Key Takeaways
- The Olympia London regeneration — a landmark £1 billion redevelopment — has transformed a beloved Victorian exhibition hall into one of West London's most exciting mixed-use destinations, complete with rooftop bars offering sweeping 360-degree views across the London skyline.
- The rooftop venues are a centrepiece of the new Olympia, not an afterthought, sitting above a luxury hotel, two live performance theatres, and a curated dining quarter.
- Non-alcoholic cocktail menus and halal-friendly snack plates are available at select venues — confirm with staff on arrival as menus rotate seasonally.
- Soft cocktails and mocktails start from around £12; signature cocktails reach £22 and above. No mandatory minimum spend outside ticketed events.
- Arriving before 6 pm on a weekday gives you a quieter experience and more attentive service — ideal for guests who want personalised non-alcoholic recommendations.
- Kensington (Olympia) station on the London Overground is a two-minute walk from the main entrance on Hammersmith Road, W14.
Introduction: A Victorian Landmark Reborn Above the Rooftops
Few regeneration stories in recent London history are as compelling as that of Olympia London. What was once a grand but ageing Victorian exhibition hall — beloved for its ornate 1886 ironwork and its decades of trade shows and equestrian events — has been reborn as a genuinely world-class destination. The £1 billion redevelopment, completed in phases from 2023 onward, has layered luxury hospitality, live entertainment, and a remarkable new rooftop bar scene on top of one of West Kensington's most iconic structures. For Arab, Gulf and Muslim travellers visiting London, the new Olympia represents something particularly welcome: an elevated, design-led venue where non-alcoholic options are taken seriously, the views are extraordinary, and the atmosphere rewards those who know where to look.
When our team visited during the opening season, what struck us most was not the scale of the transformation — impressive as that is — but the care with which the contemporary additions sit above the historic fabric below. Standing on the upper terraces at dusk, with the BT Tower visible to the north and the Shard catching the last of the evening light to the east, it is easy to forget that you are perched above a building that has stood since the reign of Queen Victoria. That tension between old and new is precisely what makes the Olympia London rooftop bars worth your time.
What Is the New Rooftop Scene at Olympia London?
The Olympia London rooftop is not a last-minute addition bolted onto an existing structure — it is the crown of a deliberate, decade-in-the-making vision. The Olympia London redevelopment has reimagined this 135-year-old Victorian exhibition hall as a fully mixed-use destination combining culture, hospitality, live entertainment, and elevated drinking. According to Olympia London's official press materials, the venue attracted over 1.5 million visitors annually even before the redevelopment began — a figure that underscores just how embedded Olympia already was in London's cultural calendar, and how much higher the ambitions for its next chapter have been set.
The rooftop level sits at the apex of the complex, accessible by dedicated lifts from the main atrium. From up here, the panorama is genuinely impressive: on a clear day, you can trace the Thames to the south, pick out the green expanse of Hyde Park to the northeast, and watch aircraft making their final approach into Heathrow to the west. It is the kind of view that rewards lingering — and the design of the rooftop spaces, with generous outdoor terracing and thought
