The best rooftop bars in Rome are the ones that put a particular view in front of your table. Terrazza Borromini looks over Piazza Navona, Gigi Rigolatto sits beside the Pantheon dome, Terrazza Les Étoiles faces St. Peter’s, and Hotel Forum overlooks the Imperial Fora. Most are at their best around sunset, when aperitivo starts. We’ve grouped ten terraces below by what you see from your seat, with notes on when to go.
The short list
10 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01Terrazza BorrominiGolden-hour aperitifView: Piazza Navona
- 02Gigi RigolattoA Bellini before dinnerView: Pantheon dome
- 03Terrazza Les ÉtoilesSunset over the VaticanView: St. Peter's dome
- 04Hotel ForumSlow, quiet drinkView: Imperial Fora
- 05Oro BistrotFirst stop of the eveningView: Imperial Forums, Altare della Patria
- 06Aroma Restaurant RomaOccasion dinnerView: Colosseum
- 07Terrace Hotel HasslerLong afternoon, NegroniView: Spanish Steps, central Rome
- 08Il Giardino RistoranteLunch or early aperitivoView: Villa Borghese pines
- 09SEEN by OlivierSushi and a DJ setView: 360 degrees from Piazza della Repubblica
- 10Terrazza LeonGood drinks without a crowdView: Rooftops above Via del Corso
Which rooftop bars in Rome have the best views of the domes?
For domes, stay in the historic centre or go to the edge of the Vatican. Gigi Rigolatto has the Pantheon just past the terrace edge from a seventh floor, and Terrazza Les Étoiles faces the dome of St. Peter’s. Both are strongest in the last hour of daylight, so plan around sunset and eat dinner afterwards.
Terrazza Borromini is on the top floor of Palazzo Pamphilj. Ask for the La Grande Bellezza terrace. The view drops straight onto Piazza Navona, which is why we’d aim for golden hour over a late slot.
Terrazza Borromini
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–00:00
Address: Via di Santa Maria dell'Anima, 30, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
Gigi Rigolatto is the rooftop of the Orient Express La Minerva, on the seventh floor above Piazza della Minerva. The bar is built around the Bellini. Order the house version and watch the last light reach the Pantheon dome. If you want to stay for dinner, the kitchen moves between Tuscan hill cooking and the Puglian coast.
Gigi Rigolatto
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:30–23:30
Address: Piazza della Minerva, 69, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
Terrazza Les Étoiles is on the roof of the Atlante Star Hotel, a few steps from the Vatican. It spreads over several levels: a panoramic restaurant, a bar area and, at the very top, a rooftop garden. From here the sun sets behind St. Peter’s. Sit facing the dome before the light goes, then climb up to the garden.
Terrazza Les Étoiles
Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–00:00
Address: Via dei Bastioni, 1, 00193 Roma RM, Italia
Where can you have a drink over the Colosseum and the Imperial Fora?
The American Bar at Hotel Forum is for a quiet aperitif over the ruins. Oro Bistrot looks over the Forums and the Altare della Patria. At Aroma, on the roof of Palazzo Manfredi, the Colosseum is the backdrop to a full fine-dining dinner. Our plan: a drink at one of the bars, then dinner at Aroma.
The terrace at Hotel Forum puts the Imperial Fora straight in front of you. It’s a classic American Bar, better for a slow drink than a loud night. Go while there’s still light on the stones. Order a cocktail and take a terrace table facing the Fora and the Colosseum area.
Hotel Forum
Hours: Open 24 hours
Address: Via Tor de' Conti, 25-30, 00184 Roma RM, Italia
At Oro Bistrot, the view over the Imperial Forums toward the Altare della Patria does most of the work at sunset. Add creative cocktails and a solid wine selection, and you have a good first stop before dinner somewhere else.
Oro Bistrot
Hours: Mon–Thu 13:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 13:00–01:00 · Sun 13:00–00:00
Address: Via di S. Eufemia, 19, 00187 Roma RM, Italia
Aroma is a restaurant first and a terrace second. Chef Giuseppe Di Iorio cooks gourmet Italian and Mediterranean food, and the wine list runs to hundreds of labels. Visitors and Romans alike book well ahead, so reserve early. We’d keep it for an occasion dinner, when the Colosseum can have your whole evening.
Aroma Restaurant Roma
Hours: Mon–Tue 19:00–23:00 · Wed–Sun 12:30–15:00, 19:00–23:00
Address: Via Labicana, 125, 00184 Roma RM, Italia
Which rooftop bars serve all day?
Two hotel terraces serve all day, so they’re useful outside sunset hours. The Hassler terrace looks straight down the Steps and across central Rome. Il Giardino, at the Hotel Eden, faces the pines of Villa Borghese from a top floor full of plants. We’d give either one a long afternoon.
The Hassler’s seventh-floor terrace is the lighter sibling of Imago, the hotel’s restaurant below. From late morning it serves cocktails, coffee and small plates. Order a Negroni and take a table along the edge. Then sit through the afternoon as the light warms the roofs around you. Almost nothing modern breaks up the view.
Terrace Hotel Hassler
Hours: Open 24 hours
Address: Piazza della Trinità dei Monti, 6, 00187 Roma RM, Italia
Il Giardino takes up the entire top floor of the Hotel Eden. The terrace is thick with greenery, and the umbrella pines of Villa Borghese stand in the distance. Service runs from morning pastries to seafood and seasonal pasta at night. Come at aperitivo time to beat the dinner crowd, or make it lunch.
Il Giardino Ristorante
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:00–00:00
Address: Via Ludovisi, 49, 00187 Roma RM, Italia
Where can you stay late on a Rome rooftop?
For an evening that runs past dinner, SEEN by Olivier is the one. From the top of Piazza della Repubblica it offers a 360-degree view, sushi and DJ sets. Terrazza Leon is a hidden bar above Via del Corso that most people walking below never notice. It opens Wednesday to Sunday evenings.
SEEN by Olivier has two speeds. The sunset aperitif is the calmer one: creative, exotic cocktails with the domes and rooftops in front of you. Stay longer and it becomes dinner, with sushi, seafood and international dishes. A DJ set follows.
SEEN by Olivier
Hours: Mon–Thu 18:00–01:00 · Fri–Sat 18:00–02:00 · Sun 18:00–01:00
Address: P.za della Repubblica, 48, 00185 Roma RM, Italia
Terrazza Leon is easy to miss from Via del Corso, so it rarely feels packed. People come for the drinks, which are good in their own right rather than propped up by the setting.
Terrazza Leon
Hours: Mon–Tue closed · Wed–Sat 18:00–00:00 · Sun 17:00–23:00
Address: Hotel del Corso, Via del Corso, 79, 00186 Roma RM, Italia
Which Rome rooftop suits which moment?
It usually comes down to the view you want and the hour you have. Dome views peak at sunset. The Colosseum works for a single drink or a long dinner. Use the table to match a terrace to your evening, then check each card for opening days.
Pick the view first and the time second. Sunset sets the schedule for nearly every terrace here, so choose one view per evening and arrive while it’s still light. Book ahead for Aroma, and for any table you want on a terrace edge.
