During the warmer months, the best Madrid rooftop bars are the place to catch the sunset over a few carefully crafted cocktails.
It won’t take you long (it took me only a few hours after landing) to discover that Madrid was made for elevated drinking. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, a skyline of cupolas, terracotta rooftops and grand Baroque facades, and a nightlife culture that doesn’t really get started until most of Europe is thinking about bed, the city is arguably the ideal setting for a rooftop bar scene — and it has embraced the format with characteristic enthusiasm.
From the soaring Arts and Crafts ironwork of the Círculo de Bellas Artes to the vine-draped garden terrace of the EDITION hotel and the emerald infinity pool above Salamanca’s golden mile, Madrid’s rooftops are as varied in atmosphere as they are unified in one thing: the view.
Whether you’re after a quiet sunset aperitivo, a glamorous dinner above the city lights, or a long, music-fuelled Saturday night with cocktails in hand, there is a terrace in Madrid that was designed for exactly that moment. Here are six of the very best.
1. Azotea del Círculo de Bellas Artes
If there is one rooftop in Madrid that every visitor should make time for, it is the Azotea del Círculo — the rooftop terrace of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, one of the most important private cultural institutions in Europe.
Perched 56 metres above Calle Alcalá on the seventh floor of the Círculo’s magnificent 1926 neo-Baroque building, and crowned by the bronze sculpture of Minerva, goddess of wisdom, the terrace is widely regarded as offering the finest 360-degree panorama of Madrid’s city centre. In one sweeping gaze, you take in the entire length of Gran Vía, the Retiro Park, the domes of Cibeles and the distant sierra on the horizon.
The Azotea is run as a full gastro-cultural space, with a restaurant serving Spanish and Mediterranean food from breakfast through to late dinner, a weekend brunch, and an all-day bar menu that keeps the drinks flowing from opening to close. A glasshouse enclosure with a retractable roof makes it a year-round destination rather than a fair-weather one, and the atmosphere moves through pleasingly distinct phases across the day — unhurried morning coffee, buzzing lunchtime crowd, romantic sunset cocktails, lively late-night bar.
Access requires a small entry fee (currently around US$5.80-7 per person, redeemable against drinks), charged at the lobby downstairs; booking a table at the restaurant waives this. Arrive in time for sunset to secure one of the terrace’s coveted outdoor spots.
Address: Calle del Marqués de Casa Riera, 2, 28004 Madrid (Metro: Banco de España or Sevilla, line 2).
Opening hours: Sunday–Thursday 10 am–1 am; Friday–Saturday 10 am–2 am.
Dress code: Casual.
Best for: First-time visitors who want the most iconic panorama in the city, cultural travellers and those who want a rooftop that works from breakfast to midnight.
2. Picalagartos Sky Bar
Set on the ninth floor of the NH Collection Gran Vía hotel — a neo-Baroque architectural gem at the corner of Gran Vía and Calle Montera — Picalagartos is the rooftop destination of choice for those who want great cocktails alongside their views, in a space that balances laid-back lounge culture with a genuinely chic atmosphere.
The terrace wraps around the full perimeter of the building, giving a sweeping 360-degree outlook that includes a close-up view of the iconic Telefónica building (you feel close enough to touch it), Gran Vía stretching below in both directions, and the distant Royal Palace to the west. The mixology programme, developed by Luca Anastasio of the Azotea Group, is one of the most considered in Madrid’s rooftop scene — cocktails draw on Spanish products including finos and olorosos from Jerez, and the result is a drinks list that feels rooted in place rather than generic.
One floor below, the Picalagartos restaurant serves a seasonal, modern Spanish menu by chef Manuel Berganza, with smaller bites also available at the bar above. It’s important to note that the rooftop bar operates on a walk-in basis only — no reservations — so timing is everything: the magic hour is between 7.30 and 8 pm on weekdays, catching the sunset before the crowds peak.
Weekend afternoons bring a more social, informal atmosphere that is equally enjoyable. The building itself is worth a moment’s admiration from street level before you head up: its ornate carved stone façade is one of Gran Vía’s finest.
Address: Gran Vía, 21, 28013 Madrid (Metro: Gran Vía, line 1).
Opening hours: Monday–Thursday 5 pm–midnight; Friday noon–2 am; Saturday–Sunday noon–2 am (rooftop bar walk-in only; restaurant on the 8th floor takes reservations).
Dress code: Smart casual.
Best for: Cocktail lovers, Gran Vía architecture enthusiasts and couples looking for a stylish, convivial evening with world-class drinks and city views.
