A great rooftop bar requires three things to work together: a view that justifies the lift, a drink program that doesn't insult the view, and a feeling — at the railing, at sunset — that this is exactly where you wanted to be. Most rooftop bars achieve only one of those. The 50 below achieve all three. We've sat at every railing on this list at least twice. Some are tourist sites; we've included them where they earn it. Some are quieter rooms with no Instagram-tag flood; we've foregrounded them where they reward the visit.
The 50 best rooftop bars in the world
01 · New York
Midtown South
$$
Empire State view
The view bar New Yorkers send their out-of-town friends to. The Empire State sits directly across the street. Cocktails are average; the view is not.
Order: A negroni and the panorama
02 · New York
Williamsburg
$$
Brooklyn skyline + Manhattan
On top of The William Vale. The 22-floor view back at Manhattan is, on a clear evening, one of the city's best. Andrew Carmellini's bar program holds up the room.
Order: A frozen drink at sunset
03 · New York
Times Square
$$
Carnival rooftop · Loud
On top of the Moxy. Carousel horse, putting green, panoramic view. Touristy on weekends, charming midweek.
Order: Whatever the carnival-spec of the season is
04 · London
London Bridge
$$$$
31st floor · Glass walls
On the 31st floor of The Shard. The view is the show. The cocktails are technically good; the food is irrelevant — you're paying for the panorama.
Order: Champagne or a martini, served slowly
05 · London
St Paul's
$$$
St Paul's view
On top of One New Change. St Paul's dome is at eye level from the terrace. Better at sunset than after dark.
Order: Aperol Spritz, terrace edition
06 · Paris
11th
$$
Open-air · Industrial
The original Paris rooftop bar that legitimised the form. Sacré-Cœur in the distance, summer-only opening, queue before 8pm in July.
Order: A spritz on the rooftop, sunset hour
07 · Paris
Montmartre
$$$
Hotel rooftop · Eiffel view
The 7th-floor restaurant-bar at Terrass Hotel in Montmartre. The Eiffel Tower from this angle is the better view than the standard Champ-de-Mars one.
Order: French 75, Eiffel-side
08 · Barcelona
Las Ramblas
$$$
Pool deck · Daytime
The rooftop pool bar at Hotel 1898. Open to non-guests in the early evening. Sangria carts and sunset.
Order: Sangria de Cava
09 · Barcelona
Eixample
$$
Hotel Majestic · Mediterranean
On top of Hotel Majestic on Passeig de Gràcia. La Sagrada Família visible to the north on a clear day.
Order: Vermut + olives
10 · Madrid
Plaza Santa Ana
$$$
360-degree view · Elegant
On top of the ME Reina Victoria. One of Madrid's best 360-degree city views. Reservations advisable in summer.
Order: Madrid Mule
The world's iconic rooftop views
11 · Madrid
Centro
$
Art-deco terrace · Civic
€5 entry, sweeping views over Gran Vía. The cocktail program is unfussy; the rooftop architecture and the city below are the reason to come.
Order: A €5 entry + a beer + the view
12 · Rome
Piazza del Popolo
$$$$
Hotel garden · Hush
At Hotel de Russie. Less rooftop than secret garden, but the courtyard sits between two pieces of Rome you'd otherwise miss. Reserve a table among the orange trees.
Order: Negroni Bianco
13 · Rome
Piazza Venezia
$$$
Pantheon view · Romantic
On top of The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel. The dome of the Pantheon is twenty metres away from your aperitivo. Worth the price.
Order: Spritz with the Pantheon view
14 · Milan
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
$$$
Galleria view · Aperitivo
On top of the iconic Galleria. Aperol's flagship terrace in the home of aperitivo. As touristy as it sounds, but the view of the Duomo justifies it once.
Order: Aperol Spritz (where else)
15 · Athens
Monastiraki
$$
Acropolis view · Casual
The rooftop above A for Athens hotel. The Acropolis fills the entire western horizon. Drinks are simple; you didn't come for the menu.
Order: A glass of assyrtiko, Acropolis side
16 · Athens
Monastiraki
$$
Open-air · DJ
Across the square from A for Athens, panoramic and louder. Closer to a drinking room than a view bar.
Order: Whatever the bar's seasonal Greek-spirit cocktail is
17 · Lisbon
Bairro Alto
$$
On top of a car park
The legendary rooftop bar built on the top floor of a multi-storey car park in Bairro Alto. Sunset over the river. The view is the entire reason; you queue for it.
