– This post was written by Neesha Kanga –
From Barcelona to Budapest, there are plenty of ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2023 in Europe. Whether you are into fabulous firework displays, bottomless bubbly, or simply some warmer weather, check out our countdown of the best European cities to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2023.
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1. Join Madeira’s New Year’s Eve party
📍 Where: Madeira, Portugal
✨ Perfect for: Groups of friends in search of massive fireworks
Topping our list of best New Year’s celebrations in Europe is the coastal town of Madeira. During the last few days of December, the quiet harborside streets of Madeira start to awaken with signs of an amazing party to come.
The waterfront streets of Funchal, just days ago shrouded in the peace of off-season, suddenly burst into life in what is recognized to be one of the largest fireworks displays in the world.
Cruise ships docked by the harbor blow their whistles to accompany the fiery spectacle, as ancient church bells echo through the narrow streets. Get down to the dock before midnight strikes on a hop-on hop-off bus in Fuchal and see the pyrotechnic performance from the shore.
If you want your ears to ring to a different tune, Avenida Arriaga will play host to orchestras, folk bands, and choirs. And, if you are sticking around Madeira beyond New Year’s Eve, the festivities trickle into January.
2. Don’t miss a beat in Berlin this NYE
📍 Where: Berlin, Germany
✨ Perfect for: Hardcore party-goers who want to dance all night
The bumpin’ temples of techno in Berlin are home to the craziest New Year’s parties, with revelry that would make Dionysus proud. Usher in 2023 like the locals do in a pitch-black club with beats bleeding from the speakers.
The chaos of what goes on behind fist-pumping closed doors is only amplified outside. During this week, the city temporarily lifts its ban on illegal fireworks, which means rockets, missiles, and ground and wall spinners are all fair game for the locals.
To catch the city’s official fireworks display, brave the crowds at Brandenburg Gate and enjoy Europe’s biggest open-air party on New Year’s Eve. Avoid the crowds and gaze at the fireworks from the Oberbaum Bridge between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, or Moltke Bridge between Moabit and Mitte.
While you are waiting for the spectacular fireworks show to begin, you can kill some time at other attractions and monuments in Berlin.
3. Sail into the new year in Porto
📍 Where: Porto, Portugal
✨ Perfect for: Couples looking for a romantic start to the year
In the final week of the year, Porto puts on festivities, cultural events, and live music along Avenida dos Aliados. The final fireworks spectacle happens close to the Ribeira and the whole event lasts more than three hours. The best part? It’s all free – and one more reason why Porto is one of the best European cities to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2023.
Kick off your heels (pro tip: don’t wear heels) and saunter down the cobbled streets, popping in and out of boisterous bars (or a traditional fado house) along the banks of the Douro River.
Or, let someone else do the navigating with a perfectly-planned sunset river cruise for the best view of the fireworks. Why drink champagne (or port) on land when you can drink champagne on a boat?
4. Soak up the New Year’s celebrations in Budapest
📍 Where: Budapest, Hungary
✨ Perfect for: A completely unique activity in an unexpected city
Hungarians are very good at partying. They won’t just tell you so — they’ll show you. New Year’s Eve, or Szilveszter , means eating and drinking well followed by singing and dancing until your legs give out.
If you think you go hard, prepare to meet your partying adversaries on a New Year’s city break in Budapest.
Budapest is the place to go for New Year’s. Take to the water for an evening cruise along the Danube to see Budapest illuminated at night; if you time it right, you may see the fireworks display from the water.
Széchenyi Baths has also been known to open its doors until 3:00 am to celebrate the New Year in the most rejuvenating way possible. Book in advance to be a part of the world’s grandest pool party!
5. Kick off 2023 on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence
📍 Where: Florence, Italy
✨ Perfect for: A lively celebration with access to cultural activities
Party like the Medicis once did, surrounded by the marbled decadence of Florence, especially if you’ve got a New Year’s city break up your sleeve.
Piazzale Michelangelo is the main venue for Florence’s official New Year’s Eve celebrations, but scout out your afterparty beforehand. The massive Manifattura Tabacchi warehouse will play host to 22 live sets that will ensure you dance your way into 2024. Admission is open to 1,500 people, so don’t expect a quiet jaunt in the City of Lilies.
