The 37 most beautiful cafes on Earth

On a holiday, the cafe is everyone’s favourite postcard-scribbling spot: a space to relax, gather thoughts, remember loved ones; cafes in every country offer a completely different experience.

In Italy, cafes are all about energy and urban hustle – a quick shot, a brief exchange of news and gossip, and off to work or play we go.

Budapest’s Cafe New York claims to be the world’s most beautiful cafe – and it’s difficult to mount a counter-argument.Credit: Getty Images

In Turkey, cafes are social, there to slow life down, with soft, wide seats and perhaps a hookah pipe to puff.

In Paris – and those many cities that emulate it, from Buenos Aires to Tangier to Taiwan – the cafe is a way of life: it’s where to be alone, where to flirt, where to confess, confer, create.

My favourite cafes are almost as dear to me as the places where I’ve lived. When I go back to certain cities, especially in my favourite continent, South America, I head for those cafes – to toast my happy return and touch base.

A visit to a cafe, especially the grandest ones, can be as important a pilgrimage site as a cathedral, a museum, an ancient ruin or a modern architectural marvel.

But cafes also offer that human, social quality, like pubs (even if the booze is optional). Here, then, is my selection of the world’s most beautiful cafes, along with choices by travel writers who live in many of the featured cities.
- Chris Moss

CONTRIBUTORS: Annie Bennett, Sally Davies, David Farley, Anne Hanley, Neil Hegarty, Hannah Meltzer, Chris Moss, Adrian Phillips, Paul Sullivan, Will Tizard, Kerry Walker

Cafe Central, Vienna, Austria

Cafe Central, dressed for Christmas.Credit: Getty Images

While Vienna’s most palatial coffeehouse is certainly no secret, it’s special nonetheless. Marble pillars prop up a high, spectacularly vaulted ceiling, and black-waistcoated waiters breeze around with whipped cream-topped coffees and impressive-looking hunks of chocolate-truffle Altenberg Torte. Since it opened in 1876, famous regulars have included Leon Trotsky and Sigmund Freud. Herrengasse 14. See cafecentral.wien

Cafe Braunerhof, Vienna

Cafe Braunerhof is popular with writers and wannabes.Credit: Alamy

Gloomy novelist Thomas Bernhard used to perch here, but don’t let that put you off. The Braunerhof is not consciously a literary hangout, but it attracts more than its fair share of writers and – a more numerous group – those who would like to be writers. Some coffee houses look better when they are busy. This one looks best when the lunchtime crowd has left, leaving afternoon dreamers to flick through the mighty selection of newspapers. Stallburggasse 2; no website

Cafe Leopold Hawelka, Vienna

Cafe Leopold Hawelka: quietly bohemian.Credit: Getty Images

The Austrian capital is a serious coffee city, with several historic dens frequented by composers, artists, writers, generals and dukes. Some are mobbed by tourists. Many are fustian and overwrought. The Hawelka, opened in the dark year of 1939, still manages to feel local and quietly bohemian, and a little removed from the main tourist circuits. There are no cappuccinos or lattes here, but, rather, mélange, schwarzer and einspanner. Dorotheergasse 6. See hawelka.at

New York Cafe, Budapest, Hungary

Inside the New York Cafe, Budapest.

This institution claims to be the world’s most beautiful cafe – and it’s difficult to mount a counter-argument. During the 19th century, it was the regular haunt of some of Hungary’s leading artists and poets, but they must have struggled to concentrate when surrounded by such opulence. There are ceiling frescoes, sculpted cherubs, railings upholstered with red velvet, gilded columns and other fancy trappings that attract as many selfie-takers as coffee drinkers. Erzsebet krt. 9-11. See newyorkcafe.hu

Cafe Americain, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Art nouveau beauty: Cafe Americain.Credit: Alamy

A 1902 art nouveau beauty – as far removed from the brown, boozy “coffee houses” as the diamond merchants are from the dope dealers. Leaded stained-glass windows and Tiffany lamps keep the interior soothingly low-lit, and dark wood floors and geometric decor add a sober, rather Dutch edge to the luxurious excess. Take a stool at the gorgeous curved bar or bag one of the spacious booths for an Amsterdam breakfast featuring fruit loaf, nettle cheese and ox sausage. Leidsekade 97. See cafeamericain.nl

