Winter holidays always create a special atmosphere: a fairy tale becomes real for a moment, and faith in miracles warms you with pleasant warmth. You can celebrate the New Year and Christmas with your loved ones, in a noisy company, or retire with your loved ones. Instead of a traditional feast at home, you can go on a New Year’s trip abroad.
Snow-covered distant countries where you can go to Europe for the New Year will meet you with bright lights of real magic and unusual options for New Year’s Eve. And the warm cities near the sea coast will be the beginning of new pleasant traditions of celebrating the New Year. You can choose a direction for every taste and budget, the main thing is to take a good mood with you.
New Year in Europe: traditions and customs
Regardless of where you decide to go in Europe for the New Year holidays, it is always worth staying well-mannered and respecting other people’s traditions. You may also want to add some interesting ideas to your list of your favorite New Year’s Eve activities.
Perennial customs, which many Europeans adhere to from year to year, are often dictated by the peculiarities of culture, religion and even the temperament of the locals. For example, the Germans assure that it is important to move into a new era clean, smart and well-groomed, the Italians get rid of unnecessary things, and the Scots always bring a gift to the owners of the house.
Warm European countries in winter
We recommend the island part of Europe, where it is better to go to celebrate the New Year, if you want not only vivid impressions, but also a great beach holiday. Ready for endless fun and an active nightlife – head to Cyprus, Ibiza or Madeira for your holidays. Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece will also delight you with a warm climate, interesting traditions of celebrating the holiday and cordial hospitality.
Ski resorts in Europe
During the New Year holidays, you can go to Europe in the mountainous regions. Active holidays surrounded by beautiful winter nature can be alternated with cozy festive gatherings with friends by the fireplace. Affordable ski resorts in Bulgaria, Montenegro (Zabljak, Kolashin), in the northern regions of Turkey are popular.
Austria (San Anton) and Switzerland offer to celebrate Christmas in a real fairy tale. Alpine snow-covered slopes beckon romantics and winter sports enthusiasts, although prices are high here at this time of the year.
New Year holidays in Europe: where to go
Do you want to go on vacation in Europe in winter and arrange an unforgettable, but at the same time inexpensive vacation? Don’t know where to start and which country to choose? To choose a country where to go to NG in Europe, we offer a list of the most popular and interesting destinations for a fabulous tour.
Austria
A New Year’s tour to Vienna from the first minutes attracts with a variety of attractions and opportunities for each family member: here are trips to museums, the Belvedere Palace and Schönbrunn, the famous Opera and city festivities all night long in the central park, and the famous Austrian strudel. But what is a winter holiday without snow-covered mountain slopes and ski slopes? Having gone on vacation to Austria for 7-10 days, you can interestingly combine acquaintance with the old city and relaxation in the Alps.
Great Britain
Foggy and rainy London comes to life on the eve of the New Year holidays, offering a win-win option where to go on holidays to Europe. We recommend that you mark the main square of the country in the list of places to visit, where a grandiose action takes place on New Year’s Eve – the royal procession. You can continue the New Year’s fun in atmospheric pubs.
England will be interesting for family travelers in winter. A huge amusement park called Wonderland will appeal to both children and adults.
Germany
Fun until the morning in the nightclubs of Berlin or Munich, festive fireworks, a morning run along the Brandenburg Gate – Berlin House route and unforgettable impressions await you at Sylvester in Germany.
Unusual ideas for celebrating the New Year are also offered by other ancient cities in Germany:
Dresden: here it is worth visiting the Royal Palace and Schloss Castle, where the Middle Ages and the present meet;
Bremen and Cologne: against the backdrop of New Year’s lights, castles and ancient fortresses look especially interesting.
Spain
Have you waited at least once for a “visit” on a hot summer day of Santa Claus? For a dream, you should go to Spain, where +17ºС, and noisy parties in Ibiza until the morning put you in a good mood for the whole year.
Fragrant Mediterranean cuisine, comfortable climate, warm sea and original “orange” tours of outlandish cities will give a special atmosphere on Christmas Eve.
The Netherlands
A romantic winter trip to Amsterdam will light up the new year with bright fireworks. Here you can organize a trip to noisy street festivities at the Museumplein or Rembrandtplein, or you can go on a fabulous date in the best restaurant in the “city of love”. There is a huge selection of themed parties, so fun and memorable events for a lifetime are guaranteed.
