Best Rooftop Bars in Paris with Stunning Views
Paris is a famously short city. A 1976 height regulation capped most central arrondissements at 37 metres, which is exactly why the handful of rooftop bars in paris with views feel like such a coup when you find them: there simply aren’t many places to get above the rooftops in the first place. The ones that exist range from free department-store terraces to boutique-hotel perches in the 9th to a surprising twenty-second-floor sky bar on the Left Bank. This guide runs through the ones worth the lift queue, with sightlines on the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the Opera and the Sacre-Coeur, plus the prices, hours, dress codes and the small logistics (reservations, weather backup, seasonal closures) that decide whether you get a great night or a forty-minute wait for nothing.
Read it next to our best Paris bars guide for the indoor cocktail dens, our sunset spots piece if you’re chasing the photo, and our romantic Paris overview for date-night logistics.
Paris rooftop scene at a glance
It helps to know there are really three kinds. The department-store terraces (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Le Bon Marche, BHV Marais) are free to walk onto, but you’re limited to whatever the in-house cafe serves. The hotel rooftop bars (Hotel Raphael, Hotel Brach, Hotel Madame Reve, Terrass” Hotel) charge proper cocktail prices in exchange for reserved seats and table service. And the standalone or restaurant rooftops (Le Perchoir, Le Tres Particulier, Mama Shelter) sit somewhere between, pairing a kitchen or bar with the open-air space.
The view is only half of it. Orientation, time of day, weather and season matter just as much, and the best summer rooftop is rarely the best winter one. Plenty of Paris terraces shut from November through March; heaters take the edge off but they can’t change the fact that you’re standing on a roof in February. The ones that stay open year-round are flagged below.
- Eiffel Tower views: Terrass” Hotel (18th), Madame Reve (1st), Sequoia Hotel rooftop (16th), the Pullman Tour Eiffel rooftop (15th).
- Opera and the Grands Boulevards views: Galeries Lafayette terrace, Printemps Haussmann terrace.
- Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre views: Le Perchoir Marais, Hotel Particulier Montmartre garden bar.
- Seine and Notre-Dame views: Le Perchoir Menilmontant (panoramic but distant), the BHV Marais terrace.
- Champs-Elysees views: the Royal Monceau rooftop, Hotel Raphael terrace (the priciest cocktail in the area, comfortably).
Le Perchoir Marais: the rooftop everyone copied
If one rooftop set the template for all the others, it’s this one. Le Perchoir Marais opened in 2013 on the seventh floor of the BHV Marais department store, and the combination of location and view, sweeping across the Marais to the Hotel de Ville, Notre-Dame, and on clear days the Sacre-Coeur, is what every rooftop since has been chasing. The space is big, around 200 capacity, the staff know what they’re doing, the cocktails are solid (well-made, if not a reason in themselves to come), and the panorama really is the real thing.
It runs April through October, daily from 5 pm to 1:30 am, with last admission at 11 pm and the queue building from 6 pm at weekends. It shuts November through March; the indoor lounge a floor down sometimes opens, but without the rooftop view it’s beside the point.
Drinks land at 14-16 euros for cocktails, 8-10 for beer, 8-12 a glass for wine. The food is bar food, charcuterie, cheese plates, small bites, at 12-20 euros a plate.
No reservations, so weekends mean queuing. Two ways to play it: turn up at 6 pm to get a drink in before sunset, or roll in around 9 pm to skip the worst of the line (figure 30-45 minutes at the door on weekends, much less mid-week). Dress code is smart casual, and they’ll turn away shorts and sportswear at the entrance.
The seats to fight for: the western parapet, for the sunset, and then the southern wall, for Notre-Dame. Get there early or you won’t get either.
Le Perchoir Menilmontant
The first Perchoir, actually, predates the Marais one. It opened in 2012 atop a 1930s warehouse at 14 rue Crespin du Gast in the 11th. The roof is larger than the Marais branch, around 250 capacity, and the view runs a full 360 degrees: the Eiffel Tower small in the distance, the Sacre-Coeur closer in, and the eastern skyline behind you (Tour Montparnasse, plus the modern towers of Bercy and the 13th).
The mood here is looser than at the Marais branch. Cushioned benches, a fire pit, a wood-panelled lounge for the cooler nights, and a ground-floor restaurant that serves dinner before the roof even opens. Cocktails run 13-15 euros, and the dinner menu (genuinely good and fairly priced) is 25-40 euros a main.
The dining room downstairs takes reservations; the rooftop doesn’t. Come 6 or 7 pm for dinner-then-rooftop on a weeknight, or 5 pm on a weekend to beat the queue. April through October.
