Picture it: August in Madrid, 36 degrees by mid-afternoon, and you've just walked out of the Prado Museum with sore feet and a head full of Goya. Every local with a car has fled to the coast. You have a hotel key card and, if you booked well, a pool waiting for you on the roof with views of the Madrid skyline and a cocktail menu. That's why people look for a hotel in Madrid with a pool.
Most rooftop pools in Madrid are on the small side, made for a dip and a drink with a view rather than for laps, and almost all of them close for the winter. These are the hotels with pools I've been recommending to my guests for years, and the ones they come back happiest from. For each one I tell you what the pool is really like: how big, how busy, when it opens, and who's allowed in.
A tip on pool sizes
Hotel pool photos are shot with wide-angle lenses from the far corner, so a 6-metre plunge pool can look like a lido. If swimming actual lengths matters to you, ask the hotel for the pool's dimensions before you book. Few will publish them, but Pestana Plaza Mayor does (13.2 by 2 metres), and that tells you more than any photo.
As a rough guide: the indoor pools at the Four Seasons and the Mandarin Oriental Ritz (both 14 metres) and the big rooftop at Hotel Emperador are the only ones here where you can swim properly. Everywhere else, think dip, float, cocktail, repeat.
Madrid hotels with pools: interactive map
Every hotel in this guide is in central Madrid, within walking distance of Puerta del Sol, Gran Vía or the Paseo del Prado. Click any hotel in the list or any pin on the map.
Best hotels with pools in Madrid for actual swimming
If you want to swim rather than float, these five have the biggest pools in central Madrid. Two are indoor, so they work in January as well as July.
Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
Pool: Indoor, heated, 14 metres, open all year. Long enough for real lengths. Ages 12 and over.
The pool sits on the eighth floor under a skylight, with glass walls and a sun terrace looking over the rooftops. It is part of a four-level spa, so a massage after a long museum day is one lift ride away. You are a 5-minute walk from Puerta del Sol and within walking distance of the Prado Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. The pool is reserved for guests aged 12 and over, worth knowing if you are travelling with young kids.
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid
Pool: Indoor, heated, 14 metres, open all year. Swimmable, plus a vitality pool and steam room.
The most beautiful hotel pool in Madrid, and I don't think that's a close call. White marble veined in grey, chandeliers, and a ceiling lit with Madrid's constellations. The water is warm and the spa is kept spotless. Step outside and the Prado Museum is across the road, El Retiro a few minutes further. No rooftop and no city views from the water. You are swimming in a palace instead.
Hotel Emperador
Pool: Outdoor rooftop, open May to September. The largest rooftop pool in Madrid. Lively on weekends.
If you want a proper outdoor pool on Gran Vía, this is the one. The tenth-floor terrace is much bigger than the other hotel rooftops in town, with sun loungers, Bali beds and a cocktail bar. Day passes are sold to the public, so hot weekends have a lively pool-party feel; for a calm swim, go on a weekday morning. The Sky Bar stays open year round.
The Madrid EDITION
Pool: Outdoor rooftop infinity pool, seasonal. Big for Madrid, with 25 sunbeds and 5 cabanas. Guests only.
The biggest infinity pool of any luxury hotel in central Madrid, on a fourth-floor rooftop above the old streets behind Sol. It is guests only, which keeps it calmer than the public rooftops. Sunbeds can't be reserved, so my advice: be up there by 10:30 if you want a bed. The rooftop bar does good cocktails at sunset.
Pestana Plaza Mayor Madrid
Pool: Two pools. Indoor heated pool all year, plus a rooftop pool June to September: 13.2 m long but only 2 m wide.
The only hotel on this list with both an indoor and an outdoor pool, which makes it the safest bet if you are not sure what the weather will do. The rooftop pool is long and narrow, so you can actually swim lengths, and the terrace around it is cosy. Capacity is 30 people. Under-18s have restricted hours. The location, steps from Plaza Mayor, is hard to beat.