3. Oroya & The Roof
Few rooftop bars in Madrid have generated as much genuine critical excitement in recent years as Oroya & The Roof, the restaurant and terrace on the fourth floor of The Madrid EDITION — the city’s first luxury lifestyle urban resort, which opened in 2021 in a beautifully converted historic building steps from Puerta del Sol.
Ranked as the fourth best rooftop terrace in Europe, and winner of the Top Cocktail Bars Awards three consecutive years running, The Roof is not primarily a views venue — the surrounding buildings mean the outlook is intimate rather than panoramic — but it is arguably the most atmospherically distinctive terrace in Madrid.
The design is a lush, greenhouse-in-the-sky concept: a vine-covered pergola filters the evening light over a teak bar surrounded by rattan stools, a long communal oak table for group dining, an outdoor fireplace lit on cooler evenings, and a garden of cascading plants that make the space feel entirely unlike any other rooftop in the city.
The culinary programme is the other standout: helmed by celebrated Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz (formerly of Astrid y Gastón in Lima, ranked among the world’s 50 best restaurants), Oroya serves sharing plates and a full dinner menu of exceptional Peruvian cuisine, drawing on Spain, Africa, Italy, China and Japan as cultural influences alongside Peru’s own diverse coastal, highland and rainforest ingredients. The pisco-led cocktails are among the best in Madrid. The Roof operates on a walk-in basis for drinks, and as it’s a popular spot, I would recommend making dinner reservations well in advance.
Address: Plaza de Celenque, 2, 28013 Madrid (Metro: Sol, lines 1, 2 and 3; or Ópera, line 5).
Opening hours: Tuesday–Thursday 7 pm–midnight; Friday–Saturday 7 pm–1 am (seasonal; check ahead as the terrace is weather-dependent). The indoor restaurant has broader hours.
Dress code: Smart casual.
Best for: Food-forward travellers, cocktail enthusiasts and anyone who wants a rooftop experience built around extraordinary atmosphere and cuisine rather than raw altitude.
4. Ginkgo Restaurant & Sky Bar
For sheer spectacle — views, scale, architecture and social energy combined — the Ginkgo Sky Bar at the chic VP Plaza España Design hotel is in a league of its own. Perched on the 12th floor with direct street-level access from Plaza de España, the 1,000 sqm terrace looks directly across to the Royal Palace and takes in one of the most dramatic urban panoramas in Spain, with the green expanse of the Jardines de Sabatini below and the distant Guadarrama mountains on the horizon.
The space was designed by Studio Gronda and combines a covered indoor restaurant with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, an open-air terrace and, most spectacularly, a transparent-floored swimming pool that peers 82 feet straight down into the hotel’s atrium — not for the faint-hearted, but unforgettable.
The food and drink programme matches the ambition of the setting: the kitchen fuses Mediterranean and Japanese influences and the best local market-sourced ingredients into a menu of sharing plates and full à la carte dishes, while the cocktail bar produces an inventive selection of signature serves alongside classics. Wednesday evenings bring live jazz from 9.30 pm, while Thursday to Saturday feature deep-house DJ sessions that transform the terrace into one of the most fashionable nightlife destinations in the city.
Admission includes a complimentary drink (US$11.60-18.60 depending on the time of day); booking a restaurant table gives free entry. Named one of the world’s best rooftop terraces by Time Out, Ginkgo has become an unmissable landmark of the Madrid sky.
Address: Plaza de España, 3, 28008 Madrid (Metro: Plaza de España, lines 3 and 10).
Opening hours: Sunday–Thursday 1 pm–1.30 am; Friday–Saturday and public holidays 1 pm–2.30 am.
Dress code: Smart casual.
Best for: Groups, special occasions, architecture lovers and anyone who wants a rooftop that doubles as a full night out — cocktails, dining, live music and a pool.
5. Picos Pardos Sky Lounge by Martini
On the rooftop of the five-star BLESS Hotel Madrid in the heart of the Salamanca district, Picos Pardos Sky Lounge is the city’s most glamorous high-altitude escape — a lush, Bali-meets-Madrid oasis of emerald infinity pool, silk Balinese beds, pergola-shaded terrace and panoramic views over the golden-mile streets of Velázquez and Serrano below.
The BLESS Hotel opened in a lovingly restored 19th-century building and brought with it a rooftop that immediately became one of the most coveted addresses in Salamanca, drawing a well-dressed crowd of neighbourhood residents, hotel guests and those who have made the short journey from the city’s luxury shopping corridor for an afternoon that stretches effortlessly into the evening.
The gastronomic menu, curated with input from three-Michelin-starred Basque chef Martín Berasategui, is genuinely ambitious for a rooftop bar — signature dishes encompass crisp Vietnamese duck rolls, Nikkei-influenced prawn tacos, sophisticated sharing plates and elegant mains that justify a long table reservation.
