Free
Buildings, their shadows and the cafes, restaurants, bars and bakeries between them, on one map that updates as the sun moves. The whole interface turns dark when the sun goes down where you are looking, and light again at sunrise.
Know which side of the street has sun.
Coffee in the Sun projects the shadow of every mapped building from its real height and the live position of the sun. Point the map at any street, anywhere, and see exactly where the light falls.
Free to download on iPhone and Android. No account, no ads.
Coffee in the Sun provides a real time map with sun and shade data, helping you find your ideal location.Michael Burkhardt, 28 June 2025,
What has been written about it
The app has been covered by iCulture and Girlscene. The shadow map behind it was written up by DutchReview, IamExpat and JAN Magazine, and by RTL Nieuws and De Telegraaf when it was still a website.
Every outlet here links to the piece itself, so you can check what was actually said.
Not a weather app.
A forecast tells you whether the sun is out over your city. That is not the question you have standing on a street corner at four o'clock, deciding where to sit.
Amsterdam, 00:00, 0° above the horizon
Street by street
The answer changes from one side of the road to the other, and again halfway down it. That is the scale the app works at.
Any moment, not just now
Move the map forward and see where the light will be at five, or next Saturday, before you decide where to meet.
Anywhere, not a shortlist
There is no curated list of good terraces behind this. Point the map at a town nobody has written a guide about and it still answers.
What you can do with it
Everything below works in any city, not only the ones somebody has already written a guide for.
Partly free
Ranks the nearest cafes, restaurants, bakeries and breweries within 1200 metres by how long the sun will last, so you can see which are sunny now, which the sun is still coming to, and at what time. Free shows the top five on iPhone and the first result on Android. Pro shows the whole ranking.
Free, three jumps a day
Step forward an hour, or pick a date and time outright, and watch the shadows swing round. Useful for the obvious question: will that table still be in the sun when I actually get there at five?
Pro
A full report for any spot you tap: hours of sun today, what share of the daylight that is, the longest unbroken stretch, and the same figures for midsummer, the equinox and midwinter, split into morning, midday and evening. Free gives you today and midsummer; the rest of the year is Pro.
One place free
Save a place and the app tells you when the sun actually reaches it, within the hours you choose. It can stay quiet when the forecast says the sky will be covered anyway.
Free
Cafes, restaurants, bakeries, breweries and wine bars can each be switched on or off, so the map shows the kind of place you are actually after and nothing else.
One place free
Save the terraces, benches and pitches you actually use. They sit on the map as hearts and in a list with today's sun data already worked out.
Free
Not just venues: tap a bench, a doorway or a corner of a square and the app gives you that exact point's day, from first light to last, split into sun and shade with the changeover times and the total. A widget on the home screen keeps the live shadows where you are one glance away.
What is free, and what Pro adds
The shadow map itself is free and always will be. Pro removes the limits and adds the tools built for planning rather than for looking.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Live building shadow map | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cafes, restaurants, bars and bakeries | ✓ | ✓ |
| Today's sun timeline for any spot you tap | ✓ | ✓ |
| Home screen widget | ✓ | ✓ |
| Share a shadow map or a place | ✓ | ✓ |
| Temperature and UV index | ✓ | ✓ |
| Move the map through time | Three jumps a day | Any date and time, no limit |
| Sunny spots nearby, ranked | Top five on iPhone, first on Android | The whole ranking |
| Sun hours report for an address | Today and midsummer | Every month of the year |
| Saved places | One place | ✓ |
| Sun alerts | One place | ✓ |
| Sun timeline for other days | Not included | ✓ |
| Jump to a searched location | Not included | ✓ |
| Outdoor sports, golf and playgrounds | Not included | ✓ |
| Full forecast, UV, wind and humidity | Not included | ✓ |
Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-off lifetime unlock. Current prices are shown in your own currency in the App Store and on Google Play.
Sun, shade and where to sit
City guides and explanations, written around the same shadow data the app uses.
How to Find a Sunny Terrace Before You Leave
Choose where you want to sit and when you will arrive. A café can have sunny tables and shaded tables at the same moment.
ReadNorth, South, East or West: Which Way Should an Apartment Face?
An east-facing apartment often suits a morning routine; a west-facing one may catch late sun. The best choice depends on your climate, windows and surrounding buildings.
ReadWhen Does the Sun Reach Your Terrace?
Sunrise and sunset do not tell you when a city terrace gets sun. The useful window starts and ends when nearby obstacles stop blocking it.
ReadAvailable in 36 languages
Both apps are fully translated, not machine-filled. The language follows your phone.
Go and sit in the sun.
Free to download, on iPhone and Android.