Pastelaria-Padaria Sao Roque, Lisbon, Portugal

Pastelaria-Padaria Sao Roque: a glory to behold.Credit: Alamy

With its domed ceiling, ornate azulejos and copper-coloured columns topped with gold capitals, this splendid art nouveau coffee and cake shop on the edge of the historic Bairro Alto is a glory to behold. Freshly baked bread, pastries, light snacks and strong bicas (espressos, which in Portugal use robusta as well as arabica beans) and cappuccinos are served at the glass-topped curved counter or at small tables – with seating outside. Rua Dom Pedro V 57; no website

Cafe Majestic, Porto, Portugal

Cafe Majestic, Porto.Credit: Alamy

Formerly the Elite, this 1921 establishment dazzles before you even get near it. The art nouveau marble facade, with its dozens of small windows and elaborate tracery, turns gold when the lights come on inside. With its heavy varnished woodwork, leather upholstery and ornate mirrors, it’s just the kind of place where you can imagine port vineyard bosses meeting their landed friends; the menu, as well as a range of coffees and cakes, features desserts matched to vintage ports. Rua Santa Catarina, 112. See cafemajestic.com

Breizh Cafe, Paris, France

This is the place that made the pancake gourmet, and although not particularly budget-friendly as creperies go, it’s streets ahead of the competition in terms of quality. While creperies are often dismissed as restaurants for children, here, the setting is akin to a distressed beach hut. The choice of savoury galettes and sweet crepes ranges from classic complete (egg, cheese and ham) to imaginative creations. 109 rue Vieille-du-Temple. See breizhcafe.com

Cafe de Flore, Paris

Cafe de Flore in Paris.Credit: iStock

It may be a bit of an influencer trap these days, but the legendary Cafe de Flore in Saint-Germain is still worth a visit. Once the haunt of activists and writers such as De Beauvoir and Sartre, you can just picture them there in the ’50s and ’60s, putting the world to rights amid the tiled floor and red leather banquettes. The terrace overlooking Boulevard Saint-Germain is undeniably gorgeous but the interior is best for people-watching. 172 Bd Saint-Germain. See cafedeflore.fr

Cafe Montmartre, Prague, Czechia

Pared-back simplicity: Cafe Montmarte.Credit: Alamy

The Czech capital has its fair share of grand cafes and bohemian bars, but this 24-year-old reconstruction of a legendary 1912 venue stands out for attention to detail, pared-back simplicity and cool clientele. Beneath the barrel-like vaulted ceiling, 20s-style armchairs, tables and antiques, and lovely low lighting, create an atmosphere that would suit a political complot; apt then that Kafka mulled over metaphysics in the original Montmartre. Retezova 7; no website

Cafe Savoy, Prague

Cafe Savoy: restored to its former glory.Credit: Getty Images

This old European-style cafe on the Left Bank has been lovingly restored to its 19th-century glory, with locals flocking here for brunch, which consists of fresh croissants, melt-in-your-mouth Prague ham and creamy coffee, served beneath ornate high ceilings peppered with dapper designer chandeliers by Veronika Richterova. The crowd is artsy and bohemian – especially around lunchtime when specials such as the classic schnitzel are served. Vitezna 124/5. See cafesavoy.ambi.cz

Schwarzes Cafe, Berlin, Germany

Schwarzes Cafe is open around the clock.Credit: Getty Images

Once a haunt of the West Berlin cognoscenti (including David Bowie and Iggy Pop), the Schwarzes Cafe remains a bona fide Charlottenburg institution. It’s one of the few spots in Berlin that’s open around the clock and attracts tourists and locals as it shifts between being a bar, cafe and restaurant. Food tends towards the traditional (schnitzel and spaetzle), with drinks including some great lagers and wheat beers. Kantstraße 148. See schwarzescafe-berlin.de

Konditori Ritorno, Stockholm, Sweden

Skip the hipster espresso bars and enjoy the retro charm of this 1959 institution. Dark wood tables, yellow walls, lots of nude oils and a red carpet hit the sweet point between funky and homey, and a crowd of elderly regulars and younger customers ensures a nice atmosphere. Free filter coffee refills and big cream buns. Odengatan 80-82. See ritorno.se

Cafe de l’Opera, Barcelona, Spain

Cafe de l’Opera is an unmissable stop.Credit: Alamy

Named for the Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house opposite, this is an unmissable stop on La Rambla. Frozen in time, with its ornate furnishing and tarnished mirrors, it has old-school waiters to match. They’ve seen it all, from the divas dropping in for a nightcap after a show to busloads of tourists, and remain unflappable. The cafe serves the usual fare, with tapas, sandwiches, cakes and – rather more unexpectedly – an excellent list of whiskies. La Rambla, 74, Ciutat Vella. See cafeoperabcn.com