The Martini partnership means the cocktail programme leans toward sophisticated, aperitivo-forward drinks, and the Fiero Spritz served alongside a croquette tasting is the essential combination. The rooftop pool is accessible to non-guests via a Splash Pass or Balinese bed reservation and is open daily 10 am–8 pm during the warmer months. An all-weather igloo offers year-round shelter for intimate private groups (but be sure to book in advance).
Address: Calle de Velázquez, 62, 28001 Madrid (Metro: Velázquez, line 4).
Opening hours: Wednesday–Friday 5 pm–1 am; Saturday–Sunday 1 pm–1 am. Pool access daily 10 am–8 pm (seasonal).
Dress code: Smart casual.
Best for: Glamour-seekers, pool lovers, luxury shoppers and those who want a resort-feel rooftop in the city’s most exclusive neighbourhood.
6. Terraza del Hotel Óscar
Not every rooftop bar in Madrid needs to be a hotel-group production or a fine-dining destination — and the Terraza del Hotel Óscar, on the eighth floor of the Room Mate Óscar hotel in Chueca, proves the point with considerable charm. Open to the public and with a refreshingly unpretentious atmosphere, the Óscar terrace has been one of the most popular rooftop destinations in central Madrid for years, drawing a young, sociable and LGBTQ+-friendly crowd that reflects the spirit of Chueca perfectly.
The panorama from eight floors up is genuinely impressive: 360-degree views take in the rooftops of the Barrio de las Letras, the dome of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, the towers of Gran Vía, and the distant Royal Palace silhouetted against the western sky.
The bar menu is focused and well-executed — signature cocktails, an excellent sangria, beers and wines at prices that are notably friendlier than the hotel rooftops further up the social ladder. The atmosphere is lively rather than rarefied, with evenings becoming a genuine social event as the Chueca crowd arrives for pre-dinner drinks that often stretch considerably longer.
The rooftop is open to walk-ins only, so I’d suggest you arrive early on summer weekends (or be prepared to wait). There is no entry fee, no minimum spend and no dress code beyond a general expectation of looking like you’ve made an effort — which, in Chueca, means almost anything goes.
Address: Plaza de Pedro Zerolo, 12, 28004 Madrid (Metro: Chueca, line 5).
Opening hours: Monday–Thursday 4.30 pm–1 am; Friday 4.30 pm–2 am; Saturday 1 pm–2 am; Sunday 1 pm–1 am.
Dress code: Casual.
Best for: Budget-conscious travellers, the LGBTQ+ community, solo visitors and anyone who wants a genuinely local, convivial rooftop atmosphere without the formality or entry fees of the hotel-based alternatives.
Practical Tips for Madrid’s Rooftop Bars
Book Ahead Where Possible
The most popular rooftop restaurants — Oroya, Ginkgo and Picalagartos — get fully booked on weekend evenings. Book a restaurant table to guarantee entry and often waive any entrance fee. Walk-in-only venues like the Óscar terrace and Picalagartos bar fill up fast; arrive by 7 pm on summer evenings to be confident of a spot.
Timing Matters Enormously
I know we don’t usually associate the Spanish as timekeepers, but sunset in Madrid falls between 9 pm (summer) and 6 pm (winter), and the hour around it is the most coveted period on any terrace. Arrive 30–45 minutes before sunset to claim your position.
Dress Smartly at Hotel Venues
The locals like to dress to impress in the best luxury hotels in Madrid, and The BLESS, EDITION, and VP Plaza España terraces operate smart-casual dress codes — beachwear, trainers, and sportswear will be turned away.
Consider the Season
Madrid’s rooftop scene peaks from May to October. While several terraces have enclosed or heated spaces for year-round operation BLESS even has cool heated igloos on the roof), the outdoor pool terraces will close from November to April.
The Entry Fee Question
The Azotea del Círculo and Ginkgo Sky Bar charge entry fees (around US$5.80 and US$11.60-18.60, respectively); booking a dining reservation typically waives these. The Óscar and Picalagartos rooftop bars have no entry fee.
Getting There
Madrid is served by a range of airlines from across Asia-Pacific, including Cathay Pacific, which recently increased its direct flights between Hong Kong and Madrid, where it links up with Iberia’s network across Europe and South America.
If you’re looking to explore the Spanish capital, be sure to check out our luxury 48-hour guide to Madrid and our curated roundup of the best markets in Madrid. And if you’re looking for stylish digs, you can’t go past these leading luxury hotels in Madrid, many of which have their own rooftop venues, and don’t forget to follow our search for the best tapas destinations in Madrid, each a hive of local culinary culture.