Madame Reve: the splurge in the centre
Madame Reve opened in 2021 inside the old Poste du Louvre, the central post office, at 48 rue du Louvre in the 1st. The rooftop sits on the eighth floor looking onto the Louvre right below to the south, a partial slice of the Eiffel Tower to the west, and the Sainte-Chapelle to the east. The hotel is firmly luxury (rooms from 850 euros a night), and the bar prices follow suit. These are the most expensive rooftop drinks in central Paris, no contest.
Cocktails are 22-28 euros, champagne 28-45 a glass, beer 14, wine 16-24 a glass. Small plates run 25-45. Dress code is smart elegant, with a jacket recommended for men in the evening.
Book ahead, one to two weeks out for weekends, through the hotel site. The roof opens at 5 pm, and the prime sunset and after-dinner slots are the first to go. It’s open year-round, though the outdoor seating thins in winter, when the heated indoor lounge gives you the same view through floor-to-ceiling glass.
Terrass” Hotel: the year-round Eiffel view
For my money this is the best Eiffel Tower view you can get all year. The Terrass” Hotel rooftop at 12-14 rue Joseph de Maistre, in the 18th, looks straight across the city at the tower, roughly at eye level: the hotel perches on the western slope of Montmartre at 130 metres elevation, about the height of the tower’s first floor. Best at sunset, when the tower glows against the western sky, and again after dark, when its hourly sparkle is fully in view.
The roof splits into a restaurant side (table service, dinner reservations) and a bar side (walk-in, first come first served). Cocktails are 17-22 euros, wine 11-15 a glass, beer 10. The restaurant runs 28-48 euros a main, and the kitchen is good, with a contemporary French menu.
The bar stays open year-round, moving indoors in winter; the open-air rooftop is summer only. Reserve for the restaurant, walk in for the bar (15-30 minutes in line on weekends).
Getting there: Metro Blanche, then a ten-minute walk uphill. The hotel is moderately priced (rooms from 250 euros) and the rooftop is open to non-residents.
Galeries Lafayette terrace: free, panoramic, central
Here’s the one with no cover charge and arguably the best central-Paris panorama going. The Galeries Lafayette Haussmann store keeps a free public terrace on its eighth floor, a full 360 degrees taking in the Opera Garnier directly south and very close, the Eiffel Tower to the southwest, the Sacre-Coeur to the north, and the whole central skyline in between. You ride the escalators up from the ground floor and step out. That’s it.
There’s no bar on the terrace itself. For a drink, the seventh-floor restaurant Creatures has the same view with table service: cocktails 14-16 euros, dishes 20-32. Reservations recommended.
The terrace is open whenever the store is (Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 8:30 pm, Sunday 11 am to 8 pm). Come an hour before sunset for the best light, golden on the Opera dome, or 6 to 9 pm for an evening drink.
One caveat: it’s open year-round, but in cold or wet weather most people duck back into Creatures or the dedicated seventh-floor champagne bar, which has the view behind floor-to-ceiling windows.
Printemps Haussmann terrace
One block east, Printemps offers the quieter version of the same idea. The eighth-floor Terrasse Printemps, on the Printemps de la Mode building at 64 boulevard Haussmann, gives a near-identical 360-degree sweep to its Galeries Lafayette neighbour, just a slightly different angle on the Opera Garnier and the Eiffel Tower. Free through the store, reached by escalator or the dedicated lift on the rue de Provence side.
There’s a seasonal cafe up top (Cafe de la Terrasse) doing simple food and drinks: coffee 4-6 euros, beer 8-9, light meals 12-20. The view is the reason you’re here; the food is fine.
Hours match the store (Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 8 pm, Sunday 11 am to 7 pm). Crucially, the Printemps terrace is far less famous than the Lafayette one, so it’s far less mobbed. If you want the panorama in peace, this is where to go.
Hotel Particulier Montmartre: a hidden garden under the Sacre-Coeur
Not technically a rooftop, but too good to leave out. Hotel Particulier Montmartre at 23 avenue Junot, in the 18th, is a five-room boutique hotel in an 1830s townhouse, and its hidden garden is the most atmospheric outdoor bar in Paris, no qualifier needed. Walls on three sides keep it invisible from the street, with the Sacre-Coeur dome visible up the slope through the trees. The bar pours cocktails (16-20 euros) and a short food menu (snacks 12-22).
Open year-round, 6 pm to 1 am, with the indoor lounge taking over in winter and the garden running May through September. Book ahead; it’s small and weekends fill up fast.
Dress is smart casual, the feel is bohemian-romantic, and sportswear gets turned away. Aim for 7 to 8 pm in summer to catch the golden hour in the garden, later in winter for the lounge.
Hotel Raphael: the Champs-Elysees splurge
The Hotel Raphael at 17 avenue Kleber, in the 16th, has a seventh-floor rooftop bar with the best Arc de Triomphe view in the city: the terrace looks straight down avenue Kleber to the arch, the Champs-Elysees stretching out beyond. This is a luxury hotel (rooms from 700 euros), and the bar plays the part, with some of the priciest cocktails in Paris (22-30 euros) and staff who keep things formal.
