A rooftop bar has exactly one good hour: the one in which the sun goes down and the lights come on. Miss it and you pay for a view of other guests.
Rooftops are the bars with the shortest peak. At 5 pm they are empty and hot, at 10 pm full and loud, and in between lies the hour everyone comes for. The rule is simple: check the sunset time, be there sixty minutes before, take a seat facing west.
To book or not
Hotel rooftops such as 22nd Lounge in Frankfurt or Das Loft in Vienna take reservations for window seats, and without one you stand. Free rooftops such as the Klunkerkranich in Berlin know no reservations, but queues at the lift. For both: weekdays are more relaxed, and the view is the same.
The right seat
The best seat is not at the railing but the second one behind it, with a table. At the railing you stand; behind it you sit and look over the heads. In wind the side of the building matters more than the view; if you want the sun in your face, sit facing west; if you want the city in the light, face east.
What it costs
Rooftop drinks cost two to five euros more than the same drinks on the ground floor. That is the price of the lift, and it is fair if the drink is good. To save money, have one drink upstairs for the sun and the second downstairs in a bar with better craft.
Dress code
Hotel rooftops expect smart casual: no shorts, no flip-flops, if in doubt a shirt or blouse. Free rooftops and parking-deck bars take everyone. In Marbella and on Mallorca white is welcome on the roof, in Frankfurt and Zurich a jacket.
The rooftops worth it
Frankfurt: 22nd Lounge in the Eurotheum, right among the towers. Hamburg: Clouds above the Reeperbahn and 20up above the harbour. Düsseldorf: The Paris Club with the Rhine Tower. Vienna: Das Loft with St. Stephen's. Palma: Sky Bar Hostal Cuba. Barcelona: Eclipse in the W. Berlin: Klunkerkranich and Monkey Bar.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time for a rooftop bar?
Arrive sixty minutes before sunset and stay until the blue hour.
Do you have to book rooftop bars?
In hotel bars yes for window seats; in free rooftops you cannot. Weekdays are more relaxed everywhere.