Rooftop pool hotels on and around Gran Vía (small pools, big views)
This is where most of Madrid's famous rooftop pools are. The views of the city are the real draw. The pools themselves are small: think a cool dip and a cocktail with the city at your feet.
Riu Plaza España
Pool: Outdoor heated pool on the 21st floor, summer only, guests only. Small, with some of the best views in the city.
The views are the reason to book: the pool is on the 21st floor of the Edificio España, with the Royal Palace and Casa de Campo laid out below. The pool itself is small for a hotel this big, so in July and August go up early for a lounger. It is a cool-off with panoramic views rather than a swim, and my guests often tell me the sunset from up there was the moment of their trip.
Dear Hotel Madrid
Pool: Small rooftop pool on the 14th floor, guests only. A dip pool with 360° views.
A chic boutique hotel whose 14th-floor rooftop pool turns up in a lot of Madrid Instagram feeds. The pool is small, but the views over Plaza de España, the Royal Palace and the mountains beyond more than make up for it. Guests only, so it stays relaxed. If the pool is the main reason you're booking, check with the hotel that it's open on your dates.
VP Plaza España Design
Pool: Rooftop pool on the 12th floor, roughly late May to late September. Small, and sunbeds are easy to get.
The pool has a glass bottom, so you float above The Waterfall, a 25-metre sculpture running down the inside of the building. Fun, and a great photo. The pool is small, and getting a sunbed is never a struggle. The spa is separate and has an entry fee unless you book a suite. Rooms are big and modern, and the Royal Palace is a short walk south.
Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá
Pool: Rooftop pool and small hot tub, warmer months only, guests only. Made for cooling off rather than exercise.
A converted ducal palace a few minutes from the Teatro Real, the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral. The rooftop pool is small (fine for cooling down, not for exercise), but there is a hot tub, waiter service at the private beds and views in every direction. Non-guests can't get in, so it stays quiet. The Michelin-starred Dos Cielos restaurant is downstairs.
Thompson Madrid, by Hyatt
Pool: Small heated rooftop infinity pool, seasonal (closed in winter), guests only.
Probably the best central location on this list: Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía are both a couple of minutes away. The marble infinity-edge pool on the roof is small and shallow, but it rarely gets crowded. The rooftop bar is open to the public, the pool is not. Come up for a short dip and a cocktail. My guests love being able to walk everywhere from here.
Hotel Urban
Pool: Small rooftop pool, summer only (June to August).
A design hotel full of the owner's art collection, on the edge of the Barrio de las Letras. The rooftop terrace has a cocktail bar and a small pool, open in the summer months only. Both the pool and the gym are small but well kept. Its real advantage is the walk: the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía are all within 10 to 15 minutes.
Good to know
The Riu Plaza España is inside the Edificio España, finished in 1953 and for a few years the tallest building in Spain, until the Torre de Madrid went up next door. It stood empty for years before reopening as a hotel in 2019. The rooftop bar on the 27th floor is open to non-guests too, so even if you stay elsewhere you can see the view at sunset.
Year-round pools and cheaper boutique picks
Visiting between October and April? Most rooftop pools are closed by then. These are the options that stay open, plus two 3-star hotels where a rooftop pool doesn't cost 5-star money.
Barceló Torre de Madrid
Pool: Indoor pool, open all year. Compact. You book one-hour slots, and kids can use it from 14:00 to 17:00 only.
The hotel is inside the Torre de Madrid, the 142-metre tower that overtook its neighbour as Spain's tallest building in the 1950s. The indoor pool and sauna run on booked one-hour slots, and on rainy days they fill up. The water is on the cool side, so think a brisk, refreshing swim rather than a spa soak, and you can have it on a grey day in January.
Axel Hotel Madrid (Adults Only)
Pool: Heated rooftop pool, open all year. Narrow, with room for three or four swimmers.
