Nerja looks better from up there
Nerja's old town is low: two and three storey houses, narrow streets, whitewashed roofs. Climb one floor and everything changes. From a third floor you stop looking at a wall and start looking at the Sierra Almijara on one side and the Mediterranean on the other.
That's why so many roofs here have tables and a bar on them. These are the ones we know first hand, with the good and the not-so-good. Ours is on the list, catches included.
The seven terraces, one by one
Terraza Buddha Lounge BarCalle Gloria 13 · 3rd floor, lift access
The best known roof on Calle Gloria and the one that shows up in every list. Proper cocktails, music kept low, and a lift to the top, which helps if you're with grandparents or a pushchair. A good first drink before dinner.
Volk's BarCalle de la Gloria · 3rd floor
A few doors along, facing the mountains instead of the sea. The most casual menu on the street and best in the late afternoon. If you want open water in front of you, look elsewhere; if you like the sierra at dusk, come here.
Yesca Restaurant & RooftopCalle Ánimas
The most ambitious of the seven: hot tubs on the roof, a full restaurant menu and a late close, around 1am or 2am depending on the night. Book ahead in high season.
La Terraza de La TasquitaCorner of Calle Gloria and Calle Cristo
Small, local, no airs about it. It seats very few people, so by 9pm in August there's nothing left. Go early or go midweek.
Cochran's TerraceComplejo Toboso, next to the Balcón de Europa
Location does the work here: you're right by the Balcón de Europa with the square buzzing below. Very British crowd, football on the screen. It works for a drink after the walk along the Balcón.
Bar Mirador, Hotel Balcón de Europa6th floor of the hotel
The highest view on this list, and the only one facing the sea from six floors up. Being a hotel bar, prices climb and the mood is calmer. Come for the panorama rather than the party.
Peppe's rooftopCalle Almirante Ferrándiz 32 · Rooftop 8pm–1am
Ours. We open the roof at 8pm, right before the sky turns orange, and keep the wood-fired oven going while you eat up there. There's a screen when a big match is on, and the full Neapolitan pizza menu comes up to the terrace.
The catch, and we'd rather say it ourselves: in summer you'll want to book. The terrace is a good size, but Thursday to Sunday the best tables get asked for in advance. A morning phone call sorts it.
When to go up
In August the sun sets over Nerja around 9.15pm, so sit down at 8.30pm. Winter runs earlier: the sky lights up at 6pm and the light has gone by 7pm. The half hour after sunset, when the sky goes purple and the sierra turns black, beats the sunset itself. Don't head down early.
Pick one in ten seconds
- Cocktail before dinner: Buddha Lounge.
- Full dinner on a roof: Yesca or Peppe.
- Highest view: Bar Mirador at Hotel Balcón de Europa.
- Watching a match: Cochran's or our rooftop big screen.
- Quiet and local: La Tasquita or Volk's.
- Wood-fired pizza with the sunset in front of you: here, and we're not pretending otherwise.
Come up for dinner
You'll find us at Calle Almirante Ferrándiz 32, a two minute walk from the Balcón de Europa. The rooftop opens Tuesday to Sunday at 8pm and the kitchen serves until 11.30pm. Ring us and we'll keep you a table with a view.