New Year's Eve Europe Travel Destinations, Europe New Year's Eve Deals

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New Year's Eve Destinations in
Europe

Edinburgh

The Scottish capital hosts one of the liveliest New Year's Eve events in the world, celebrating with a massive four-day festival known as "Hogmanay", which runs 30 December to 2 January each year. Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and at the turn of the New Year, Scotland can be very cold but the both the vibe and the Scotch are warm and there is plenty to see and do in Edinburgh.

The centuries-old tradition brings crowds of 250,000 party-goers to the city to take part in the famous festival. A torchlight procession starts the proceedings, followed by a giant open-air traditional Celtic party with live music and entertainment performed on stages around the city. There is also a huge concert and series of parties that consume the city. At midnight there is a huge fireworks display setting the Edinburgh skyline ablaze as the crowds shout out the words to classic Scottish song "Auld Lang Syne." This world-renowned NYE song was written by Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns and was first sung in Scotland before spreading to the rest of the world

New Year's Day hosts a number of fun events, from dry dog sledding across Holyrood Park to swimming in the ice-cold waters of Loony Dock.

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London

One of the last major capitals in Europe to see in the New Year, the New Year’s Eve in London pulls out all the stops for the biggest party of the year.

Over 250,000 people pack into boats, line banks of the River Thames and congregate in its surrounding bars and restaurants for a prime view of the night's events. When the landmark Big Ben strikes midnight, the city erupts in a dramatic 10-minute lightshow and firework display. This is set to the backdrop of the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster.

If you’re looking to check out the fireworks display avoid the immediate area around the London Eye as it is cordoned off. There is also a number of road closures that start early in the evening. Other nearby areas are the best place to view the spectacle with prime vantage points being the Victoria Embankment, north of the Thames, and the Waterloo and Westminster Bridges. Good viewing spots are limited, with designated viewing areas along the Thames filling up by around 9pm, so don't leave it too late or you may find yourself being turned away..

Festivities don't end on NYE though as a three-hour parade takes to the streets of central London on New Year's Day, with colourful floats, marching bands, costumed dancers and a procession of the Queen's horses.

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Amsterdam

The last week of the year is generally a quieter time in many European cities as many businesses are closed. Not so in Amsterdam, where Oudjaarsdag or Oudjaarsavond ("Old Year's Day," or "Old Year's Evening,") has become one of the canal-bound city’s busiest tourism times of the year.

On New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam make sure you take to the streets and bars to celebrate and countdown to the New Year. People gather in public spaces like Dam Square, Rembrandtplein, Nieuwmarkt and Leidseplein, with Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square considered the best areas. Dam Square often stages a concert, with Dutch acts and DJs to entertain the masses.

Do-it-yourself fireworks shows are fired off everywhere around central Amsterdam and when midnight comes the streets, which have sounded and felt like a war zone, are now pretty smoky.

The best place to watch the official fireworks display at midnight over the Amstel River is from the Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge). Areas around Niewmarket and Amsterdam’s Chinatown, where firecrackers have been let off before midnight in gardens and up and down the streets, can also be a good spot.

Once midnight has been and gone carry on the NYE celebrations in one of the city’s clubs, such as the massive Paradiso (paradiso.nl). Make sure you book party tickets well in advance and be prepared and entrance fees for this night are very costly.

If you want to say Happy New Year to some in the Netherlands, it is “Gelukkig nieuwjaar”.

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Paris

Paris lives up to its "city of lights" nickname on New Year's Eve, with fireworks dazzling the city and thousands of party-goers hitting the streets, bars and clubs to see in the New Year.

Celebrations in Paris start early in the evening, usually with a family dinner, or with friends. Later in the evening everyone heads out to central Paris for a massive street party. Be sure to pick up some plastic flutes and a few bottles of bubbles and find yourself a great spot to enjoy the festivities.

In the heart of the city, the Eiffel Tower forms the centrepiece for a spectacular lightshow and fireworks display, and the surrounding Champs-Elysees area comes alive with a massive street party. Come midnight you can expect plenty of cheek kissing and the champagne should be pretty well flowing.

Some other areas of the city to consider for your NYE night out are on the Rue Oberkampf or in the artistic, romantic Montmartre area. You might even want to consider taking a boat cruise along the Seine or head out for dinner at the infamous Moulin Rouge.

