Work backwards from the time you must return
If you have 45 minutes, include both walks, ordering and eating. An attractive terrace fifteen minutes away may leave little time to enjoy it. Choose a realistic walking area first, then compare places inside it.
Check the whole break
A sunny table when you leave the office may be shaded when you sit down. In Coffee in the Sun, look at your expected arrival and departure times. If a building-shadow edge is moving across the terrace, check an intermediate time too.
- Pick two nearby cafés, benches or permitted picnic spots.
- Identify the actual outdoor area rather than only the venue entrance.
- Compare estimated building shadows during your break.
- Check the forecast, opening hours and whether food is available to take away.
- Choose your first option and keep the other as a fallback.
What the map does and does not know
The app uses mapped buildings and solar geometry. It does not know whether a table is free, how long a queue is or whether an awning is extended. Trees, awnings and terrain are outside the building-shadow model, and clouds can remove direct sunshine even in an area free of building shade.
Check those details on arrival. A short break is often better served by a comfortable available seat than by crossing the neighbourhood for a theoretically sunnier location.
Build a small set of reliable options
After each visit, remember which seating area worked and at what time of year. A sunny spring lunch does not establish winter conditions. Recheck the map as the season changes or if building work alters the surroundings.
The free app includes today's timeline and three daily time jumps, enough to try a simple comparison. Pro adds unlimited time jumps, saved places and other planning features; see the feature overview.
Choose shade when that is more comfortable
Direct sun is only one part of an enjoyable break. On a hot or windy day, shade or shelter may be the better choice. Keep the decision tied to your comfort, the weather and the time available.
Use the five-step terrace check for a more detailed walkthrough, or read why favourite lunch spots change with the seasons.
