From London's Sky Garden to Singapore's Cé La Vi and Bangkok's Sky Bar, these are the rooftop bars travellers can't stop talking about. A new analysis of Google reviews has identified the world's most popular sky-high drinking destinations, proving that a great view remains one of travel's greatest luxuries.

Allow me to begin by stating the obvious. There are very few experiences improved by being several hundred feet above the ground. Everything from replacing a light bulb to washing windows or recovering from the previous evening's excesses all become considerably more complicated once altitude is involved. Enjoying an expertly-crafted cocktail, however, is another matter entirely.

Somewhere over the past decade, rooftop bars stopped being hotel amenities and became attractions in their own right. Entire travel itineraries now revolve around them, flights are booked because of them and restaurant reservations are abandoned in favour of them. Travellers willingly hand over the price of a respectable lunch for a cocktail served in a glass far too small because, for a fleeting hour or two, they get to feel as though they've secured the best seat in the city.

Where Are The World’s Best Rooftop Bars?

Now, I’m not a man accustomed to heights – since getting altitude sickness at Austria’s most elevated restaurant after whizzing up the mountainside on a James Bond-themed gondola (yes, really), I’ve been a little wary of intense elevations. However, even I am hopelessly drawn to a good rooftop bar, like an ambitious moth with its sights set firmly on the moon. Knowing which ones are worth the climb, however, is key.

A new analysis of the hive mind that is Google reviews (for love them or hate them, we all ultimately use them) has helped to identify the world's most popular and highly-rated rooftop bars. London's Sky Garden tops the list with an astonishing 78,000 reviews, followed by Marrakech's legendary La Pergola and New York's sprawling 230 Fifth.

The numbers themselves are interesting enough, but what fascinates me more is what they reveal about the cities below. After all, the great rooftop bars of the world aren't really about drinks at all, and are instead all about perspective. They allow you to step back from the noise, the traffic and the endless navigation of unfamiliar streets, and finally understand where you are while embracing a romanticism that comes with a hefty dose of the dramatic.

These are the rooftop bars travellers simply can't stop climbing towards, and which belong on every cocktail-lover’s bucket list of best bars to visit.

Sky Garden, London: Britain's Most Popular Rooftop Bar

Every city has attractions that locals quietly roll their eyes at, and Londoners have elevated eye-rolling to a fine art. The London Eye elicits dirty looks from locals, Leicester Square hasn’t been graced by a Londoner’s footsteps in decades. Depending on who you ask, portions of Covent Garden may have also crossed that threshold years ago.

Sky Garden, a relative newcomer to the scene, has escaped this fate on the basis of simply doing what it does incredibly well.

*Sunset at Sky Garden, London. Hard to beat.*

Perched atop the curiously shaped Walkie Talkie building, London's highest public garden offers the sort of panoramic view that even hardened Londoners struggle to dismiss. The Thames loops through the city below, St Paul's Cathedral appears in one direction, The Shard in another… and all the while, entire neighbourhoods reveal themselves from angles you simply don't encounter at street level. It boasts sunsets that Ray Davies would write an entire album of songs about, and the fact that admission remains free (even for a fleeting visit without the need to buy a martini) feels increasingly miraculous.

All of this and more explains exactly why more than 78,000 people have taken the time to review it. In a city known for healthy scepticism and nonchalance over generosity and effusive praise, Sky Garden still feels like a gift.

Google Reviews: 78,000

La Pergola, Marrakech: The Rooftop Bar That Defines the Medina

The biggest surprise on this list isn't London taking first place – that’s almost a given. It’s Marrakech claiming the silver medal, and doing so in peerless style. Then again, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised at all; Marrakesh has had a phenomenal few years of rebirth and growth, fully leaning into the bohemian charm it honed so perfectly in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

*Pristine jazz-age vibes at La Pergola, Marrakesh*

Anyone who’s visited recently will tell you that Marrakech may well be the world's greatest rooftop city. Long before rooftop bars became Instagram bait, visitors to the medina were climbing staircases to escape the heat, drink mint tea and watch the city unfold beneath them against a backdrop of Sahara-tinged skies and breezes rich with orange blossom.