If you are considering a long night clubbing things could get expensive, so try and get most of your drinking out of the way before you hit the clubs. Alot of the clubs, especially on the Champs-Elysees, will have large queues so book your tickets early.

And of course Happy New Year in French is “Bonne année”.

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Berlin

In Germany New Years Eve is known as St Sylvester’s Day and with around one million people waiting for the over 2,000 fireworks to occur at midnight, NYE is one of the biggest occasions in Berlin. Berlin is known for its gigantic street party with live bands and a lightshow, which has been a tradition since the fall of the infamous Berlin wall.

A 2km "party mile" stretches between the landmark Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) and the Siegessäule (Victory Column), with video screens, live music stages, party tents and refreshment stands transforming the historic city into a party town. If you are in this area you will be guaranteed to never be far from the action and always close to finding your celebratory drinks.

Berlin really goes for hi-tech light shows as well as fireworks at the stroke of midnight so
before midnight hits make sure find a spot so that you can see Brandenburg Gate, as it will be illuminated with brightly coloured laser beams.

Berlin is one of the best places in Europe to go clubbing and if you are into techno the places to go are Tresor (tresorberlin.com) or Berghain (berghain.de).

New Year’s Eve is the liveliest time to be in Berlin and whether your there for the German beer or the party atmosphere in general you are sure to have a great time.

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Vienna

With its snow-trimmed streets and the city's famous Christmas markets transformed into New Year fairs, Vienna is a great place to spend New Year's Eve. Although most of the city takes to the streets of Vienna for fireworks at the Wiener Prater fun fair, there are also plenty of balls, galas and concerts that bring a touch of old age elegance to the proceedings. If you can't get tickets to the glamorous "Grand Ball" at Hofburg Palace, then you might consider a classical concert, Burlesque show or dinner party cruise along the Danube for NYE. New Year’s Day will see big crowds gather in front of the City Hall to watch the famous New Year's concert from the Vienna Philharmonic on a giant TV screen.

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Reykjavik

With a mere four daylight hours over the Christmas season, the northernmost capital of the world has plenty of excuses to get the party started early on New Year’s Eve.

Reykjavik's New Year's Eve celebrations traditionally kick off with evening mass at Reykjavik's Cathedral, before locals join forces around huge bonfires to play music, sing and dance as they prepare for the New Year. Visitors wandering the city on NYE may easily come across one of these flame-fueled gatherings, where drinking, folk songs and even people dressed up as elves and trolls are not uncommon. Sometimes you might just even see the Northern Lights as well.

As the clock strikes midnight, the city erupts with fireworks and huge crowds gather around landmarks like the Hallgrímskirkja Church, Perlan (The Pearl) and Landakotskirkja Church. It's after midnight that the city's renowned nightlife swings into action, with bars and clubs pumping all night long.

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Barcelona

In Spain New Year’s Eve tends to be a time for family dinners, with most people emerging to party after midnight .

Spain's party capital is Barcelona and its restaurants, bars and nightclubs all hold special events for NYE.

In the run up to midnight, huge street parties take over Plaza Catalunya, Las Ramblas and Plaza Reial, with crowds singing, drinking champagne and counting down to the New Year. There are also plenty of bars and clubs in these areas. There is no official fireworks display in Barcelona but a number of hotels and private parties along the waterfront tend to do their own fireworks displays.

It is traditional in Spain to wear red underwear, as well as to eat 12 grapes at midnight, one for each chime of the clock, to give you luck for the New Year. The tradition started last century when grape growers in Alicante would consume their surplus produce when they’d had a big year and now it’s become a good luck tradition for the New Year. Of course, you can always choose to consume your grapes in liquid form instead and it is probably a much more fun way to celebrate NYE.

The spectacular Three Kings Parade in the first week of January also brings colourful chariots, marching bands and torchlight processions to the streets of Barcelona after New Year.

Happy new year in Spanish by the way is “Bon any”.

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Prague

With a hand-held fireworks free-for-all competing with an official midnight display over Prague Castle and the Vltava River, Prague is rightly known for its wild New Year's Eve and Prague really does have something for everyone. Even for New Year the famous Christmas Markets are still in full swing, as colourful wooden huts sell handicrafts, hot food and warm drinks in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. For those who really like to party there will be plenty of action in Prague’s bars and clubs on NYE. The main spots to see the fireworks are the Charles Bridge and the town squares, there is also plenty of dinner cruises offering food, music and dancing until very late.