Gran Cafe de Gijon, Madrid, Spain

Cafe de Gijon: a favourite of poets, writers and artists.Credit: Alamy

Sitting on a red velvet banquette at a marble table in the Gijon, sipping a cafe con leche and reading a book is a quintessential Madrid experience. A favourite of poets, writers and artists since it opened in 1888 – Federico García Lorca, Luis Bunuel and Pablo Neruda were all regulars – it is one of the few traditional cafes left in the city. Nobel-prize winner Camilo Jose Cela’s novel La Colmena (The Hive) was inspired by the Gijon’s colourful 1940s clientele. Paseo de Recoletos, 21. See cafegijon.com

Caffe Gambrinus, Naples, Italy

Legendary: Gran Caffe Gambrinus.Credit: Getty Images

Behind the imposing 1860 facade is an operatic Belle Epoque fantasy of crystal chandeliers, marble floors, finely sculptured stucco, bas-reliefs and oils by Neapolitan landscape artists. The panettone, pastries and ice-cream are among the best in the city – the sfogliatella riccia (lobster tail pastry filled with cream) is legendary – and the espressos hot and strong. Clients have included Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre. Via Chiaia 1, Piazza Trieste e Trento 42. See grancaffegambrinus.com

Caffe San Marco, Trieste, Italy

Caffe San Marco: an opulent secession-style interior and beautiful frescoes.Credit: Alamy

Italy’s most underrated city was once the seaside outpost of the Habsburg Empire. No wonder, then, that it has several cafes as grand as any in Vienna. Trieste was once a major port for coffee arriving from Africa and Asia; Triestinos have about 40 words for coffee, and they’re precise about how they want it served. This elegant, expansive bookshop cafe, opened in 1914, has an opulent secession-style interior and beautiful frescoes. Via Battisti 18. See caffesanmarco.com

Caffe al Bicerin, Turin, Italy

Caffe Bicerin in Turin’s city centre.Credit: Alamy

Any visitor to this handsome Piedmontese city, home to the headquarters of Lavazza, will soon discover that bicerin is a rich coffee, chocolate and cream drink – ideal for Alpine winter afternoons. Whether or not it was invented in this venerable cafe, here since 1763, is open to question – but the place does a mean version. Quite small and cosy but full of handsome mirrors, marble tables and wrought-iron fixtures, Caffe al Bicerin’s customers have included Nietzsche, Puccini and Umberto Eco (who features the cafe in The Prague Cemetery). Piazza della Consolata, 5. See bicerin.it

Caffe Florian, Venice, Italy

Cafe Florian: a living museum of Venetian coffee culture.Credit: Getty Images

This Piazza San Marco cafe, founded in 1720, is a living museum of Venetian coffee culture, with a jewel box of an interior dating back to the mid-19th century. During the Austrian occupation, Venetian patriots (and Lord Byron) plotted revolution here over coffee and cakes. Note that tables outside in the square carry a per-person “music surcharge’” when the band is playing. Head to the bar area at the back, if management permits, with its velvet stools and no table surcharge. P.za San Marco, 57. See caffeflorian.com

Pellegrini’s, Melbourne

Pelligrini’s: classic espresso bar.Credit: Justin McManus

Since 1954 – long before this city’s oft-reported barista boom – this classic espresso bar has been providing shots of superb Italian-style coffee (using the same Vittoria beans over all those years), as well as proper ravioli, minestrone soup and granitas. The classic chequered floor, dusty posters and paintings, flash of neon and two long rows of stools draw regulars as well as celebrities including Hollywood stars Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins and Russell Crowe. 68 Bourke Street (On Facebook)

Paramount Coffee Project, Sydney

Paramount Coffee Project: cool, clever and kind.

Plus ça change. Coluzzi’s has closed. The Piccolo is a cocktail bar. The service at the Central Station cafe is as underwhelming as the commuter trains. Sydney has plenty of hip barista joints and minimal holes in the wall, though. Industrial-chic PCP is light-filled, hygienically tiled and feels ultra-contemporary, with potted plants and work-friendly desk-type tables and stools. V60s are available, but the coffee menu is stylishly short and to the point. It opened in 2013 and says its ethos is to support farmers, importing small batches of ethically sourced beans and inviting the best Australian roasters to work their magic. Cool, clever and kind. 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills (paramountcoffeeproject.com.au)

Bar Britanico, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bar Britanico: classic corner cafe.Credit: Getty Images

