We love nothing more than chilling out with a beautiful cocktail and drinking in the amazing views of a new destination. In fact, we make it our mission to search for rooftop bars with spectacular views on our travels. So a drum roll please…here’s a round up of our 14 favourite bars with the most incredible views we’ve come across so far on our travels! Enjoy!
1 | Athens: A for Athens
It doesn’t get much better than people watching in Monastiraki Square sitting under the watchful eye of the Acropolis. We spent an amazing evening sipping hot chocolates and watching the sun go down from the rooftop bar of A for Athens. What a view!
2 | Rio de Janeiro: Bar Abencoado, Sugar Loaf Mountain
Rio is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet and the views from the open air Bar Abencoado, on the journey up to Sugar Loaf mountain, will take your breath away. We indulged in Brazil’s national cocktail, the caipirinha, and soaked in the incredible views of Sugar Loaf Mountain and the city’s beaches before continuing our cable car journey to the top of Sugar Loaf. Bliss!
3 | Chicago: Signature Lounge, John Hancock Centre
US cities are a skyscraper lovers dream and the Chicago skyline is a sight to behold from the 95th floor of the John Hancock Centre, Chicago’s 4th tallest building. The cocktails are both beautiful to admire and delicious to drink and the views over the city and Lake Michigan are a sight to behold. Read more about our visit to the Signature Lounge here!
Chicago views:
4 | Marrakesh: Le Grand Balcon Cafe Glacier, Jemma El Fnaa
Jemma El Fnaa is one of the most mesmerising places we’ve ever visited. Filled with orange juice stalls and snake charmers by day and open air food stalls in the evening, we spent many hours of our Marrakesh trip perched on the balcony of Le Grand Balcon Cafe Glacier. As with many Marrakesh hangouts, alcohol doesn’t feature on the menu but the constant supply of mint tea and utter chaos in the square below satisfy every craving!
5 | Bangkok: Skybar, Lebua at the State Tower
Made famous with its starring role in the Hangover 2, the Skybar in Lebua is one of the most stunning rooftop bars we’ve ever visited. The views across the city and the Chao Phraya river are outstanding and the Skybar is beautiful in its own right. As an added bonus, the roof deck is completely open air and it’s an incredible experience to sit in the clouds!
6 | New York: Rainbow Room, Rockefeller Centre
The recently reopened Rainbow Room perched on the 65th floor of New York City’s Rockefeller Centre offers some of the most spectacular views of the Big Apple. Floor to ceiling windows on 3 sides of the bar allow panoramic views of Central Park to the North and the Empire State Building and Freedom Tower to the South. As darkness fell, the twinkling lights of the city took our breath away and the wraparound outdoor deck is a real treat. Read more about our visit to the Rainbow Room here!
7 | Hong Kong, Ozone Bar, Ritz Carlton
Despite our backpacker budget we couldn’t resist glamming up and hopping across to Kowloon to experience the world’s highest bar. The Ozone Bar stands an ear popping 118 floors above Hong Kong and the harbour views are spectacular. The outdoor deck resulted in a Marilyn Monroe skirt blowing moment but the delicious cocktails helped to ease the embarrassment! Read more about our visit to the Ozone Bar here!
Cocktails with a view!
8 | Kuala Lumpur: SkyBar, Traders Hotel
The view from the SkyBar in Kuala Lumpur is one of our favourites and the pictures still cause us to do a double take! Our mojitos overlooking the majestic Petronas Towers were sipped mostly in silence as we were so in awe of the postcard perfect twin towers. Read more about our visit to the Sky Bar here!
9 | Dubai: Skyview Bar, Burj Al Arab
As if cocktails at one of the most luxurious hotels in the world were not enough, we were spoiled with the backdrop of a glittering Dubai and the vastness of the Persian Gulf. All in all, a successful evening! Read more about our visit to the Burj Al Arab here!
10 | Paris: 360 Cafe, Montparnasse Tower
Paris is one of our favourite cities on earth and we couldn’t resist the lure of the Montparnasse Tower, Paris’ only skyscraper. The views of the Eiffel Tower are unbeatable and we spent hours watching the city twinkling below us. Oh Paris, je t’aime!
So beautiful!
11 | New York: R Bar, Times Square
A strong contender for our favourite bar with a view EVER, the Times Square backdrop from the R Bar never fails to render us speechless. It’s the perfect spot to appreciate the spectacular neon lights of the crossroads of the world and watch the city pass while enjoying an awesome cocktail. For more New York cocktail inspiration, check out our favourite spots to clink glasses close to the New York sights!
12 | Jerusalem: Austrian Hospice, Old City
The cobbled streets of Jerusalem’s Old City are hectic and sweltering and we retreated to the rooftop of the Austrian Hospice on many occasions during our visit to Jerusalem. The cafe is an oasis of calm and some cold beers and a rest instantly revived our energy levels. Popping up to the rooftop was the highlight of every visit and the views across Jerusalem are simply stunning.
13 | London: Sushi Samba, Heron Tower
Soaring 38 stories above the spectacular London skyline we can never resist a cocktail or a sushi date in the Heron Tower when we’re in London. Sipping a cocktail while almost touching the Gherkin is an amazing experience and the views of the Thames and the city are awe inspiring. Check out our sushi date at Sushi Samba here!
14 | Sydney: Opera Bar, Sydney Opera House
Standing in front of the instantly recognisable Sydney Opera House is a remarkable experience and we had to sit down for a cocktail to fully appreciate the moment. Our efforts were rewarded with incredible views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Truly breathtaking!
So there you have it, our 14 favourite bars with spectacular views we’ve visited on our travels so far. Here’s to many more discoveries! Cheers!
Have you discovered any bars with incredible views on your travels? Let us know in the comments so we can check them out on our future adventures!
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Those are all so amazing and gorgeous! So many places to go – so little time and money 😉
Thanks Mryjhnsn, we loved them all! Now to find some new ones to add to the list!
I’d definitely agree with A is for Athens, I went there only a couple of weeks ago 🙂 Seeing your stunning photograph so makes me wish I’d returned at night though!
Glad you loved it too Kiara, such a little gem with amazing views!
WHAT WONDERFUL PLACES TO VISIT
Thanks Dan! We had a fab time finding them!
Nice places, I will add them to the list!! We are now in Istanbul and the views of the city 360 restaurant and balkon are spectacular. Soon we will make a post about the best roof terrace in Istanbul
Thanks Nacho! We were in Istanbul on Saturday evening, wish I had seen this first!
Beautiful pictures and great location. Glad you get to those places and showing us what it’s look like to really travel. keep it up.