Which Bucharest hostel rooftop has the best view?

Neither is a traditional skyline rooftop — Bucharest is flat and the Parliament Palace blocks most long views from inside the ring. 5 Stars High's sun terrace faces a residential Sector 1 block; Popcorn's garden is interior-facing. For skyline views, you need Nomad Skybar or Linea (not hostels).

Are these rooftops open to non-guests?

Both are guest-only in principle. 5 Stars High occasionally lets locals in via the owner's invitation; Popcorn is strict guest-only. If you're staying elsewhere, a €4–9 drink on a downtown rooftop is the better path.

When are they actually open?

5 Stars High: sun terrace May–September only (garden closes in winter); Popcorn's garden is year-round but the BBQ and outdoor fireplace are May–October. Both close by 23:00 every night.

5 Stars High has the à la carte breakfast menu available on the sun terrace (limited dishes); Popcorn doesn't serve food — it's bring-your-own from Mega Image or Carrefour 3–8 minutes away.

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Best Hostels with Rooftop Bars in Bucharest

2 top-rated hostels with rooftop bar in Bucharest Handpicked for travelers who want the best.

🎒 Handpicked by the Hostelpedia team

Bucharest's rooftop-bar hostel scene is tiny but concentrated: two of our five Bucharest hostels run a proper rooftop or sun terrace that doubles as a drinking spot. 5 Stars High in Sector 1 has a sun terrace with a bar that opens May to September; Popcorn near Gara de Nord has a sun terrace plus a garden with an outdoor fireplace and BBQ. Both are open to guests only, both close by 23:00, and neither has the "skyline view" of a Lipscani rooftop — Bucharest's rooftop-bar game is hostel-run, not a Hilton-scale operation.

Bucharest doesn't treat rooftops as a separate restaurant-scene product the way Madrid or Rome do. Rooftops are either hotel-driven (Sky Bar at Nomad, Linea at Pullman) or afterthoughts on top of existing bars. Hostel terraces are a third category — cheap, social, unbranded, and seasonal — which makes them the most backpacker-friendly rooftop option in the city.

🍻Why Bucharest is Perfect for Rooftop Bar

Bucharest summers hit 33°C with high humidity — drinking indoors in July and August is miserable, and rooftop or sun-terrace space is the pragmatic alternative. Both 5 Stars High and Popcorn lean into this with outdoor furniture, bar service, and BBQ equipment (Popcorn only) that lets guests eat and drink under the open sky without trekking to a downtown rooftop bar at inflated prices.

The economics are tight: a cocktail on a downtown Bucharest rooftop (Nomad Skybar, Linea, Biutiful Rooftop) runs 35–45 lei (€7–9); the same cocktail at 5 Stars High's sun terrace is 20 lei (€4), and at Popcorn you bring your own from Mega Image 3 minutes away. If you're doing Bucharest on a backpacker budget, the hostel rooftop is 40% cheaper per drink than the skyline option.

Atmosphere trade-off: downtown rooftops are about views and dress codes; hostel rooftops are about meeting fellow travelers. If you came to Bucharest to socialize rather than take sunset photos, the hostel-rooftop choice makes itself.

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Traveler's take

“I ran the two-rooftop tour over a Friday–Saturday in July. Friday I was at 5 Stars High in Sector 1 — the sun terrace is smaller than expected (maybe 25 seats) but the crowd was 80% guests and 20% locals the owner had invited in, and the bartender poured a proper Moscow Mule for 22 lei. Saturday I moved to Popcorn near Gara de Nord — the garden there is bigger, has an outdoor fireplace for evenings after the sun drops, and the BBQ scene is the whole thing: guests were grilling their own Obor-market mici on the terrace while the reception ran the Shoteria pub crawl pickup at 21:30. 5 Stars High is the quieter sunset pick; Popcorn is the louder social anchor. Pick 5 Stars High for a chill summer evening drink with your travel partner; pick Popcorn if you want to end up at Control at 01:00 with people you met three hours ago.”

Our Top 2 Picks

Hostels in Bucharest with rooftop bar, sorted by guest rating.