Open April through October. Reservations strongly recommended. Dress code: jacket required for men in the evening, and no shorts or trainers at any hour.
The crowd splits between hotel guests and people who’ve come specifically for the roof. The view is the reason; the cocktails are good without being a destination in themselves.
Skybar at Hotel Pullman Tour Eiffel
This is the one that puts you practically nose to nose with the Eiffel Tower. The Pullman Tour Eiffel rooftop bar at 18 avenue de Suffren, in the 15th, is the only bar in the city at eye level with the tower from straight across the avenue. It’s on the hotel’s second floor, and the outdoor terrace faces the tower head-on, twenty metres from its base, level with its first floor.
Cocktails are 17-22 euros, champagne 25-40, small plates 18-32. The vibe is corporate hotel bar, with the rooftop doing all the heavy lifting. Open year-round, 5 pm to 1 am. Reserve in summer; off-season you can usually walk in.
Getting there: Metro Bir-Hakeim or RER Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel. Open to non-residents, with ID required at the security check on the way in.
Budget rooftop alternatives
You don’t need a 25-euro cocktail to get up high. The department-store terraces (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps) are free, and the cafe spend is gentle (coffee from 4 euros). The Centre Pompidou rooftop comes with museum admission (15 euros) and serves up a wide Paris panorama with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
For altitude on a budget, the Tour Montparnasse rooftop bar (Le Ciel de Paris, 56th floor) is the highest bar in Paris and pairs that height with reasonable cocktail prices (16-20 euros). If you only want the view, the Tour Montparnasse observation deck (15-18 euros) gets you the same outlook without the bar.
And for free: the Parc de Belleville plateau (the highest point in Paris east of the Seine, no bar, bring a picnic); the Promenade Plantee (the High Line-style elevated park, free to walk); and the Philharmonie de Paris rooftop (a free panorama over Parc de la Villette, April to October).
Practical advice
On weather: Paris rooftops live and die by it. Summer evenings (mid-June to mid-September) are dependable. Spring and autumn nights can turn cool, so pack a jacket. Winter only works with serious heating, and most rooftops simply close from November to March.
On reservations: the hotel rooftops (Madame Reve, Terrass”, Raphael) take them; the standalone spots (Perchoir Marais, Perchoir Menilmontant) don’t. For the walk-in places, get there 30-60 minutes before the peak (8 pm in summer) on weekends.
On dress: smart casual is the floor everywhere, and the luxury rooftops (Raphael, Madame Reve) want jacket and trousers for men in the evening. No shorts or sportswear at any of them.
On tipping: not expected, service is included. Round up the bill, or leave 5-10% if the service was genuinely good.
Frequently asked questions
Which rooftop has the best Eiffel Tower view?
Terrass” Hotel (18th, Montmartre) for the postcard distant view at eye level. Pullman Tour Eiffel for the close-up. Madame Reve for the partial central-Paris angle that frames the Louvre alongside it.
Are Paris rooftops open in winter?
Only a few. Terrass” Hotel keeps an indoor lounge with the rooftop view all year; Madame Reve has heated indoor seating with the same outlook; Hotel Particulier Montmartre runs an indoor bar with garden views when the garden’s shut. The open-air rooftops (Le Perchoir, Le Perchoir Marais) are dark from November through March.
Do I need reservations?
For weekend evenings at the popular ones, yes; book the hotel rooftops one to two weeks ahead. For the walk-in spots (Le Perchoir), arrive 30-60 minutes before the peak. Mid-week and off-season, walking in is a safe bet.
Are rooftop bars expensive?
The premium ones (Madame Reve, Hotel Raphael) charge 22-28 euros a cocktail; the mid-range ones (Le Perchoir, Terrass”) run 14-18; the budget options (department-store terraces) charge 4-10 for coffee or beer. Budget 40-80 euros a head for cocktails and a small bite at a typical rooftop evening.
Can I bring children?
The department-store terraces (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps) are family-friendly. The hotel rooftops technically allow children with parents, but the atmosphere is adult, and kids are rare enough to feel out of place. Le Perchoir and similar standalone roofs go 18-plus from 9 pm; check the venue’s policy first.
Final thoughts
Most of these rooftops opened after 2010, and together they’ve genuinely redrawn where Parisians go after dark. Getting one right comes down to three things: the view (matched to wherever else your day takes you), the timing (sunset, every time), and the type of place (a free department-store terrace for the panorama, a luxury hotel roof for a date, a Perchoir for the full Paris-rooftop ritual). Book where you can, queue where you can’t, and bring a jacket for those spring and autumn evenings, which, for what it’s worth, are when the whole scene looks its best.
Round out your trip
Use these to round out your trip: