pm to 3am
Rooftop pool bar at sunset worldwide

Asia's Best Infinity Pool Bars

Southeast Asia dominates this list for reasons that are partly architectural and partly climatic. The combination of dense skylines, warm evenings, and a hotel development boom that peaked in the 2010s produced a generation of sky bars with genuine pools rather than the narrow lap lanes you find in European hotels constrained by planning regulations.

The rooftop bar scene in Singapore and the equivalent in Bangkok and Dubai share a characteristic ambition: these are designed to be destinations in their own right, not amenities that happen to have a bar attached.

"The best infinity pool bars share one quality: the pool and the cocktail program are both serious enough that you can't improve the evening by removing either one."

Bangkok rooftop infinity pool bar Thailand
No. 3 · Bangkok, Thailand
VELA at The Standard
On the 34th floor of The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon, VELA operates as a true pool bar: you can order drinks from the water. The cocktail program leans Thai, incorporating lemongrass-infused gin, Thai basil syrups, and a house-made tamarind bitters that shows up across the menu. The Mahanakhon tower's distinctive pixelated architecture means no neighboring building interrupts the view south over the Chao Phraya. Reservations are required for non-hotel guests and typically need to be made 48 hours in advance.
$$$ Thai cocktail program 11am to 11pm
Sydney rooftop infinity pool bar harbour view
No. 4 · Sydney, Australia
Pool Bar at Ace Hotel Sydney
The infinity pool on the roof of the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills is oriented due north, which means the view takes in Sydney's CBD against the light through most of the day. The bar program is built around Australian small-batch spirits with a particular emphasis on gins from the Hunter Valley and whisky from Tassie. The all-day menu means you can arrive at noon and stay for dinner without the crowd dynamics shifting into something unpleasant. Book a cabana for groups of four or more.
$$$ Australian spirits Noon to 11pm

The Americas: Sky-High Swimming

American rooftop pool bars tend to be concentrated in Miami and Las Vegas, where the climate permits outdoor pools for the majority of the year and the hotel development model supports the investment. A few New York venues have made the calculation work with heated pools and windbreaks, but the truly great infinity pool bars in the US are in warm-weather cities.

For the full experience in the United States, the editors consistently recommend the rooftop bar scene in Miami as the most compelling overall. The combination of Biscayne Bay views, year-round warmth, and a hotel stock that has refreshed substantially over the past decade makes it the strongest city in the country for this specific format.

Miami infinity pool rooftop bar
No. 5 · Miami Beach
Watr at The Rooftop, 1 Hotel South Beach
Three interconnected pools on a rooftop that runs the full length of the 1 Hotel building on Collins Avenue. The bar program at Watr focuses on sustainability in a way that extends beyond marketing copy: the spirits list prioritizes biodynamic distilleries, the ice is made from filtered rainwater, and the garnishes are grown on the hotel's own rooftop garden one floor below. The Biscayne Bay View (rum, coconut water, fresh lime, sea salt) is the definitive house cocktail.
$$$$ Sustainable program 9am to 11pm
Las Vegas infinity pool rooftop bar
No. 6 · Las Vegas Strip
Marquee Dayclub at The Cosmopolitan
Three levels of pools and terraces on the Cosmopolitan's Boulevard Tower, with a view that takes in roughly 2 miles of the Strip in each direction. The bar operation here is more drinks-focused than cocktail-focused: you order from a menu of well-constructed long drinks and bottled service rather than bespoke cocktails, which is appropriate for a venue serving 800 people on a busy Saturday. The infinity edge faces east over the mountains; sunrise access via the hotel is available in summer months.
$$$ Large capacity Seasonal hours
Rooftop infinity pool bar night city lights

Europe's Rooftop Pool Bars

European planning restrictions and the generally older building stock make true rooftop infinity pools rarer than in Asia or the Americas. But 4 venues have managed to solve the problem with enough architectural ingenuity to make the list, and they tend to be more intimate than their Asian counterparts, which translates to better service and quieter evenings.

London rooftop pool bar city view
No. 7 · Shoreditch, London
The Rumpus Room at Mondrian London
The rooftop pool at the Mondrian London on the South Bank is heated, small (12 guests maximum), and has a view of St Paul's Cathedral across the Thames that makes it one of the more spectacular drinking vantage points in the city. The pool access is tied to the Rumpus Room bar, which serves a strong aperitif-focused menu from 5pm daily. The Vesper variation here is the best in London. Non-hotel guests can book pool access with a minimum spend of 100 pounds per person.
$$$$ 12 guests max 5pm to midnight
Paris rooftop bar pool Seine view
No. 8 · 5th Arrondissement, Paris
OFF Paris Seine
Not a rooftop in the traditional sense: OFF Paris Seine is a floating hotel on the Seine at Pont de Bercy, and its infinity pool extends over the river itself. The effect is remarkable in a way that photographs do not capture: you are swimming in what appears to be the Seine, held above it by a thin border of glass, while Notre-Dame sits on the horizon. The bar program is small (6 cocktails, a curated wine list) but precise. Access is limited to hotel guests and dining reservations.
$$$$ Floating hotel Seasonal
Barcelona rooftop pool bar sea views
No. 9 · Barcelona, Spain
Eclipse at W Barcelona
The W Barcelona is a sail-shaped skyscraper at the bottom of the Barceloneta beach and the Eclipse bar occupies its 26th floor alongside a narrow infinity pool oriented directly toward the Mediterranean. This is one of Europe's busiest hotel bars by volume, which means service can stretch on busy summer evenings, but the view compensates comprehensively. The gin and tonic program covers 40 Spanish gins, which is appropriate given the city's obsession with the format. Book a table for sunset or plan to wait.
$$$ Mediterranean views 5pm to 3am
Lisbon rooftop bar pool Tagus view
No. 10 · Bairro Alto, Lisbon
Jardim Secreto at Bairro Alto Hotel
A small heated infinity pool on the 5th floor of the Bairro Alto Hotel, facing west toward the Tagus estuary so that it captures the famous Lisbon golden light in the final two hours before sunset. The bar program draws on Portuguese spirits: ginjinha-washed vodka, medronho brandy highballs, and a natural wine list that would embarrass most standalone wine bars in the city. This is the most intimate venue on this list: 8 poolside loungers, 16 bar seats, and a reservation policy that requires 2 weeks notice in summer.
$$$$ Portuguese spirits 3pm to 11pm
Berlin rooftop bar pool evening
No. 11 · Mitte, Berlin
Soho House Berlin Rooftop
Members only, with guest access via existing members only. The rooftop pool at Soho House Berlin looks north over the Spree and is heated to 30 degrees year-round. The bar program changes seasonally and is curated by the same team that handles all Soho House locations globally, which means the quality floor is consistently high even if the local specificity can feel diluted. The winter access is particularly special: a heated pool at 2am in November with snow on the Berlin rooftops is an experience worth cultivating a member friend for.
$$$$ Members only Year-round
New York rooftop pool bar Manhattan
No. 12 · Midtown Manhattan
PHD Terrace at Dream Midtown
The narrow plunge pool on the 21st floor of Dream Midtown faces south over Manhattan with the Empire State Building as its central feature. At 67 feet long and 8 feet wide it is more of a lap pool than an infinity pool proper, but the visual effect of the water extending toward the skyline earns its inclusion here. The bar program is stronger than you would expect for a hotel terrace: the daytime White Negroni and the evening-only smoked old fashioned are both worth ordering. Reserve a poolside daybed from the hotel website.
$$$ Views of Empire State Noon to midnight

What Separates a Great Infinity Pool Bar from a Mediocre One

The drinks. Every other factor is table stakes: you expect the view, you expect the pool to be functional, you expect the service to be attentive because you are paying $25 per cocktail. What separates the places on this list from the 40 other rooftop pools we visited while researching it is that the bar programs hold up even when you take the setting away.

The editors suggest testing any rooftop pool bar with this mental exercise: if this cocktail was served to you in a basement with no windows, would you pay $18 for it? If the answer is no, the bar is coasting on its altitude. If the answer is yes, you have found one of the good ones. Every entry on this list passes the test. For more on the full world of elevated drinking, see our comprehensive guide to the best rooftop bars worldwide and the dedicated rooftop bar category page.