Order: A caipirinha with a view of the Tejo
18 · Lisbon
Avenida da Liberdade
$$$
9th floor · DJ
On top of the Tivoli on Avenida da Liberdade. More polished than Park, less iconic, but consistent for a serious cocktail with a panorama.
Order: Lisbon Mule
19 · Bangkok
Bang Rak
$$$$
63rd floor · The Hangover 2
The Hangover 2 rooftop. The view down the Chao Phraya is genuinely breathtaking. Drinks are average, prices are tourist-tier, but you do it once.
Order: The Hangovertini (yes, that's the name)
20 · Bangkok
Sathorn
$$$$
61st floor · Open-air
On top of the Banyan Tree. Genuinely terrifying open-air drinks 61 floors up. The most vertigo-inducing rooftop bar on the planet.
Order: A martini, ordered slowly
Europe's best rooftop bars
21 · Bangkok
Sukhumvit
$$$
360 view · Less touristy
On top of Marriott Sukhumvit. The Bangkok rooftop locals send people to instead of Lebua. The view rotates around you as you move between bars.
Order: Thai-spirit-led cocktail of the season
22 · Singapore
Marina Bay Sands
$$$$
Sands Skypark · Iconic
On the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands. The single most photographed rooftop in Asia. Sunset over the city is the play.
Order: Singapore Sling, sunset edition
23 · Singapore
National Gallery
$$$
Skyline view · Cocktail-led
On top of the National Gallery. View of Marina Bay's skyline. Of the rooftops in Singapore, this is the one with the most serious cocktail program.
Order: Smoke & Mirrors signature
24 · Singapore
The Fullerton Bay
$$$
Pool deck · Marina Bay
On top of The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Direct face-on view of Marina Bay Sands across the water. The other side of the photograph.
Order: Mojito, terrace-side
25 · Hong Kong
Kowloon
$$$$
World's highest bar
On the 118th floor of the Ritz-Carlton. The world's highest bar. Cocktails: fine. View: outrageous. Reservations essential.
Order: A glass of champagne, looking down
26 · Hong Kong
Central
$$$
Glassy terrace · IFC view
On top of Prince's Building. The terrace looks directly at the IFC and across the harbour. Bonnie Gokson's room.
Order: A Champagne 75
27 · Dubai
Address Sky View
$$$$
Sky-bridge · Burj Khalifa
On the 54th floor of Address Sky View, with a sky-bridge between the two towers. Burj Khalifa fountain show happens directly below.
Order: Whatever's frozen and overpriced — the view's the point
28 · Dubai
Grosvenor House
$$$
Marina view · DJ
On top of Grosvenor House. Buddha-Bar offshoot. The DJ programming is consistently good and the marina view is one of the city's better ones.
Order: Asian-leaning cocktail
29 · Miami
Brickell
$$$
40th floor · Asian garden
On top of EAST Miami in Brickell. A literal garden 40 floors up, which is rare. The Asian-leaning drinks are competent.
Order: A sake-led signature with the city below
30 · Miami
South Beach
$$$
Plant-walled · Sunset
On top of 1111 Lincoln Road. The hanging garden is the photograph; the sunset over Biscayne Bay is the reason.
Order: A negroni, sunset side
Asia's sky-high cocktail scene
31 · Chicago
The Loop
$$$
22nd floor · Lake view
On top of the LondonHouse Hotel. The 22nd-floor view of the Chicago River is the photo; the 23rd-floor cigar lounge is the secret.
Order: An old fashioned with the river view
32 · Chicago
Millennium Park
$$
Glass-walled · Park view
On top of the Chicago Athletic Association. Direct view across Millennium Park to Lake Michigan. Indoor and outdoor sections.
Order: A martini, looking at the Bean
33 · Los Angeles
DTLA
$$$
15th floor · Two-tier
Two-tier rooftop on top of a downtown high-rise. The fire pits, the panorama of LA's downtown skyline, the live music nights.
Order: A French 75 by the fire
34 · Los Angeles
DTLA
$$
Pool deck · Spanish Gothic
On top of the Ace Hotel. The view is south-facing over downtown's most gothic stretch. Pool until evening, drinking after.
Order: A frozen margarita, pool-deck edition
35 · Las Vegas
Strip
$$$$
64th floor · Strip view
On top of the Delano. North-facing view of the Strip in its full neon-soaked glory. Cocktails are competent.
