Madrid's Best Rooftop Bars

Madrid From Above

Madrid doesn't have a single skyline landmark the way some cities do — instead it has a cluster of rooftop bars, mostly stacked along Gran Vía and around Plaza de España, each offering a slightly different angle on the same view: the Edificio Metrópolis, the Gran Vía skyline, the Royal Palace, the hills beyond. Nearly all of them are open to non-guests, most take walk-ins, and a few charge nothing more than the price of a drink.

Azotea del Círculo

The rooftop of the Círculo de Bellas Artes cultural centre, on Calle de Alcalá — and the single most photographed rooftop view in the city, looking straight across at the Edificio Metrópolis's winged statue and dome. Unlike most of the others on this list, it isn't attached to a hotel: entry is a separate ticket (around €6), bought at the door or online, since it's part of the Círculo's own cultural programme rather than a free-to-enter hotel bar. It runs as an all-day space, from breakfast through to late cocktails, so it's worth a stop outside typical bar hours too.

Picalagartos Sky Bar

Wrapped around the top two floors of the NH Collection hotel on Gran Vía — an 8th-floor restaurant and a 9th-floor sky bar sharing a wraparound terrace that looks straight down the avenue's Art Deco skyline. The two floors run on slightly different hours, so it's worth checking which one you're headed for. Weekend afternoons draw a brunch crowd; a weekday evening arrival right at opening is the easiest way to get a rail-side table.

The Hat Rooftop

The budget outlier on this list — a hostel sun terrace by day, a genuinely easygoing rooftop bar by night, a couple of minutes' walk from Plaza Mayor. No entry fee, no dress code, and cocktails in the €8–12 range, well under what the hotel rooftops nearby charge. Open to non-guests as well as hostel residents.

Dear Hotel Rooftop

The 14th floor of the Dear Hotel, right where Gran Vía meets Plaza de España — a plunge pool by day, and Nice To Meet You, a 360°-view lounge and restaurant, by night. Walk-ins are welcome at the sky bar subject to space; the restaurant side runs its own separate seating hours. Right by Plaza de España metro (lines 3 and 10), the easiest of the six to reach without a taxi.

Riu 360º Rooftop Bar

Set inside the landmark Edificio España on the 27th floor of the Hotel Riu Plaza España — Madrid's tallest publicly accessible rooftop, with a glass skywalk stretching between the building's two wings. Hotel guests get in free; outside visitors pay an entry fee that varies by time of day, from around €5 on weekday afternoons up to €10 in the evenings and on weekends. A genuinely different scale from the others here — worth prioritising if the view itself matters more than an intimate bar atmosphere.

Ginkgo Sky Bar

A 12th-floor restaurant and bar at the VP Plaza España Design hotel, with direct street access from the plaza itself rather than routing through the hotel lobby. The 360° terrace looks over the Royal Palace, Plaza de España, and the old town beyond, and the kitchen leans more restaurant than club — Mediterranean-Asian small plates alongside the cocktail list. Worth a reservation for a rail-side table at sunset, especially on weekends.

Practical Notes

Most of these charge nothing to enter beyond the cost of a drink — the two exceptions are Azotea del Círculo (a small separate ticket) and Riu 360º (a cover for non-guests that scales with time of day). Hours shift seasonally almost everywhere on this list, with later closes and sometimes extended days in summer, so it's worth a quick check the day of if the visit is time-sensitive. Smart-casual is the standard dress code across all six — none of them enforce anything stricter, but flip-flops and swimwear won't get past the door at most.