Ateneo Sky Bar Restaurant

I have been in Valencia for 4 months now. Enough time to have located the best places for certain requirements. It never took me long to find where to go and how to get there as Valencia is pretty small and there’s so much to see, but you can do this in a few days.

Valencia is such a beautiful city, a small one at that. You never have to travel too far to find something amazing. In fact, you can probably explore the whole City in a day! Before moving to Spain, I had always loved sky bars and knew I wanted to make it my mission to try and find one in Valencia. I couldn’t think of anything better than a drink with a view. I knew England didn’t really have many, and if they did, they were usually quite pricey and most certainly didn’t have any nice ones in my home town.

Not only that, England didn’t really have the appropriate weather to enjoy a drink outside looking over amazing views. Of course, being a student, you never want to spend too much money on a sky bar. Usually one drink is enough to enjoy the atmosphere, and to get those instagram pictures sorted.

After speaking to friends I had met in Valencia, walking around the City and searching a little on google, I discovered Ateneo Sky Bar. At first I wasn't too sure. I couldn’t imagine it being really amazing. So I did what every other normal person may do… searched it on instagram.

This, for me, is the easiest way to get an accurate representation of how a place will look. The pictures were coming out great and many people seemed to be drinking a Gin and Tonic (one of my favourite drinks must I add).

It became a no-brainer. I wanted to try it out for myself. I didn’t really have anything to lose.

The sky bar is located not too far from Colon metro station: Carrer de Moratín, 12, 46002 València. Which was perfect for me living in Benimaclet as all I had to do was take the number three or number nine metro from Dr. Vincent Zaragoza and I am there in six minutes. It wasn’t too much of a trek at all. And I already knew the surrounding area very well, so I knew for sure I didn’t have the risk of getting lost.

I arrived in Valencia at the end of July and so the weather was the perfect excuse to go and visit a sky bar. I couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy a drink outside. I had already embraced drinks on the beach and watching the sunset, but I wanted something different. A little more sophisticated. Before I arrived, I had a little trouble finding the entrance. The lift to the sky bar is situated in a very fancy building, one I wasn’t sure was correct or not. But I took the risk and entered the building.

To my luck, I was asked if I was looking for Ateneo, because of course this must be the sole reason people enter this building. To which I replied yes. The kind gentlemen then directed me to a lift, in which I was told to wait and press the correct number. So I did.

The biggest downfall to this rooftop bar is the €3 cover charge per person which you have to pay when you arrive at the entrance. However, this does then give you €1 back on any drink, so at least you get to save some money on the drink prices. I had a glass of red wine. It was a decent size, I’d say a medium, but the price was only €3 thanks to the discounted price. Which I didn’t think was too bad.

The skybar wasn’t as busy as I’d expected when I first arrived. Presumably because of the entry fee and not many people wanting to pay. This had a downfall effect on the atmosphere, but also meant I could sit next to the balcony and get the best views. I am the type of person that loves visiting places with a nice atmosphere. Not too busy, not too quiet. I had wondered if it were only a little quiet due to the time I arrived. I arrived at around 9:00 pm which apparently was late for this sky bar as it shuts at 10pm which I found fairly strange.

This sky bar is more of an early evening, late dinner type of place. Not really where you should visit if you hope to arrive at 9 and have a few drinks as before 10 they will start to redirect you to the bar downstairs as they have to prepare for closing.

All in all, if you’re thinking of going to a sky bar whilst in Valencia, I would definitely give this one a go. It’s not too shabby and is worth the money if you stick to the cheaper drinks and not the jug of sangria that costs 22€!