La Pergola has been part of that tradition for years, and as the call to prayer drifts across the rooftops and the setting sun turns the city a dozen shades of terracotta, it's difficult not to become completely besotted with the place. The live Gnawa music on show only strengthens the effect, providing a dizzying, immersive celebration of Marrakesh’s rightful place at the crossroads of various cultures.

Yes, there are bars on this list that are taller, glitzier and considerably more expensive, but I’m yet to be convinced there are many with more atmosphere.

Google Reviews: 40,200

230 Fifth, New York: The Rooftop Bar With Empire State Building Views

Only New York could produce a rooftop bar that feels less like a bar and more like an event. Spread across two levels and boasting a practically uninterrupted view of the Empire State Building, 230 Fifth has become one of those places visitors feel obliged to experience at least once.

*Nowhere better to order a Manhattan. 230 Fifth, New York City*

Does it sound, on paper at least, like the ultimate tourist trap? Absolutely. Thankfully, it’s brilliant, and not least because Manhattan is one of the few cities where looking at the skyline never seems to get old. Residents who've lived there for decades still glance up, tourists take hundreds of photographs, and absolutely nobody appears immune to the vertical bombast of New York City.

The Empire State Building – arguably the ultimate expression of unchained Art Deco architectural ambition – dominates the view from 230 Fifth, standing there exactly as you've imagined it your whole life. With a negroni in hand, it’s impossible not to feel like a more mentally stable Don Draper.

Google Reviews: 26,650

Cé La Vi, Singapore: Cocktails Above Marina Bay Sands

Mention Singapore and most people immediately picture Marina Bay Sands. Mention Marina Bay Sands and most people picture the view from the top… and it's oh-so easy to understand why.

*A cocktail and a swim on the 57th floor. What’s the worst that could happen? Cé La Vi, Singapore*

From 57 floors above the city, Singapore looks almost impossibly orderly and every bit as thrillingly futuristic and dazzling as you’d wish. The Supertrees glow below like otherworldly monoliths, containers drift through one of the busiest shipping routes on earth and the skyline stretches in every direction like something from a science-fiction film. Simply put, it's one of those rare locations that actually exceeds expectations, and considering how often we've all seen it photographed, that's quite an achievement.

Google Reviews: 10,200

Rock Bar, Bali: Sunset Cocktails Above the Indian Ocean

I can’t help feeling that it’s slightly unfair to include Rock Bar Bali on a list of rooftop venues, because while most rooftop bars rely on innovative architecture, Rock Bar relies on geology formed across countless millennia.

Perched dramatically on a cliff edge above the Indian Ocean, it's the sort of place that reminds you nature remains a far more talented designer than any architect. Visitors gather here not for skyscrapers or city lights but for sunsets that seem almost theatrical in their intensity, and as daylight fades, everyone suddenly develops a keen interest in the horizon.

The drinks are fantastic – you’re in Bali, after all, where measures are generous and the locals know a thing or two about flavour – but in the face of all this natural beauty, they can’t help but become secondary. Beyond the rim of your highball glass, there’s only endless sea and sky. Who could possibly wish for more?

Google Reviews: 8,200

Sky Bar, Bangkok: Thailand's Most Famous Rooftop Bar

Even if you've never been to Bangkok, you've probably seen this bar. Sky Bar's appearance in The Hangover Part II transformed it from a successful rooftop venue into a global icon, and it has spent years dealing with the consequences involving thousands upon thousands of visitors determined to recreate scenes from the film.

It’s a real testament to the visionary team behind the bar that it absolutely remains worth visiting regardless of its reputation. That all comes down to the views across Bangkok, which are absolutely extraordinary and reveal the scale of a city that often feels impossible to comprehend from ground level. From 247 metres above the streets, however, the sprawling metropolis suddenly seems to acquire a degree of logic – and yes, only a degree, as it’s still Bangkok.

Ascend its heady heights, order yourself a Hangovertini (yes, it’s a real drink), and take in Thailand’s capital in all its bizarre and wondrous glory.

Google Reviews: 7,200

At.mosphere, Dubai: Drinking at the Top of the Burj Khalifa

Dubai has never shown much interest in doing things halfway, and naturally, one of Dubai’s most famous bars sits inside the (at the time of writing, at least) tallest building on earth.