At midnight, the Ponte Vecchio will be lit up by fireworks and the festivities will continue until dawn. For a truly luxurious experience, haggle for a deal on a bottle of bubbly and plastic champagne glasses sold on the street.
Speaking of January 1st, if you manage to drag yourself out of bed, the Uffizi Gallery will be open from 8:15 am to 1:50 pm, Boboli Gardens will be open until 4:30 pm, and the Accademia Gallery takes visitors until 6 pm. You can begin 2023 with a resolution to be more cultured after the previous night’s antics.
6. Get some bang for your 2023 buck in Brussels
📍 Where: Brussels, Belgium
✨ Perfect for: Firework enthusiasts and families with older kids
Last year, some 50,000 people watched the New Year’s firework display from the foot of the Atomium in Brussels. This year, the city will once again be lit up by pyrotechnics of all kinds, from simple sparklers to bombers that explode into flaming colors.
If you’re into casual party-hopping, head to Place Saint-Géry, where you can go from bar to bar. The cavernous cellars of Café Des Halles Saint-Géry is a great underground (literally!) party spot if you don’t have anything pre-booked. In the daytime, it’s a 19th-century food market; in the evening, it’s an exhibition space and bar with a dance floor underneath.
Brussels also provides free public transport on New Year’s Eve along certain routes from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, so you can party without racking up taxi fees.
7. Get fired up for 2023 in Edinburgh
📍 Where: Edinburgh, Scotland
✨ Perfect for: People of all ages who want an unforgettable experience
The Hogmanay in Edinburgh may be one of the most unique New Year’s Eve celebrations in Europe. For five days a year, the Scots redefine what it means to ring in the New Year through a tradition that was first recorded in 1604.Up to 150,000 people march down Edinburgh’s medieval streets with firelit torches.
Tickets for an epic line-up of events should be purchased well in advance, especially for the torchlight procession and street party at Princes Street Gardens, considered one of the biggest NYE parties in the world.
As one of the best European cities to celebrate New Year’s Eve in 2023, Edinburgh is steeped in tradition. From too much whiskey to bonfires, climbing Arthur’s Seat, and singing the world’s biggest “Auld Lang Syne” by their very own bard, Robert Burns, there’s a ton to celebrate.
If you want a fresh start in 2023, join the annual Loony Dook on January 1, in which people dive into the frigid waters of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry, often in fancy costumes (or nothing at all).
8. Jump for joy with these Danish New Year traditions
📍 Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
✨ Perfect for: Dancing the night away with locals
One of the best European cities to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2023 has to be Copenhagen, which begins with friends gathering to watch the Queen’s New Year’s Speech at 6:00 pm sharp, accompanied by champagne and kransekage (wreath cake).
The most famous place to celebrate is Tivoli Gardens, which will be open until 00:30. The Tivoli Julemarked (Christmas market) will still be standing and the gløgg will still be pouring.
Illicit pyrotechnics are aplenty, so rest assured that you’ll be surrounded by a cloud of smoke and color. The masses also gather at Town Hall Square to watch the clock chime in the new year or check out Copenhagen’s line-up of festive events in 2023. Not a fan of crowds? Head to Queen Louise’s Bridge across the Nørrebro Lakes to catch the spectacle in relative peace.
You’ll also bear witness to the quintessentially Danish spectacle of jumping off chairs at midnight. It’s an old tradition that is said to bring fortune in the following year. You’ll see locals mounting coffee tables, bar stools, sofas – you name it – and jump right off, drink in hand.
Join the festivities by climbing a chair and shouting ‘Godt Nytår!’ before diving off, and you’ll feel like a local in Copenhagen in no time!
9. Party in Rome for Capodanno
📍 Where: Rome, Italy
✨ Perfect for: Soaking up history while partying
The Italian word for New Year is Capodanno, which means ‘the year’s head’. Each year, the Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome fills up with people marching alongside historic landmarks.
Rome holds annual NYE events in different areas, like the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona. This year, the heart of the city will be transformed into a pedestrian-only zone, with exhibitions, performances, music, projections, and art installations, giving the entire occasion a cultural edge. The biggest show of NYE 2023 in Rome will take place at Circus Maximus, accompanied by a 15-minute long fireworks show.
