New Year's Eve in Europe

Ever wondered what it would be like to spend New Year's Eve somewhere other than singing 'Auld Lang Syne' with a bunch of lathered strangers in your local? Here's how some of Europe's major cities welcome in the New Year.

Amsterdam

Oudejaarsavond (New Year's Eve) is a riot of champagne, oliebollen (greasy deep-fried blobs of dough, apple and raisins), and tons and tons of scary fireworks that officially only go on sale the day before. Come midnight, people take to the streets (and bars, many of which only open at midnight) to celebrate. This years countdown to 2012 will take place in a large grassy square, in front of the Rijksmuseum on Museumplein. The best areas to visit are Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square; the latter often stages a big council-sponsored concert, with Dutch acts and DJs to help keep things moving. Visit Amsterdam's tourist site for details.

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'Happy New Year' Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Berlin

With Berliners' enthusiasm for tossing firecrackers and launching rockets from windows, Silvester (New Year's Eve) is always vivid, noisy and hazardous. Thousands celebrate at the Brandenburger Tor. Thousands more trek up to the Teufelsberg at the northern tip of Grunewald or the Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg to watch the fireworks across the city.

A local Berlin tradition for decades, the Berliner Silvesterlauf (New Year's Eve Run – aka the 'pancake run') starts off in Grunewald at the intersection of Waldschulallee and Harbigstrasse.

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'Happy New Year' Prosit Neujahr!

Budapest

Szilveszter (New Year's Eve) is when everyone takes to the streets in style, as big crowds gather in the main squares. After the national anthem has boomed out at midnight it’s champers, kisses and fireworks. At Vörösmarty Square there is a three day celebration held from 30 December to 1 January, with live band performances. Public transport runs all night and most bars and restaurants lay on some kind of special event. Merriment continues into the next day when kocsonya, a dish made from parts of pig feet, wobbles its way into people’s hangovers. Visit Budapest's tourist site for details.

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'Happy New Year' Boldog új évet!

Brussels

Masses pour into Grand’Place on 31 December. The atmosphere is good, the crowds friendly and high-spirited, but it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. The jollity extends to the streets around the square, as you’re more likely to find a comfortable niche there. Wait a while as the square thins out, then music is played over the speakers and folk start dancing – it all becomes magical from that moment on. There’s also a spectacular firework display from the Parc de Bruxelles. Visit the Brussels city council site for details.

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'Happy New Year' Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Dubrovnik

Of all the public celebrations of the New Year across Croatia, Dubrovnik's is usually the most intimate and enjoyable. Locals stride down Stradun, bars and restaurants fill to bursting, and the city's luxury hotels cater to moneyed guests with slap-up meals. It's crowded but without the claustrophobic festivities of Zagreb or Split.

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'Happy New Year' Sretna Nova Godina!

Madrid

Noche Vieja (New Year’s Eve) is celebrated with gusto, usually en familia, and involves another blow-out meal, litres of cava and the curious tradition of eating 12 grapes as the clock chimes midnight. Ever resourceful, many supermarkets now sell seedless grapes pre-packed in dozens for the occasion. The Puerta del Sol is where thousands throng – not recommended with kids or for misanthropes. Clubs and bars organise parties, often starting at 12.30am or later. (Expensive) tickets should be purchased in advance.

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'Happy New Year' ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Paris

Jubilant crowds swarm along the Champs-Elysées, providing a great view of the Eiffel Tower's midnight lights, letting off bangers on New Year's Eve, while nightclubs and restaurants hold expensive soirées. And on New Year’s Day the Grande Parade de Paris brings floats, bands and dancers.

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'Happy New Year' Bonne Année!

Prague

Bring your helmet? On New Year’s Eve, or Silvestr, the streets are packed with a ragtag crowd of Euro-revellers, with much of the fun centred on Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square. Fireworks are let off everywhere and flung around with frankly dangerous abandon, then champagne bottles are smashed.

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'Happy New Year' Šťastný Nový Rok!

Rome

On San Silvestro (New Year's Eve)
 hordes of Romans flock to piazza del Popolo to see the free concert and fireworks display; check the city council website for a full list of events. Some people add to the fun with home-grown pyrotechnics and flying spumante corks, turning the centro storico into something resembling a war zone. Beware: some older residents still honour the tradition of chucking unwanted consumer durables off their balconies.

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'Happy New Year' Buon Anno!

Stockholm

The Nyårsafton (New Year's Eve) celebration in Sweden is a public and raucous contrast to the quiet and private Christmas festivities. Visitors can join the crowds at Skansen, where New Year's Eve has been celebrated every year since 1895. At the stroke of midnight, a well-known Swede reads Tennyson's 'Ring Out, Wild Bells'. Throughout the city, crowds fill the streets, feasting on seafood at various restaurants and moving from one club or bar to another. At the stroke of midnight, streamers and party trumpets accompany the sound of fireworks.

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'Happy New Year' Gott Nytt År!