New Year's Eve in Europe: which city, which program, how much budget?

When choosing a city for New Year's Eve, most people look at the fireworks display. However, what determines how the night goes is not the show, but how the city organizes the celebration. In some cities, the night is spent entirely on the streets and free of charge; In some, the main area is ticketed and tickets sell out months in advance; In some cases, what is interesting is not the night but the program the next day. Taking a flight without knowing this distinction may result in spending the evening of December 31 in a hotel room.

Below are the cities' celebration types, ticket requirements, accommodation timings and night transportation.

Celebration types

Ticketed or on the street?

• Edinburgh Castle The visual centerpiece of the Hogmanay celebration: the castle atop an extinct volcano becomes the platform from which fireworks are launched at midnight and is visible from all over the city. The main street party is ticketed and quota-based; If you haven't bought a ticket, it is possible to watch for free from the foothills of Calton Hill or Arthur's Seat, but these spots fill up early and the wind is strong.
• In London, official riverside viewing areas are ticketed and tickets go on sale at once, usually in September, and sell out within hours. London Eye is at the center of the show; fireworks are shot directly over the wheel. If you don't have a ticket, high points like Primrose Hill or Greenwich Park give a panorama, even from a distance.
• In Berlin, the celebration is held on the two-kilometer boulevard between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column; stages, food and beverage areas and the midnight show are on this line. The area fills up in the early evening and the entrance points close, do not try to enter after 20:00.
• There may be no official central demonstration in Prague; The celebration occurs spontaneously around Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. This makes the atmosphere friendly but security less controlled; Watch out for groups throwing hand cartridges in the crowd.
• In Madrid, the tradition is to eat 12 grapes in the square at midnight with the bell. The central square holds a limited number of people for security reasons and closes hours early; The same tradition can be experienced more easily in the surrounding squares.

Night transportation: plan your return in advance

The most disruptive part of New Year's Eve is not the celebration itself, but the return to the hotel. It can take an hour to get out of an area where a million people are dispersed at the same time, and taxi apps show prices several times that time.

1. Check metro and train schedules in advance. Many European cities operate public transport 24 hours a day on New Year's Eve, and in some it is free; This is the most valuable information of the night.
2. Choose the hotel within walking distance of the celebration area. A 30-minute walk on New Year's Eve is faster than a 60-minute queue for transportation.
3. Don't leave just after midnight; Those are the most intense moments. Waiting 20-30 minutes makes the return noticeably easier.
4. If you are in a group, set a meeting point. The network is congested at those hours and messages are not sent.
5. On the morning of January 1st, public transportation starts late and most things are closed; If you need an airport transfer, book the transfer in advance.

January 1: the city is yours

The most popular but least talked about part of New Year's travel is the morning of January 1. City centers are extraordinarily quiet that day; Squares that normally cannot be photographed due to crowds remain empty. However, most museums and restaurants are closed, so plan accordingly.

• Take the clear skies to the morning of January 1: the two hours after sunrise are one of the best moments of the year, both for light and space.
• Save the museum visit for January 2; January 1 is a public holiday in many cities and major museums are closed.
• Most restaurants are closed until noon on January 1; Including hotel breakfast or buying something for dinner will do the trick.
• The traditional New Year's concert in Vienna on the morning of January 1st is a separate identity of the city; tickets are distributed by lottery and application must be made a year in advance, but other theaters in the city have similar programs the same morning.