When in Rome…you can partake in a yearly New Year’s tradition: wear red underwear. Both Italian men and women don red undergarments in hopes of bringing luck and fertility in the coming year (or cover up any wine spills over the course of the evening).
10. Drink in the New Year in Tallinn’s Old Town
📍 Where: Tallinn, Estonia
✨ Perfect for: Close friends looking to celebrate in a cozy atmosphere
Imagine being surrounded by 13th-century buildings, shrouded in smoke as the scent of gunpowder hangs in the air as fireworks shoot off in every direction. Locals spill in and out of quaint taverns, joyously intoxicated despite the biting cold. Tallinn is magical at the dawn of a new year, and a clear choice for one of the best ways to spend New Year’s in Europe.
New Year’s Eve in Tallinn is unpretentious compared to the dizzying spectacles put on by larger cities. Here, it’s very much a local affair—full pubs (and pint glasses) and people singing in the streets. Chances are, the city will be covered in a blanket of snow or frost. If you’re lucky, you’ll even bear witness to a frozen Tallinn Bay.
Both professional and self-appointed pyrotechnicians set fireworks off from the many Old Town squares. Vabaduse Väljak is the official place to welcome the New Year, but peel yourself away from the crowds and head to Nõmme mägi to get panoramic views of the fireworks. Or, head indoors and usher in the new year with a classical concert at Town Hall.
11. Party like it’s 2023 in Ibiza
📍 Where: Ibiza, Spain
✨Perfect for: Groups seeking warmer weather and an even hotter party place
If you are looking to party in a European city on New Year’s Eve 2023, put Ibiza at the top of your list. With so many visitors traveling to escape the chilling cold of northern Europe, you are bound to mingle with an international crowd wanting to be there for the same reasons you do — party!
Snatch up tickets at world-famous nightclubs (and pool parties!) across Spain’s most energetic island, like Pacha and Amnesia. But don’t let the fun stop there — with so many parties poppin’ in Ibiza every day of the week all year round, you can make it feel like New Year’s Eve any time of year.
Too much partying the night before? Spend the rest of your holiday recovering in nearby Valencia as you soak up the remainder of 2023 in the Spanish sun.
12. See the greatest NYE light show of all in Rovaniemi
📍 Where: Rovaniemi, Finland
✨ Perfect for: Outdoor enthusiasts who want to get off the grid
Get off the beaten path (literally), skip the pubs and parties, and head to Finland’s Rovaniemi for a spectacular light show only Mother Nature can produce. Winter in northern Europe is the best time to see the northern lights, a natural phenomenon caused by solar energy and weather patterns in just the right increments to illuminate the pitch dark skies.
While sightings of the elusive aurora borealis are not guaranteed, there are plenty of things to do in Finland while you are waiting for the ethereal green clouds to appear, including going for a joy ride on a dog sled (or reindeer sleigh) over the frozen tundra, or joining a photography tour to capture the northern lights, or view them while floating in an insulated wet suit on a Finnish lake.
Whichever way you choose to view the hypnotizing aurora borealis, at least participate in the Finnish New Year’s tradition of melting a tiny amount of tin and dunking the molten ball into cold water. The shape that emerges is said to predict your future in the coming year.
13. Check out the birthplace of bubbly in Reims
📍 Where: Reims, France
✨ Perfect for: Couples or groups seeking festive cocktails
If you are looking to add a little class when when figuring out where to go for New Year’s Eve 2023, look no further than Reims in France. As the unofficial capital of the Champagne region in northeastern France, Riems hosts a plethora of champagne houses and cellar tours that have kept champagne poppin’ for over 1, 000 bubbly years.
Although the vineyards will be dormant in the grips of a January winter, you’ll find dozens of hotels offering New Year’s Eve specials that include a gourmet meal paired with champagne for a decadent evening perfect for couples. If a luxury hotel stay isn’t in your 2023 budget, Reims puts on a line-up of festive events all season long – just another reason why Reims is one of the best European cities to celebrate New Year’s Eve in 2023.
