The best views deserve a drink.
Good drinks, great music, and views that make you want to stay a little longer. These are the rooftops I’d pick for a night out.
20 curated rooftops
Florence, Italy
A colonnaded loggia on top of Hotel Palazzo Guadagni, a 1505 palazzo on Piazza Santo Spirito. You look over the church facade and the Oltrarno roofs toward the Boboli hill.
Insider tip: Stay for dinner in the square afterwards. Santo Spirito is one of the few central piazzas that still feels local.
Find a place to stay nearby in FlorenceView Florence guideParis, France
A seventh-floor bar on the side of Montmartre with a terrace looking across the roofs to the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides.
Insider tip: Pair it with an early morning walk up to Sacré-Cœur, before the tour groups arrive.
Where to stay nearby: La Reserve ParisView Paris guideMilan, Italy
The seventh-floor rooftop of the Excelsior Hotel Gallia, next to Milano Centrale, known for its aperitivo and its view toward the Porta Nuova towers.
Insider tip: It's two minutes from Milano Centrale, so it works as a first or last stop between trains.
Where to stay nearby: Portrait MilanoView Milan guideAmsterdam, Netherlands
Not open-air: a glass-walled bar on the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura, the highest bar in central Amsterdam. Smart-casual, no DJ, and it shares the floor with Ciel Bleu.
Insider tip: Come for sunset in winter, when it's around 4:30pm and the city lights come on below you.
Where to stay nearby: Pulitzer AmsterdamView Amsterdam guideMadrid, Spain
A rooftop bar on the top floor of the NH Collection Gran Vía, looking straight down Gran Vía and over the Metrópolis dome.
Insider tip: Private events sometimes close parts of it, so check before you make it the plan for the evening.
Where to stay nearby: Rosewood Villa MagnaView Madrid guideLisbon, Portugal
A casual rooftop on the sixth floor of the Martim Moniz shopping center, looking up at São Jorge Castle and over Mouraria and Graça. Popular with locals.
Insider tip: Order a few plates to share. It's a better spot for a long afternoon than a quick drink.
Find a place to stay nearby in LisbonView Lisbon guideIstanbul, Turkey
The rooftop restaurant and bar on The Marmara Pera, with a view over the Golden Horn, the old city and Galata Tower. Chef Mehmet Gürs serves new Anatolian food.
Insider tip: Book the restaurant well ahead through Mikla's own site if you want dinner after.
Where to stay nearby: Soho House IstanbulView Istanbul guideKyoto, Japan
The rooftop bar of The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu, with a direct view of the Yasaka Pagoda and across Kyoto to Kyoto Tower.
Insider tip: Walk the Sannenzaka slopes right after 8am, then come here later. Same area, very different crowds.
Find a place to stay nearby in KyotoView Kyoto guideTokyo, Japan
A restaurant, sky bar and club lounge on the 17th and 18th floors of Tokyu Plaza Shibuya, a minute from Shibuya Station.
Insider tip: Cross Shibuya Crossing at dusk on your way in. Weekday evenings are the least packed.
Where to stay nearby: Hoshinoya TokyoView Tokyo guideBangkok, Thailand
An open-air rooftop on the 61st floor of Banyan Tree Bangkok, recently renovated with a glass 'Moon Walk' that sticks out from the building.
Insider tip: The rooftop closes in heavy rain, so pick a dry-season night (November to February).
Where to stay nearby: The SiamView Bangkok guideKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A bar on the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel, facing the Petronas Towers across KLCC Park, with a narrow pool down the middle. The bar is open to everyone.
Insider tip: The pool is for hotel guests only, and only in the daytime.
Where to stay nearby: The RuMa HotelView Kuala Lumpur guideHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The rooftop on the 24th floor of Hôtel des Arts Saigon, with lounge seating and a view over the skyline. Non-guests can use the bar; the pool is for hotel guests.
Insider tip: Come in the dry season (December to April) for clear sunsets.
Find a place to stay nearby in Ho Chi Minh CityView Ho Chi Minh City guideMexico City, Mexico
A fifth-floor terrace restaurant and bar overlooking the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace.
Insider tip: Look down into the hotel's Tiffany glass ceiling in the lobby on your way up.
Find a place to stay nearby in Mexico CityView Mexico City guideCartagena, Colombia
A three-floor cocktail bar in a restored 19th-century house on Calle del Colegio, listed on The World's 50 Best Bars. The rooftop is the party floor.
Insider tip: Have a drink downstairs first, then go up once the music starts.
Find a place to stay nearby in CartagenaView Cartagena guideMiami, United States
An indoor-outdoor lounge on the 22nd floor of the AC & Element hotel in Brickell, with skyline views and DJ nights.
Insider tip: Order the house Rosa Sky cocktail, served with a rose-shaped ice cube.
Where to stay nearby: The Setai Miami BeachView Miami guideNew York City, United States
José Andrés' bar on the 50th floor of the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, with 270-degree views and two small terraces.
Insider tip: Weekend brunch includes high tea, a quieter way to get the view.
Find a place to stay nearby in New York CityView New York City guideChicago, United States
A restaurant and bar under a glass atrium on the 13th floor of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, looking over Millennium Park and Lake Michigan.
Insider tip: The glass roof makes it work in winter too.
Find a place to stay nearby in ChicagoView Chicago guideAustin, United States
A rooftop on a former parking garage above The LINE Austin, looking over Lady Bird Lake, with Mediterranean plates.
Insider tip: From March to October, time it for sunset to see the bats leave the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Where to stay nearby: Hotel Saint CeciliaView Austin guideLos Angeles, United States
The open-air bar on the 73rd floor of the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, with fire pits and views across the city to the ocean.
Insider tip: Clear winter days after rain give the longest views.
Where to stay nearby: Hotel Bel-AirView Los Angeles guideCape Town, South Africa
The rooftop bar and restaurant of The Silo Hotel at the V&A Waterfront, above the Zeitz MOCAA museum. Non-guests are welcome; the pool is for hotel guests.
Insider tip: Go for sunset. Combine it with Zeitz MOCAA downstairs.
Where to stay nearby: Ellerman HouseView Cape Town guide