It’s a sunny afternoon and you’re deciding where to go. Rooftop bar or beer garden? If the whole point is sitting in the sun, one of them usually has the edge. But it’s not always the better choice.
The short answer
Rooftops usually get more sun. Beer gardens are better for shade, shelter and space.
Why rooftops get more sun
Shadows come from whatever sits between you and the sun: buildings, trees, walls and fences. In a beer garden, those are all around you. On a rooftop, most of them are below you.
This matters most when the sun is low, which is early in the morning, late in the afternoon and pretty much all day in winter. That’s when even a modest building can throw a long shadow across a garden, while the rooftop above it stays in the sun.
When the beer garden wins
- Hot days. Rooftops often have little shade. A beer garden with big trees or umbrellas lets you move between sun and shade.
- Windy days. The higher you go, the windier it gets. A walled beer garden stays sheltered when a rooftop feels chilly.
- Big groups. Beer gardens tend to have more room for groups, families and dogs.
- Winter. A sheltered suntrap at ground level can feel warmer than an exposed rooftop. Our guide to chasing winter sun explains how to find one.
Quick tips
- For evening sun, pick a rooftop with a clear view to the west.
- Check the neighbours. A rooftop surrounded by taller buildings can be shadier than a beer garden in the suburbs.
- For beer gardens, look for one that faces the sun and has open space around it. Our guide on which beer gardens get the most sun explains how.
Summing up
If you’re chasing every last ray, head up. If it’s hot, windy or you’ve got a crowd, a good beer garden is hard to beat. Either way, Sunny shows you pubs, beer gardens and rooftops in the sun right now, so you can see your options before you choose.
Header photo by Meg von Haartman on Unsplash, taken on a rooftop in Anchorage, Alaska.