Best Rooftop Bars in Madrid (And Hotels with the Best Terraces)

Madrid is one of the few European capitals where the rooftop scene is genuinely worth planning your trip around. The light here is different — sharper, warmer, and at sunset it turns the city's stone facades a deep amber that nowhere else quite replicates. Whether you want a cocktail above the Gran Vía chaos or a quieter terrace in a residential barrio, you have real options. Here is where to go, how to get there, and which hotels put you closest to the best views.

The Classic Gran Vía Rooftops: Worth the Queue

The rooftop at the Hotel Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques, just off the Calle Bailén side near the Palacio Real, is one of the most photographed in Madrid for good reason. You get an unobstructed line to the Almudena Cathedral and the palace grounds. Expect to pay around €14 to €18 for a gin and tonic, which is standard for this tier. Get there before 8pm if you want a seat without a reservation.

Further east along Gran Vía, the Roof at the Hotel Indigo Madrid on Gran Vía 32 is more relaxed and pulls a younger crowd. The views toward the Telefónica building and east toward Chueca are excellent. It opens from around 12pm daily in summer. Take metro L3 or L5 to Gran Vía station and you are two minutes on foot.

The RIU Plaza España rooftop is the one that gets the most attention right now, sitting on top of the old Torre de Madrid on Plaza de España. The views from up here are legitimately stunning in every direction — Gran Vía stretching east, Casa de Campo to the west, and the Guadarrama mountains on clear days. Drinks run €12 to €16. Take L3 (yellow line) to Plaza de España.

Neighbourhood Terraces That Locals Actually Use

Not every great Madrid terrace is on a five-star hotel. In Malasaña, the area around Calle Fuencarral and the streets north of Tribunal metro (L4, brown line) has a cluster of rooftop bars attached to smaller boutique hotels. They are cheaper, less polished, and considerably more fun on a Tuesday night. Drinks here are more likely to cost €8 to €10.

In Lavapiés, the neighbourhood south of Tirso de Molina (L1, light blue), rooftop terraces tend to be attached to guesthouses and small hotels rather than big chains. The views are less iconic but you get a real sense of the city's working texture — tiled rooftops, water tanks, neighbourhood life below. This is where you drink at sunset before walking to dinner.

Chueca has its own rooftop culture, especially in summer when the streets below feel loud and airless. Several mid-range hotels on and around Calle Hortaleza have terraces open to the public. Take L5 (green line) to Chueca and walk north for five minutes. If you are staying in the neighbourhood, the walk home is part of the appeal.

Hotels with Terraces Worth Booking For the View Alone

If you want to stay somewhere with a terrace rather than just visit one, the Retiro and Salamanca neighbourhoods offer the best combination of calm and quality. Hotels here tend to have smaller, more private terraces that guests actually use in the morning with coffee rather than just at peak cocktail hour. Prices for a decent room in Salamanca typically start around €80 to €120 per night, though you can find options lower than that if you book in advance.

For budget travellers who still want a terrace hotel, the Sol and Lavapies areas have solid options from around €45 to €60 per night. Sol is the geographic and transport centre of Spain — literally kilometre zero — where L1, L2, and L3 all intersect, which means you can reach any rooftop bar in the city in under 20 minutes from there. If you are comparing hotels by neighbourhood, cheaphotelsmadrid.com/centro/ lists the full range of options across the central barrios with prices from €38 per night.

Booking Practical: Same Price, Less Carbon

One thing worth knowing before you book: if you use cheaphotelsmadrid.com you pay exactly the same rate as Booking.com, but every stay removes one tonne of CO2 as part of the IMPT scheme. Most rooms also include free cancellation, so there is no reason to lock in somewhere weeks out if your plans are flexible. Madrid hotel prices move around a lot depending on the week, so checking a few days before travel often turns up better rates than booking months ahead.

Ready to find your terrace view? Browse over 5,393 Madrid hotels starting from €38 per night at cheaphotelsmadrid.com/centro/ and filter by neighbourhood to find the right base for your trip.