The Best Rooftop Bars in Melbourne

This tiny bar, located on the 5^th-floor roof above Lonsdale St., sports one of the best views in the city. With a 300-degree line of sight above the leaves of Melbourne’s tree-lined Central Business District (CBD), it’s hard to find a better place to get a full look at the city's patchwork of architectural influence. The retractable roof and huge sheets of Plexiglas ensure that Melbourne’s bone-chilling squalls will swirl right past your eyes without so much as putting a ripple in your glass of wine. The drink list is long and heavy on well-priced Spanish wine, sherry and vermouth, as well as a couple of simple, ...

The rooftop counterpart to art space-slash-bar Loop, Loop Roof offers garden-themed cocktails to match the various palms and potted plants that punctuate the space. The drinks are fun, fruit-forward and a little silly, so if you're in search of anything high brow, look elsewhere. This is where you go for good views, boozy snow cones and a solid menu of drinking food.

Sitting proudly atop one of Melbourne’s tallest buildings, this five-star restaurant boasts breathtaking views of the city skyline. Dinner at Vue de Monde will coast you a small fortune, but in the stunningly designed bar all you’ll need is a decent shirt and enough cash to cover a cocktail (which, admittedly, will cost you). Lui attracts some of the city’s best bartenders and with access to the kitchen’s word-class talent, ingredients and equipment, they’re limited only by imagination.

Don your crispest pair of white tennis shorts and you’ll fit right in with the staff at this ultra-campy rooftop terrace. Ornate iron patio furniture, AstroTurf and pink plastic flowers complete the tongue-in-cheek rendition of a classic English garden party. Pimm’s Cups? Of course. Cucumber sandwiches? You betcha.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Melbourne from up here. If you’re a fan of the finer things in life—oysters, champagne, vintage wine, whiskey and cigars—Siglo is the spot. Pretty much every luxury you can dream up is served on a beautiful heritage rooftop patio overlooking the impressive Parliament building and Parliament Gardens. Best of all, they’re open until 3 a.m., seven days a week, and maintain a sophisticated atmosphere all night.