Order: Las Vegas-themed seasonal cocktail
36 · Las Vegas
Strip
$$$
Hotel rooftop
On top of the Aria. The terrace pool view of Las Vegas Boulevard is the highlight; drinks are functional.
Order: Espresso martini at midnight
37 · Sydney
Bondi
$$$$
Pool view · Ocean front
On top of the iconic Bondi Icebergs swimming pool, with the entire Bondi sweep below. The bar is its own small room separate from the restaurant.
Order: A spritz, looking at the Pacific
38 · Sydney
Circular Quay
$$
Open-air · Bridge view
Outdoor bar directly underneath the Sydney Opera House sails. Direct view of the Harbour Bridge. Touristy because it deserves to be.
Order: An icy beer, bridge side
39 · Melbourne
CBD
$$$
Spanish-deco rooftop
On top of the Supper Club. Heated outdoor terrace open year-round. One of Melbourne's longest-running serious rooftop bars.
Order: A martini and one of their cigars
40 · Mexico City
Roma Norte
$$
Open-air · Tacos + drinks
On top of a Condesa-area building. Tacos al pastor, frozen drinks, and the genuinely best rooftop view in Mexico City.
Order: A Tacos + Tequila combo
Latin America and Australia's rooftop culture
41 · Mexico City
Centro Histórico
$$
Templo Mayor view
On top of the Porrúa bookshop, looking directly at the Templo Mayor archaeological site. One of the city's best historical-view rooftops.
Order: A mezcal, neat, with the ruins below
42 · Buenos Aires
Recoleta
$$$
Hotel rooftop · Glassy
On top of the Casa Lucia hotel. The view of Recoleta and the river is one of Buenos Aires's best rooftop panoramas.
Order: An Aperol with the Plata in the distance
43 · São Paulo
Jardins
$$$$
Pool · Skyline
On top of Hotel Unique. Red-painted pool, glass walls, sweeping view of Avenida Paulista. The defining São Paulo rooftop.
Order: A caipirinha at the pool's edge
44 · Rio de Janeiro
Botafogo
$$
Sugarloaf view · Pool
On top of YOO2 Rio Botafogo. The face-on view of the Sugarloaf is genuinely the best in any rooftop bar in the city.
Order: A frozen caipirinha, Sugarloaf side
45 · Cape Town
V&A Waterfront
$$$
27th floor · Table Mountain
On top of the Radisson Blu. Table Mountain is directly to the south, the harbour to the north. The best 360-degree rooftop view in Cape Town.
Order: A Pinotage, with the mountain view
46 · Marrakech
Medina
$$$
Riad terrace · Atlas view
On top of El Fenn boutique riad. The Koutoubia mosque to the south, the Atlas mountains beyond. Sunset call to prayer is the moment to be there.
Order: A spiced gin and tonic at sunset
47 · Marrakech
Hivernage
$$$$
Sleek · Atlas view
On top of the Nobu Hotel. Sake-led cocktail program in the unlikeliest of settings. The mountains framed by minimalist architecture.
Order: A sake spritz, Atlas-side
48 · Beirut
Antelias
$$$
Mediterranean rooftop
Outside Beirut proper, but the bar locals fly back to. Mediterranean view, late-night programming, cocktails that hold up.
Order: Arak-spiked rooftop spec
49 · Tokyo
Shinjuku
$$$$
Lost in Translation · Live jazz
On the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt — the bar from Lost in Translation. Live jazz, Tokyo skyline, and surprisingly, a serious cocktail menu.
Order: A Suntory whisky, Bill Murray-style
50 · Tokyo
Toranomon
$$$
52nd floor · Tokyo Tower
On top of Andaz Tokyo. Direct view of Tokyo Tower from one terrace, Mount Fuji on a clear day from the other.
Order: A Japanese whisky highball, terrace edition
The full guide, city by city
Each entry below is a deep dive into the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
All rooftop bars by cityBrowse the city-level rooftop bar guides — one per major city.
See the full list
How to drink on a rooftop properly
Go an hour before sunset. Order one drink for the view and a second for the room. Tip the staff who carry trays at altitude — it's a harder job than it looks. Skip the rooftop bars on the very top floor of the very tallest hotel in your city; they're usually the ones doing it for the photo, not the experience. The 50 above are the ones doing it for both.
