The first time I wanted to go up to a hotel rooftop, I hesitated. I assumed you had to be a guest, or book a table, or spend a fortune, and I stayed at the door. Then I found out most let you up for free or for the price of a beer, and that nobody looks at you oddly for ordering just one drink.
Rooftops have been my favourite sunset plan ever since. But there is a confusion nobody clears up well: which are free, which ask for a drink and which are guests-only.
Rooftop basics
Free Barceló Raval and Las Arenas · One drink Sky Bar, The Roof and Sercotel · Guests-only by day the pool ones
Glass 5-9 € · Cocktail 9-14 € · Best time 5-6 pm, before it fills
With six rooftops on the table, the difference is not the view but the access, which runs from free to a 7 € entry. Here is what it costs to go up to each.
| Terrace | Access | Rough price |
|---|---|---|
| Barceló Raval, 360° | Free, no booking | Beer 5 €, cocktail 9-10 € |
| Las Arenas | Free, internal lift | Free to go up |
| Sky Bar, Iberostar | One drink from 8 € | Glass 8 € |
| The Roof, EDITION | One drink from 9 € | Cocktail 9-14 € |
| Sercotel Rosellón | Booking + 7 € non-deductible | Glass 6-9 € |
| Grand Hotel Central | Guests-only by day | Public in the evening |
The rooftop I send everyone to
The Barceló Raval 360°, at Rambla del Raval, 17. It is my recommendation for everyone for one reason: it is free and there is no catch.
The hotel is cylindrical and its 11th floor is a terrace that wraps the whole building, hence the name. You go in through the lobby, take the right-hand lift and up you go, no booking, no ticket, no guest status. The views are genuinely 360 degrees: the port and its cranes, the dome of Sant Agustí, the whole Raval, the Eixample and the mountains behind. Beer from 5 €, cocktails 9 to 10.
A warning that saves a wasted trip: according to Barceló’s own site, the terrace only opens May to October. In winter it is closed, so this is a seasonal plan.
And since we are on timing, the hour you go up changes the whole experience.
The 5-to-6 window is the one I always use: you catch the golden hour, there is space by the railing and you see the whole sunset without fighting for a gap.
Free access or one-drink rooftops
Here are the free-access or drink-only ones, with no charge to go up.
The Las Arenas rooftop, the old bullring, has a circular terrace reached free by the internal lifts of the shopping centre, with head-on views of Plaça Espanya and Montjuïc.
The Iberostar Sky Bar, right in the centre, does not require guest status: one drink from 8 € buys one of the best views of Plaça Catalunya. The Roof, at the EDITION hotel in the Born, has tropical plants and a lovely panorama of the district, with drinks from 9 € and vegan options.
And Casa Bonay has a relaxed rooftop with fair prices, vermouth from 4 €, one of the unintimidating ones that pairs with an earlier wander round the neighbourhood bodegas.
What you spend depends more on the type of rooftop than on the view.
A single drink of 5 to 8 € buys the same views as paying triple, if you pick the free-access rooftop over the high-cocktail one.
The best photo of the Sagrada Família
There is a clear winner here: the Sercotel Rosellón, a block from the basilica, with the most head-on views of the Sagrada Família in the city. The towers are almost within reach, and the furniture does not compete with them because it does not need to.
Here are the corrected figures, because a lot of wrong information circulates. As the hotel’s own management clarifies, it requires prior booking, which opens only a few days ahead, and charges 7 € a head for access that is NOT deducted from your drink. Hours are 1.30 to 11 pm, with cocktails around 15 €. At weekends, without booking, it is very hard to get in.
Sea and port views, from Montjuïc
For Mediterranean views, I go up Montjuïc or towards the port.
The 173 Rooftop Terrace, on Montjuïc and named for its height above the sea, has 360° views taking in the Sagrada Família, Tibidabo and Plaça Espanya. The trick is orientation: if you want sea, ask which side faces the port before sitting down. It is the other side of the free public sunset viewpoints, open-air and free.
The design ones for a special occasion
This is where I allow myself the design and high-cocktail spots.
Maymanta, Omar Malpartida’s Peruvian on the 19th floor of the Grand Hyatt, has a spectacular dining room and terrace. The ME Barcelona one is small but mighty, with signature cocktails and DJ sets. And Bonavista, at the Hotel Moxy by Sants, has pop décor from seventies Miami and even minigolf on the roof.
