The 7 best pubs and bars in caves

Here in Yorkshire, the word "pub" conjures images of beer taps and pub grub. Go traditional and you can sit in front of the fire with a dog stretched out on the stone floor. Go modern and there might be mood lighting, quiz machines and sports screens.

The world, however, is full of some pretty out-there pubs. From Belgian beers in a laundromat to a floating bar in the Indian Ocean, it would be quicker to say where people haven't tried to serve drinks.

Still, even we were surprised to discover that one of mankind's achievements has been the invention of the cave bar: a pub or bar located in a cave, whether manmade or naturally occurring.

While not an obvious choice, caves are pretty well suited to pub life. They have an old-world charm and a cool atmosphere – literally, with temperatures at a comfortable level all year round.


So if you fancy a subterranean swig and scoff, grab your torch – we're going underground…
1. Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, Nottingham, England

"The oldest pub in England" is a contested title – and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham has long been angling for the crown. It claims to have thrown open its doors in 1189, the year Richard the Lionheart became king.

Either way, "The Trip", as it's known, is remarkable for another reason. Nottingham is famous for its castle, sitting proudly on a soft sandstone ridge called Castle Rock. The Trip rests against this ridge and the front door leads you into a warren of manmade caves dug into the rock. The ale you drink on the surface is cooled in sandstone cellars.

Nottingham is home to the UK's biggest cave network, so it's no surprise that its 800 caves house other pubs. These include the Malt Cross (one of the last Victorian music halls in England) and the Bell Inn, with its smoke-blackened walls and ceilings.


2. The Marsden Grotto, South Shields, England

The history of England's pubs is studded with colourful characters. Take Jack the Blaster, an 18th-century lead miner with a knack for thinking outside the box.

In 1782, Jack and his wife Jessie wanted to live rent-free. Their solution? Get some dynamite from a nearby quarry and blast a cave into the cliff on Marsden Beach.

As if that wasn't resourceful enough, Jack supposedly made his money helping smugglers hide their contraband goods in the caves.

Today, Jack and Jessie's cliffside cave apartment is a hotel, beach bar and seafood restaurant. Visitors can access it either by lift or via a zigzag staircase. This, too, is believed to have been Jack's handiwork.


3. Cave Bar More, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is world-famous for its picturesque skyline, labyrinthine streets and ancient city wall. But it's also a nightlife hotspot, boasting a plethora of bars, clubs and restaurants.
Cave Bar More is the product of a happy accident and plenty of graft. When constructing the hotel, workers found a millennia-old natural cave. The owners decided to turn it into a cosy hideaway bar. Today, you can sit and enjoy a cocktail beneath a starry sky made from hundreds of miniature light bulbs.

4. Imagine, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

If it's caves you're after, the Dominican Republic is a must-see. Some you can visit on foot. Others need to be accessed by rappel – or even by boat. Many are set among gorgeous lagoons and filled with enigmatic petroglyphs and pictographs.

Found on the easternmost tip of the island, where the Caribbean and the Atlantic meet, Punta Cana is famous for leisure sports and shockingly clear waters. It's also home to a cave with a difference.

Yes, if you want to dance your legs down to your knees, you can do so in the Imagine nightclub: a venue where partygoers dance beneath stalactites and stalagmites. Just imagine how the bass sounds in those cavernous walls.

5. Les Hautes Roches, Loire Valley, France

The Loire Valley is famous for three things: its river, its architecture and its horticultural abundance. The lushness of the landscape is matched only by the châteaux, churches and high-end hotels.

Les Hautes Roches – in English, "the high rocks" – is one such hotel, partially built into a cliff on the banks of the Loire. Once home to monks, the chambers and corridors are now luxury hotel rooms. 

Visitors can enjoy canoeing by day and gastronomic dining by night. We recommend an aperitif on the rocks (pun intended).


6. Cave Bar, Petra, Jordan

Petra is famous for its sandstone architecture: dozens of elaborate buildings cut into the rose-coloured rock. It's not for nothing that Petra is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

It's also home to what could be the oldest bar in the world. The Cave Bar is located in an ancient Nabatean tomb, open until the early hours in the summer season. 

Just a stone's throw from the city's entrance, it's the ideal spot to unwind after a day of sightseeing. Why not kick back on Bedouin cushions in the bar's memorable blue light and treat yourself to some pub grub, Arab fare, spirits or shisha?

7. Bar Cova d'en Xoroi, Menorca, Spain
Cova d'en Xoroi is a naturally occurring cave on the south coast of Menorca. Outside, the deep blue Mediterranean. Inside, a bar with a view.

The cave takes its name from a Turkish pirate named Xoroi. After a long day's pirating, he would eat, sleep and plot in his rocky hideaway.

The story goes that when Xoroi was found out, he jumped into the Mediterranean and was never seen again. As for the bar, we're happy to report that it's been pirate-free since it first opened – at least, as far as we know.

Are you looking for North Yorkshire places to visit ? Stump Cross Caverns is an ancient cave system buried deep beneath the Yorkshire Dales. We don't have a bar – but we do have our own beer, brewed using real Stump Cross cave water. Why not stop by and try it? It's easy to book tickets online .