1#1 Best for Rooftop Bar

1/8

5 Stars High Hostel

Sector 1 / Piața Victoriei area (Str. Henri Coandă 25, 10 min walk to Museum of Art Collections, 15 min metro to Lipscani)

Excellent

320 reviews

8.5

5 Stars High Hostel is the 8.5-rated sun terrace + bar hostel on Strada Henri Coandă in Sector 1, a 10-minute walk from Piața Victoriei and the Museum of Art Collections. Private rooms only (no dorms), soundproofed walls, bar, garden, and the only 24-hour reception in the Henri Coandă cluster. Best value budget stay in the city per guests.

🍻Rooftop Bar

8.5 from 320 reviews with "best budget stay in the city" called out repeatedly — soundproof walls, heating that works through winter, daily housekeepingSun terrace with bar for evening drinks, garden seating downstairs, à la carte breakfast available (not buffet)24-hour reception with actual humans — rare at this price point, useful for late Otopeni arrivals via the CFR trainPrivate rooms only (no shared dorms), family rooms with private bathrooms, ideal for couples and small groups wanting hostel-budget privacy

From

€20//night

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Why travelers love 5 Stars High Hostel

“Guests repeatedly cite the cleanliness, soundproofing, reliable heating and hot water, and friendly 24/7 reception. The phrase "best budget stay in the city" appears in multiple reviews. Common gripes: the Sector 1 location means a 10-minute walk to the nearest metro and a 15-minute ride to Lipscani, and breakfast is à la carte not included (so it adds to the total).”

2#2 Best for Rooftop Bar

1/8

Popcorn Hostel

Gara de Nord area (26 Strada Pisoni, Sector 1, 7 min walk to North Railway Station, 10 min metro to Lipscani)

Good

420 reviews

7.7

Popcorn Hostel is the 7.7-rated backpacker hostel seven minutes on foot from Gara de Nord train station, with a sun terrace, shared kitchen, games room, outdoor fireplace, and evening entertainment programme. €14 dorms, walking-tour desk, BBQ facilities in the garden, and the most backpacker-heavy crowd of any Bucharest hostel we cover.

🍻Rooftop Bar🎉Social Events🍳Kitchen🚶City Tours

7.7 from 420 reviews — the highest review-count among Bucharest hostels we cover, with "close to station" and "great kitchen" cited repeatedlySun terrace, garden with outdoor fireplace, BBQ facilities — the social-scene anchor from May through SeptemberEvening entertainment programme (live DJ nights, pub crawl pickups, trivia) — actually scheduled, not "ask reception"7 min walk to Gara de Nord, 10 min by metro to Piața Universității / Lipscani; walking-distance to Otopeni CFR train platform

From

€14//night

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Why travelers love Popcorn Hostel

“Guests repeatedly mention the proximity to Gara de Nord, the well-equipped kitchen, friendly and patient staff who help with questions, clean facilities, and comfy beds. Complaints tend to focus on the surrounding station blocks (not always picturesque), the occasional noise from the ground-floor lounge until 23:00, and the fact that BBQ equipment needs to be signed out at reception.”

💡Tips for Choosing a Hostel with Rooftop Bar in Bucharest

15 Stars High's sun terrace opens in May and closes end of September; outside that window the garden shuts and drinks are served at the indoor lounge bar.
2Popcorn's BBQ kit is free to borrow but needs to be signed out at reception — grab pan and tongs, buy mici and beer at Obor or Mega Image, and set up in the garden on the picnic tables.
3Both rooftops close at 23:00 (quiet hours in dorms), so the Lipscani pub-crawl pickups at Popcorn time the 21:30 departure around that close — you'll finish drinks on the terrace, then walk to the first bar.
4Hostel rooftops in Bucharest aren't dressy — come in the shorts and flip-flops you were in all day, no bouncer is going to judge your outfit.
5The downtown rooftop bars (Nomad Skybar, Linea, Biutiful) are still worth one night for the skyline photo over the Parliament Palace — hit one as a splurge, but sleep and regular drinks at the hostel rooftops.