These are special-occasion plans, pricier, but for celebrating something with a view they more than deliver, and they sit near the markets where I shop.
Height also governs how far the view reaches: Maymanta dominates from the Grand Hyatt’s 19th floor, the Barceló Raval from the 11th, and the Sercotel from an eighth pressed against Gaudí, while Las Arenas faces Plaça Espanya head-on from the ring of the old bullring.
And an afternoon on a rooftop pays off more if you build it in this order.
That half-hour margin before the peak is the difference between watching sunset from the railing or from the third row.
Which open all year and which only in summer
Not all rooftops open year-round, and in winter that decides the plan.
Open all year
- Sercotel Rosellón, with booking
- Iberostar Sky Bar
- The Roof at the EDITION
- Casa Bonay, indoor feel
- Hotel ones with a covered bar
Warm season only
- Barceló Raval 360°, May to October
- Pool ones, especially by day
- 173 Rooftop, reduced hours in cold
- Many open-air, unroofed terraces
- The sunset-DJ ones in summer
In winter, before crossing the city, a call or a look at the website saves turning up to a closed rooftop.
The ones I do not go up to, and why
Pool terraces expecting to swim without being a guest. The Grand Hotel Central, with its pool over the Gòtic, is beautiful, but by day it tends to be guests-only. It opens to the public in the evening, so go then or you will not get up.
Any seasonal rooftop mid-winter without checking. Half close from October to May, starting with the Barceló Raval.
A trendy rooftop at the weekend without booking. The good ones fill and queue. On a Saturday night at peak, you have booked or you are out.
Chasing the view without checking orientation. Sagrada Família, the Sercotel. Sea, one by the port or Montjuïc. Sitting on the wrong side loses half the point.
How to get the most from a rooftop
Arrive early, 5 or 6 pm. Golden hour, a spot without booking and the full sunset. At peak it is already full.
One drink is enough. No need to dine. A beer or a glass buys the same views, and nobody moves you on for ordering little.
Check access and season before going up. Conditions change and many close in winter. A call saves the disappointment.
Pick the orientation. Sagrada Família, sea or skyline. Ask which side faces what before sitting by the railing, and it pairs beautifully with a wander through the city’s stranger facts.
The best views in Barcelona with a drink in hand do not cost a fortune. You just have to know which one to go up, and when.
Know a rooftop with a view missing from this list? Barcelona opens new rooftops every season and one surely slips past me. Message me on Instagram @barcelonainspira and I will go for a drink.
Keep exploring Barcelona with me
More corners and plans I write about here: the neighbourhood bodegas where I go for vermouth, where to eat well and cheap, and the full run of plans, gastronomy and experiences.
Which Barcelona rooftops have free access
Fully free are the 360° at the Barceló Raval, reached by the right-hand lift in the lobby with no booking, and the Las Arenas terrace via the shopping centre’s internal lifts. Others ask only for one drink to go up, with no entry charge, like the Sky Bar at the Iberostar or The Roof at the EDITION hotel.
Do you need to be a guest to go up to hotel terraces
Not at most. Many hotel rooftops are open to the public if you order a drink, like the Barceló Raval, the Iberostar Sky Bar or The Roof. The exception is pool terraces, such as the Grand Hotel Central, which by day tend to be reserved for guests and open to the public in the evening.
Which terrace has the best views of the Sagrada Família
The Sercotel Rosellón, a block from the basilica, with the most head-on views in the city. It needs prior booking, which opens only a few days ahead, and charges 7 euros a head for access that is not deducted from your drink. It runs 1.30 to 11 pm and booking ahead is advised.
How much does a drink cost on a Barcelona rooftop
At the free-access ones, a beer or glass of wine runs 5 to 9 euros and cocktails 9 to 14. At the design and high-cocktail rooftops, cocktails are around 15. Going up early, about 5 or 6 pm, you enjoy the views on a single drink and with no queue.
When is the best time to go to a rooftop in Barcelona
Sunset, arriving between 5 and 6 pm. You catch the golden hour, there are fewer people and you get a spot without booking at the ones that do not require it. Many fill up as the sun goes down, so arriving early is the key to a good place by the railing.
Which Barcelona rooftops are open all year
Several hotel ones open year-round, like the Sercotel Rosellón or the Iberostar Sky Bar. Others are seasonal and the Barceló Raval 360°, for instance, only opens May to October. Check each one’s website before going, especially in winter, because many rooftops close out of season.
