The Best Rooftop Bars in Arequipa with Views of Misti
A pisco sour in hand, Misti lit up by the sunset behind you, and the Plaza de Armas glowing below. These are the Arequipa rooftops that will take your breath away — from the view and from the altitude.
There is something particularly satisfying about sipping a drink from the rooftop of a sillar building while the city below has been in exactly the same place for four hundred years. Arequipa has some of the best-view terraces in all of Peru, and the fact that most are unknown outside the city makes them even more special.
The benchmark: Casona Forum
The Casona Forum rooftop, on Calle Santa Catalina 204, is the reference point against which all others are measured. Four floors above street level, direct views of the volcanoes, and a cocktail menu that includes original creations with pisco from the Majes valley bodegas. On Friday evenings there is live music and capacity fills before 9pm. Arrive early or make a reservation.
The perfect Arequipa rooftop does not exist on any app. You find it by asking someone good-looking on the street.
The secret: La Trattoria del Monasterio
Few people know that La Trattoria del Monasterio restaurant, directly across from the Convent of Santa Catalina, has access to a private second-floor terrace from which you can see the illuminated exterior convent wall at night. It is not a bar terrace — it is a restaurant terrace — but the bartender makes ginger chilcanos that justify the visit on their own.
For something more local: El Buen Pastor
In the Yanahuara neighborhood, the terrace of café-restaurant El Buen Pastor has the best free view of Misti in the city. It is not a rooftop bar but a corner terrace on the second floor of a traditional Arequipa house. Entry is free, you order what you like, and on Sunday afternoons there are Andean music groups. Prices are those of a real neighborhood, not a tourist one.
The newest: Almirante Rooftop
Opened in 2025, the Almirante Rooftop on Calle Álvarez Thomas 114 has quickly become a favorite of Arequipa's new generation. Creative cocktail menu with Andean ingredients, DJ on Thursdays and Saturdays, and a 270-degree view that includes Chachani and Pichu Pichu alongside Misti. Opens at 5pm, closes at 1am.
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