Every year the question arises: where to go for the New Year? Here are the best travel destinations for New Year’s Eve for an unforgettable turn of the year!Whether it’s an elegant New Year’s dinner or a boisterous New Year’s Eve party – the turn of the year needs to be celebrated in style! If you want to slide across in a relaxed manner, the best thing to do is to look for a quiet mountain hut or a lonely house on the edge of the forest.advertisementBecause in all cities around the world, the new year is ushered in with boisterous celebrations, masked balls and fireworks . The bigger the city, the more bombastic the New Year’s Eve and of course the accompanying fireworks!Table of Contents
- 1.Among the first in Sydney
- 2.Silvester-Samba an der Copacabana
- 3.Gigantic fireworks in Dubai
- 4.Big Bang am Big Ben in London
- 5.Open Air Silvester in Berlin
- 6.Masks on Sylt
- 7.Happy New Year in Rome
- 8.Waltz in Vienna
- 9.Christmas end in Paris
- 10.Start the new year with Lapland’s northern lights
- 11.PICTURES: New Year’s Eve fireworks from all over the world
Among the first in Sydney
Sydney is the first metropolis where the hands jump to midnight on December 31st. Accordingly, the new year in southern Australia will be greeted with one of the most famous New Year’s Eve parties in the world. The massive New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney will be broadcast live around the world, marking the official start of the New Year .The best places to enjoy Australia’s only official New Year’s Eve fireworks display are Mrs Macquaries Point, Dawes Point Reserve under the Harbor Bridge or Beulah Street Wharf in Kirribilli. Most viewpoints are accessible free of charge with picnic blankets or camping chairs – at 20 to 25°C the perfect setting for New Year’s Eve in Sydney!
Silvester-Samba an der Copacabana
New Year’s Eve is the second biggest party of the year after Carnival in the hot-blooded metropolis of Rio de Janeiro . The highlight for many is the Yemanjá Festival on the summerly temperate Copacabana . All in white, people party to hot samba rhythms until the early hours of the morning.
The midnight fireworks display on Rio’s famous beach is also one of the most spectacular. Locals pray for good luck in the New Year by offering gifts to the water goddess on rafts on the sea – one of the many New Year’s traditions from around the world.
Gigantic fireworks in Dubai
Not freezing at the New Year’s fireworks also works in Dubai ! Here in December it is also a cozy 25 °C, lots of sun and therefore bathing weather . Of course, the city of records doesn’t let itself be squashed at the turn of the year either.Although the year is 11 days shorter according to the Islamic calendar, things really get going in Dubai on December 31 – after all, enough western tourists come to Dubai for their New Year’s Eve vacation. A table should definitely be reserved for the New Year’s Eve menu, if you’re lucky there won’t be anything left in the center of Dubai.advertisementTip: If you want to toast with a glass of sparkling wine, you should find out beforehand whether alcohol is served in the chosen restaurant. This is often not the case in Dubai and the consumption of alcohol in public is strictly forbidden!Everyone then waits for the most breathtaking fireworks display in the world, with the Burj Khalifa enthroned at its center, at 828 meters the tallest building in the world. The Dubai fireworks on New Year’s Eve 2013 are even in the Guinness Book of Records as the “ biggest fireworks of all time ”! The best view of the spectacle of the year is from the numerous roof terraces of the hotels in Downtown Dubai.Tip: Ideally, the view extends from the hotel to the palm island of Jumeirah . There, too, a superlative New Year’s Eve fireworks light up the night sky.
Big Bang am Big Ben in London
Polls confirm that London is the number one travel destination for many New Year’s Eve celebrations . No wonder, the fireworks at midnight are among the largest in the world and are not called the “Big Bang” for nothing.
The banks of the Thames at the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye offer the best views of the spectacle . Tickets are even sold for the best seats! Afterwards there will be celebrations on every street corner and in every pub!Tip: Don’t sleep in too late, because on January 1st the London New Year’s Parade continues at 12 noon, with thousands of acrobats, artists and even the royal steeds taking part.