Poland
Poland, where it is inexpensive to travel to Europe for the New Year holidays, serves as a special guide for immersing yourself in the cultural traditions of Western countries. Loud street festivities on Vigilia in the old squares (or markets, as the locals call them) can easily be combined with sightseeing, castles and ski resorts (Zakopane). Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk or Wroclaw – whichever route you choose – each will be a new discovery for you.
Portugal
Meet the New Year with a golden tan in a beautiful swimsuit on the beach – a dream come true, which offers to realize Portugal. Island festivities in Madeira last almost the whole of December, and the entertainment programs are extensive. The exotic area attracts tourists not only with a pleasant air temperature of +20ºС, but also with good shopping. This place is a never-ending celebration, and you can easily take a piece of it with you by visiting the popular New Year’s sales.
Turkey
Without a visa and at an affordable price – this is how many tourists characterize a New Year’s trip to Turkey. Rest in Istanbul for the holidays combines good service, an abundance of cultural attractions and fairly warm weather. If you want to get away from the colorful atmosphere of Turkish markets, we recommend taking a cruise on the Bosphorus River. The resorts of Side, Alanya, Kemer are also worth considering as inexpensive options for a winter trip, but without a beach holiday.
France
The Champs Elysees or the promenade near the Eiffel Tower in Paris is the undoubted leader among Russian-speaking travelers, where it is better to go to Europe for the New Year. Here romance just reigns in the air, and the spirit of Christmas has a pleasant atmosphere. In addition to the capital, include Strasbourg in your list of places to visit. The Christmas market, where you can get acquainted with any traditional French treat, lasts the longest here – from the beginning of November to the end of January.
Finland
The most interesting places to visit on New Year’s Eve are, of course, in the homeland of the special symbol of the winter fairy tale – Santa Claus. Lapland with the official residence of Santa Claus in the village of Rovaniemi gives magic to all guests. Husky and reindeer riding, entertainment in the ski areas of the northern part of the country are popular here.
Bright little lights of Christmas decorations shimmer playfully against the backdrop of the mesmerizing northern lights. You can admire such wild nature from specially constructed domed hotel rooms with transparent roofs.
Croatia
According to topschoolsintheusa, Croatia has many unique trump cards that will help you decide where to go to Europe for the New Year and Christmas holidays. The old part of Dubrovnik attracts lovers of antiquities and unsolved legends, while Zagreb will appeal to tourists who want to enjoy a modern interpretation of the birth of Christ, a huge ice rink and concerts on Strossmeier Square.
Czech Republic
For a romantic declaration of eternal love, New Year’s Prague is the perfect place. Book a cruise on the night river sparkling with endless fireworks, arrange dinner in a cozy restaurant in the Old Town. At this time, a grandiose action takes place on the central square, which not a single tourist can resist.
Sweden
A winter fairy tale in snowy and frosty countries is becoming more and more real – Stockholm is the best example of this. Tourists come here from all over the world to have plenty of fun during the festivities in the capital. In addition, if you prefer a relaxing holiday surrounded by beautiful nature, go to Lake Malaren.
When to buy tours for the New Year holidays?
Prague or Krakow, Barcelona or Zagreb, no matter where you decide to go to celebrate the New Year in Europe, you will be able to spend the holidays inexpensively if you pre-book a suitable hotel or even a hostel, plane / bus tickets. Visit the websites of travel companies and operators, learn about promotions. Plan your winter holidays from summer!
Cheap vouchers for the New Year in Europe can be ordered not only from the beginning of June, but also at the height of the season (to go on a last-minute tour), the main thing is to apply for a visa in advance.
Independent trip to Europe for the New Year
The cheapest way to independently organize a holiday abroad is at Christmas. We suggest following a few simple rules on how to save money by going to even the most prestigious resort town on the Mediterranean coast:
book hotel rooms and tickets 5-6 months before the trip;
apply for a visa in advance;
follow the promotions and discounts of tour operators;
pick up free tours from local residents online.
Find cheap flights and accommodation
Europe is the cradle of romance and chic, medieval traditions and antiquities, where you should go on New Year’s Eve. So that the vacation does not go under the auspices – cheap and cheerful, but brings you real pleasure from traveling, even with a minimal budget, you can organize a good vacation. Explore special Internet sites where locals offer accommodation for a few days at reasonable prices, in addition, you can use the search for fellow travelers – this will not only help you save money, but also bring new interesting acquaintances.