*Record-breaking elevations, stunning cocktails. At.mosphere, Dubai*

At.mosphere occupies a position so high above the city that the experience feels strangely detached from everyday life. Cars become tiny moving dots, roads become geometric patterns and entire districts look as though they've been arranged by an obsessive perfectionist armed with a ruler – which, let’s be honest, is exactly what happened.

Even by Dubai standards, it's a spectacular place to be. The venue may currently be undergoing renovation, but its status as one of the world's most famous rooftop destinations seems unlikely to change any time soon, nor will its commitment to showcasing the literal zenith of Emirati hospitality.

Google Reviews: 4,600

Vertigo & Moon Bar, Bangkok: Rooftop Romance Above the City

Bangkok’s renowned cocktail culture earns its second appearance on this list, courtesy of the utterly brilliant Vertigo & Moon Bar.

*Where Bangkok becomes yours. Vertigo & Moon Bar, Bangkok*

Unlike many rooftop venues, which surround guests with glass and polished surfaces, Vertigo feels delightfully exposed. Sitting atop the Banyan Tree Bangkok, it offers the sensation of hovering over the city rather than simply observing it – which, in a city like this one, where completely detaching oneself from the chaos is at best a futile exercise, feels like the right approach to those seeking the extraordinary.

There is a romance to the place that many competitors struggle to replicate, and it’s one that’s quite hard to pin down. Perhaps it's the open-air setting, maybe it's the drama of the skyline. It might just come down to the fact that Bangkok becomes surprisingly beautiful at night, and Vertigo & Moon Bar feels like a launchpad for no shortage of possibilities and adventures.

Google Reviews: 4,300

SkyBar, Kuala Lumpur: The Best View of the Petronas Towers

Every great rooftop needs a focal point, and Kuala Lumpur – another city renowned for its giddy heights and madcap architectural ambition – may have the best one on this list.

*Sci-fi dreams come true in Kuala Lumpur, Sky Bar*

SkyBar at Traders Hotel places guests directly opposite the iconic Petronas Towers, allowing one of the world's most recognisable buildings to dominate the entire experience. It's the sort of view that encourages people to stop conversations halfway through and reach for their phones, and you can hardly blame them.

The venue’s beloved Kiwitini cocktail is a must-try when visiting; the award-winning combination of Belvedere vodka, fresh kiwi, sugar and sparkling wine offers refreshment amid the humidity, and a taste sensation worthy of such a view.

Google Reviews: 3,200

Eagle Nest, Bangkok: The Rooftop Bar With the Best View of Wat Arun

Let’s end this list with a truly charming entry, and one that proves that height isn’t everything when it comes to what makes a spectacular rooftop bar.

*The glory of gold, Eagle Nest, Bangkok*

Located on the fifth floor of Sala Arun in Bangkok, Eagle Nest would barely register in a competition based on altitude. However, what it sacrifices in elevation, it gains in intimacy, beauty and a dedication to the mixologist’s craft that makes it a must-visit venue in a city with more bars than you could fit into a lifetime of libations. Across the river, Wat Arun rises dramatically into the Bangkok sky, illuminated against the darkness and providing an evocative reminder of exactly where in the world you’re raising your glass.

Google Reviews: 1,700

Why Rooftop Bars Continue to Define Modern Travel

The more I think about it, the less convinced I am that rooftop bars are really about drinking at all, but are rather about pausing, reflecting and immersing oneself in a new perspective.

Look at it this way: Modern travel often becomes a blur of museum tickets, restaurant reservations, train journeys and increasingly desperate attempts to remember where you've left your passport. Rooftop bars, often way up above the hustle and bustle of the city below, force us to slow down for an hour, look around and appreciate the location we've travelled so far to see.

The best ones inevitably become destinations in their own right, and not because the cocktails are life-changing or because the service is flawless, but because they allow us to experience a place from an entirely different perspective. Whether you’re gazing across London's skyline, watching sunset over the Bali coastline or listening to Marrakech come alive beneath a terrace at dusk, for a brief moment, the city belongs to you.

Thirsty for more cocktail articles? Check out our reviews of Altamura Distilleries Vodka, Buttero Events and Blind Summit Macallan

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