The Best Rooftop Bars in Valencia

Between the city centre and the Mediterranean, overlooking the suave curves of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, is the Barceló Valencia, with its L-shaped rooftop, fringed by a terrace with views in three directions (hence the 270 degrees). They do a mean mojito here, although the strawberry daiquiri is a sweet and refreshing antidote to the afternoon sun. If it gets too hot out there, there’s also an air-conditioned lounge.

Why be on the beach when you can be above it? On the fourth floor of the Miramar Hotel, this cocktail bar opens to the public during summer. It’s a decent space, with tables in the shade and deckchairs at the front, where you can look out over the sandy seafront through the reinforced glass gallery. The house special is the Agua de Valencia: a mix of orange juice, vodka, gin and cava.

Summer is the best time to get access to a rooftop bar in Valencia. Blanq, for example, is one of many rooftops belonging to a hotel – in this case, the Blanq Carmen – but still open to the public from May to early September. The small space, which includes a pool, cosy loungers and wicker chairs, sits right next to the serpentine Turia Gardens and includes a view of the imposing Gothic Torres de Serranos. Classic cocktails, mostly with ice, go well with the daytime heat.

Although it might not offer the most expansive or captivating views of Valencia, ATIC Resto Bar is hard to beat when it comes to rooftop ambience. The space is split into a bar and a restaurant area, filled with leafy plants and touches of elegance throughout, such as the blue-and-white upholstery, the parasols finished in colourful fringe and the fine, decorative china. The homemade cocktails are a real hit: for example, the Old Velvet, a blend of single malt whisky, anise, muscovado sugar and orange foam.

Are you looking for a rooftop bar with atmosphere? If so, try La Terraza VLC Urban Club, on the northern side of Turia Park. Supposedly, it’s the excellent views that draw people here during its opening months from May to October. Most likely, though, it’s the large pool, which is ostensibly for the hotel guests – but if you come prepared, nobody checks. The bar serves all the normal beers, house wines and cocktails, and there’s a good kitchen serving up gourmet beef, veggie or chicken burgers with fries.

If you’re looking for the rooftop bar with the best view in Valencia, the Ateneo might just be it, overlooking the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Valencia City Hall. For an even better view, head up further to the Ateneo Mirador, which offers 360-degree views of the city. There’s an extensive, by-the-bottle wine list, where you can find lots of reds and whites from Valencia’s local wine regions, DO Valencia and DO Utiel-Requena.

Marina Beach Club offers a slightly more exclusive rooftop bar experience. Sandwiched between the marina and Cabanyal Beach, this swanky spot has a pool and a restaurant, as well as putting on club nights on weekends. Also on weekends – provided you’re in a group of between four and six people – you can get access to their themed music-and-dinner evenings. On Fridays, it’s swing music; hits from the ’60s to the present day fill the air on Saturdays, and a spiritual food-and-music session is held on Sundays.

Further along the main pier of Valencia’s marina, and offering excellent views over Cabanyal Beach, is Restaurant Panorama, one of the city’s more established rooftop bars. Although it’s primarily an indoor restaurant – albeit one with floor-to-ceiling windows – an outside terrace and bar is open in the summer months. The drinks menu runs the gamut, so there’s a drink for every occasion – from a cold beer in the sun to a bottle of Dom Pérignon Champagne for those celebratory moments.