Open Air Silvester in Berlin
In Berlin , the Strasse des 17. Juni at the famous Brandenburg Gate is the focal point of New Year’s Eve celebrations. It then turns into one of the largest open-air New Year’s Eve parties in the world . The party mile disappears among thousands of people who are dancing, drinking, singing and laughing as they look forward to the turn of the year. Beer tents, fairgrounds, bands, DJs and other shows shorten the waiting time until midnight.After the live countdown, a bombastic firework display will be set off. After that, the partying continues in the city’s numerous techno clubs until the early hours of the morning. The Drachenberg or the Lübarserhöhe offer the best overview of the fireworks!Tip: In Berlin, New Year’s Eve is celebrated EVERYWHERE! With the New Year’s Eve ticket, those who are particularly motivated can party hop from club to club.
Masks on Sylt
Germany’s fourth largest island with almost 2,000 hours of sunshine per year and almost 40 km of sandy beaches is usually a destination for summer holidays, but Sylt is also worth a trip on New Year’s Eve! However, it is not the fireworks that are spectacular here, but the parade of the so-called “Omtaakelten”.These figures, masked beyond recognition, take part in the traditional New Year’s Eve masked run between the villages of Keitum and Morsum. They taunt themselves and the audience with mocking verses that tell stories from the villages and the past year. And many a person plunges into the ice-cold North Sea the next day during the traditional New Year’s swim.
Happy New Year in Rome
Ring in the New Year with pasta and red wine – thousands of New Year’s tourists celebrate the turn of the year in the Eternal City. Rome ‘s New Year’s highlights include the free evening concert at the Circus Maximus, live music at the Piazza de Popolo and various street festivals on the Via dei Fori Imperiali .advertisementAt midnight, the night sky is lit up with countless fireworks, the most spectacular of which is probably fired over the Roman Forum . A coin toss in the famous Trevi Fountain ensures good luck in the new year .Tip: The Gianicolo Hill or the Pincio Hill near the Piazza de Popolo offer the best overview of the Roman fireworks.
Waltz in Vienna
The capital of Austria turns into the new year in three-four time. If you’ve always wanted to learn the Viennese waltz, now’s your chance, because in the afternoon, open-air waltz lessons are held on the Graben, the famous shopping street in downtown Vienna .Passive lovers of culture and dance are best found at Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz at the end of Kärntner Straße .
Here, the Strauss operetta “Die Fledermaus” is broadcast live from the Vienna State Opera , traditionally and completely free of charge .When it slowly gets dark, the Vienna New Year’s Eve Trail comes to life. The annual party mile connects over 70 show stages, punch stands and bars and is also the perfect sightseeing tour through the magnificent city center of Vienna.Punctually at midnight it gets loud again. Then the Pummerin at St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the mighty New Year’s Eve fireworks over the
town hall and at the Ferris wheel announce the turn of the year. The motto is “Everything Waltz” and one wishes “A guads Neix” (“A Happy New Year”)!
Christmas end in Paris
There is still some Christmas spirit in Paris on New Year’s Eve, because many Christmas markets are open until January 1st ! In addition to punch and mulled wine, sparkling wine and champagne are also served, and the atmosphere is more elegant and full of anticipation.The best spots with the most beautiful fireworks are at the top 10 sights in Paris , such as the Champs-Élysses , the Eiffel Tower or the snow-white Sacré-Cœur church . By the way, from its hill, Montmartre, there is a sensational view over the city – an ideal vantage point for midnight!advertisement
Start the new year with Lapland’s northern lights
In the arctic landscape of Laponia (Lapland) in the far north of Sweden , New Year’s Eve is celebrated away from the crowds, but with pure nature. The New Year hardly begins more romantically (and colder) than on a dog or reindeer sled . And fireworks aren’t necessary either, because with a bit of luck, the mystical northern lights will draw a spectacular New Year’s Eve greeting in the night sky.
Tip: The neighboring cities of Tornio ( Finland ) and Haparanda ( Sweden ) on the coast are only a five-minute drive apart, but they are in different time zones. So you can easily slide into the new year twice.
PICTURES: New Year’s Eve fireworks from all over the world