One of the very few rooftop pools in Madrid that stays open and heated in winter. Axel is an LGBTQ+ hotel that welcomes everyone, and the rooftop Sky Bar is part of Madrid's nightlife, with music on much of the day. The vibe is great and the pool is cosy, best enjoyed with a drink from the bar. It is a social, upbeat place, ideal if you like a buzz.
Room Mate Macarena
Pool: Small rooftop plunge pool, May to September, guests only. For cooling off, not swimming.
One of the cheapest ways to get a rooftop pool on Gran Vía itself. La Terraza de Macarena sits on top of the building with a bar and views along the avenue, and the pool is for hotel guests only, open daily in summer until 18:30. It is a plunge pool, so think a refreshing dip between sightseeing and dinner rather than lengths. The rooms are better designed than the price suggests, and Callao metro is a minute away.
Room Mate Óscar
Pool: Small seasonal rooftop pool, early June to end of September. Free for guests, limited capacity, no under-14s.
Like Macarena, one of the few 3-star hotels in central Madrid with a rooftop pool at all. It is in Chueca, a short walk north of Gran Vía. The pool is small and capacity-limited, and the rooftop bar next to it is open to the public until late, so summer evenings come with music and a lively crowd, a fun way to start a night out in Chueca.
One more rooftop worth knowing
Hotel Indigo Madrid Gran Vía, an IHG hotel, has a seasonal rooftop pool on the 12th floor, a lovely place to relax after a day of sightseeing. It is made for a dip rather than a swim, so it is ideal if you want a sunset drink with your feet in the water.
Plan ahead
Rooftop pools usually open sometime in May or June and close in September, and the exact dates change every year. If you're travelling in May, early June or late September, email the hotel before you book and ask if the pool will be open on your dates. Two minutes of email beats arriving to a covered pool.
No hotel pool? Madrid's 25 municipal outdoor pools open in summer, usually from mid-May to early September. The one in Casa de Campo is the best known, and a ticket costs very little.
Which hotel with a pool should you choose?
Want lengths before breakfast all year round: the Four Seasons or the Mandarin Oriental Ritz. Want the biggest outdoor pool on Gran Vía: Hotel Emperador, on a weekday. Want the view more than the swim: Dear Hotel or the Riu Plaza España. Travelling with kids: check the age rules first, because several of these pools have them. And whichever you pick, do what Madrileños do in August: sightsee in the morning, hide from the 4pm heat in the water, then head out again for dinner at ten.
Frequently asked questions
Is pool access included in the room rate?
At almost every hotel on this list, yes: the pool is free for guests. The usual extras are spa areas rather than pools. VP Plaza España Design charges for its spa unless you book a suite, and Barceló Torre de Madrid has charged some room categories for wellness access in the past. If the pool matters, check the room rate's inclusions before you pay.
Which hotels in Madrid have an indoor pool?
The Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Pestana Plaza Mayor and Barceló Torre de Madrid all have indoor pools that open year round. Pestana also has a rooftop pool in summer. The Axel Hotel's rooftop pool is outdoors but heated and open all year, for adults only.
Can non-guests use hotel pools in Madrid?
A few sell day passes. Hotel Emperador sells passes to its rooftop pool in summer, and Axel Hotel lets non-guests in on weekends for a fee. Most others, including the Madrid EDITION, Dear Hotel, Thompson and Palacio de los Duques, are guests only.
Can kids use the pools at these hotels?
Check before booking. Room Mate Óscar does not allow under-14s at the pool, the Four Seasons pool is for ages 12 and over, Pestana Plaza Mayor limits under-18s to certain hours, Barceló Torre de Madrid has a children's slot in the afternoon, and Axel is adults only.
Where is the best area to stay in Madrid for a hotel with a pool?
Gran Vía and Plaza de España have the biggest cluster of rooftop pool hotels, with easy walks to the Royal Palace and Puerta del Sol. If you'd rather be near the art museums, the Four Seasons, the Ritz and Hotel Urban put the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía within a short walk.