Opened in 1928 on the site of an old pulperia – a general store associated with the gaucho era – this classic corner cafe has chequered tiling on the floors, small wooden tables designed for intimacy and the many solo clients, ceiling fans, typically Argentine “fileteado” ornamental signage, and large windows overlooking two old streets in San Telmo. A drinking den for British railway workers, the mad generals of the last dictatorship (1976-83) insisted it should be renamed El Tanico. 399 Ave Brasil; no website

Cafe La Biela, Buenos Aires

A meeting place: Cafe La BielaCredit: Alamy

One of the great capitals of coffee culture, Buenos Aires has more than 80 “cafes notables” – historic bars and cafes listed by the city government and supposedly, but not always, protected. Laid-back, discreetly decorated La Biela, while iconic, is still a place for locals to meet over a well-made cortado. In refined Recoleta, not five minutes walk from the marble-walled necropolis where Evita is entombed alongside the aristocrats she detested, it was always a hang-out for the smart set. In the 50s, racing drivers caroused here (“biela” is “con rod”). Corner of Junín and Quintana. See labiela.com

Fazil Bey, Istanbul, Turkey

This Kadikoy stalwart opened in 1923. Everything about it is busy, from the gaudy tiles on the bar and underfoot to the chaotic clutter of sacks and machinery to the constant traffic of customers. Top-grade Brazilian beans are roasted and ground on site then brewed in a small copper pan known as a cezve and served with a piece of Turkish delight. Fazil Bey has several branches, but this is the original. 1a Serasker Cad; no website

Cafe La Habana, Mexico City, Mexico

If there were a competition for Biggest Cafe Boast when it comes to clients, this cavernous 1952 establishment in the Juarez neighbourhood would win it. Legend holds not only that Fidel Castro and Che Guevara plotted the Cuban revolution here, but also that the exiled Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote some of his 1967 novel One Hundred Years of Solitude here. Waitresses are a bit sour – as is the coffee (locals add condensed milk) – but the high walls and dangling fans evoke a different Mexico City. 62 Avenida Morelos; on Facebook

Cafe Brasilero, Montevideo, Uruguay

Cafe Brasilero: humble. Credit: Alamy

Like most things in the Uruguayan capital, this “grand old” cafe – opened in 1877 – is actually rather small and humble. Plain wooden tables and panelling, monochrome photographs on the walls, handsome chandeliers and a cool, low-lit interior make it feel writerly. Author Eduardo Galeano was a regular, the Cafe Galeano, with amaretto, honouring his memory. In the Old City, but off the main pedestrianised drag. 1447 Ituzaingo; no website

Cafe Olimpico, Montreal, Canada

Cafe Olimpico: permanently busy.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Montreal’s once Frenchified cafe scene is now dominated by “invite only” community clubs, polyvalent workspaces and opportunists claiming Leonard Cohen penned his early masterpieces on their stools. Olimpico is great because it’s just a cafe. Opened in 1970 in the arty (increasingly gentrified) Mile End district, it’s a permanently busy, bustling little brown-hued cafe, turning out superb espressos, macchiatos and cappuccinos to a mixed clientele. 124 Rue St-Viateur West. See cafeolimpico.com

Caffe Reggio, New York, US

Caffe Reggio: New York’s “original cappuccino bar”.Credit: Getty Images

This dimly lit Greenwich Village classic coffee shop claims the title of “the original cappuccino bar”, owner and barber Domenico Parisi having imported the first espresso machine to the US in 1927 to serve his customers while they waited. Sepia tones predominate, with moody oils and reliefs on the walls, intricately carved benches – with soft cushions – and the original machine, an ornate brass beauty, on show. Clients have included Bob Dylan and Joseph Brodsky. 119 MacDougal St. See caffereggio.com

Cafe Sabarsky, New York

Vienna style in New York: Cafe Sabarsky.Credit: Alamy

This handsome cafe on the ground floor of the Neue Galerie perfectly replicates the Secessionist-era coffee houses sprinkled throughout Vienna. There are even wooden newspaper holders hanging by the door for frequenters to catch up on the latest news. Michelin-starred Austrian kitchen wizard Kurt Gutenbrunner of restaurant Wallse fame has designed a menu of mitteleuropa classics. Period decor adds an old-world feel: wood-panelled walls, antique light fixtures, and upholstered banquettes. 1048 5th Ave. See neuegalerie.org

Confeitaria Colombo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Opulent: Confeitaria Colombo.Credit: Getty Images

Opened in 1894 by Portuguese immigrants, this opulent, high-ceilinged art nouveau-style salon is framed by a gorgeous stained-glass skylight and a multitude of mirrors and crystal glassware, harking back to Rio’s days as capital and economic powerhouse. Located in the Centro, it’s been the talking shop for presidents, intellectuals, writers and musicians. The downstairs cafe does a good selection of pastries, including classic Portuguese pastel de nata, with the first-floor balcony geared for dining. 32 Rua Goncalves Dias. See confeitariacolombo.com.br

Hakrim Dabang, Seoul, South Korea

In a city often considered in thrall to the new and techy, this 1956 dabang – traditional coffee shop – in the historic Jongno district makes for a venerable alternative. Formerly a hotbed of political discussion, when Korean students gathered to discuss democracy, it still has a student-oriented, arty feel, with cosy booths and old vinyl records on display. The house blends are consistently excellent, and the speciality cream cheesecake is great. 119 Daehak-ro. See hakrim.pe.kr

Cafe Paulista, Tokyo, Japan

The first Cafe Paulista (after Sao Paulo) opened in 1911 with free shipments of beans from Brazil, part of a scheme to promote coffee drinking in tea-loving Japan. The 1923 earthquake destroyed the original. This Ginza location opened in 1970 and is very much of that time: low-slung leather seats, houseplants and old engravings, and a general decor as brown as coffee. Beans are still imported from Brazil. 1F Nagasaki Centre Building, 8-9-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku. See paulista.co.jp

The Writer’s Coffee, La Paz, Bolivia

La Paz is not yet a serious coffopolis. New, trendy and oddly named, this small café tucked inside one of the Bolivian capital’s best-known bookshops, Gisbert, is by some measure the nicest place to rest when the teeming pavements of downtown – or the thin air – wear you out. Old typewriters honour the craft of the author, and skilled baristas turn out steamed, dripped, nitro and pressed brews, using excellent beans from the sultry Yungas region. 1270 Calle Comercio. See thewriterscoffee.com

Bewley’s, Dublin, Ireland

Bewley’s has undergone years of restoration.Credit: Alamy

It’s impossible to visit Dublin and not investigate the new incarnation of Bewley’s (bewleys.com), reopened recently after years of restoration. This fine old coffee house was a firm favourite for close on a century, and its renaissance is a cheering sight. Come here for coffee, savouries, sweet treats (including the signature Bewley’s cherry buns, and ‘Mary cake’, a rich confection of apricot and chocolate) – and to admire the glorious Harry Clarke stained-glass windows which illuminate the cafe. 78-79 Grafton Street. See bewleysgraftonstreet.com

Gran Cafe de Paris, Tangier, Morocco

Gran Cafe de Paris has been used as a movie location.Credit: Getty Images

It’s natural that the city of rogues and writers, spies and sleazeballs, should have a cafe culture. The Gran Café, gracing the corner across from Morocco’s French consulate since 1927, has plenty of seats outside, where locals chatter, watch the traffic and smoke (they smoke inside, too) over cafés au lait.

The furniture is retro; soft vinyl wraparound seats and banquettes go some way to explaining why no one seems in a hurry to leave. Francis Bacon and Jean Genet have lounged here; films that have used the café as a location include The Living Daylights and The Bourne Ultimatum. 1 Place de France, no website

Astoria, Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan is full of hipster cafes, designer cafes, barista cafes. The Astoria gives its clients a direct link back to 1949, the year the Kuomintang relocated to the island and also when a group of Russian exiles opened a café that reminded them of their pre-Soviet home. The in-house recipe book is from 1915 – just before the Revolution – and the Russian dishes, coffees and pastries were popular with diplomats and members of the Taiwanese political elite. In the Sixties, the Astoria was full of poets and artists. After a 14-year hiatus, the cafe reopened in 2004, with its original wooden tables and plain decor. 7, Sec 1, Wuchang Street. See astoria.com.tw

Bar Cordano, Lima, Peru

Bar Cardano, one of Lima’s most convivial coffee stops.Credit: Getty Images

With its handsome wooden, wine-filled bar and display cabinets, old photos and mirrors on the walls, this 1905 cafe is one of the Peruvian capital’s most convivial coffee stops. Serving serious lunch fare from around noon, it’s great for breakfast from 8am and is famous for its butifarra – a sandwich of slow-cooked pork. On a corner facing the presidential palace, it’s long been a favourite with politicos. 202 Jiron Ancash; no website

The Telegraph, London