I’ve spent New Year’s Eve in 10 European cities – these are the ones worth travelling for

Best for: serious night owls

Madrid treats midnight like a warm-up lap. The action centres on Puerta del Sol, heaving with people clutching twelve grapes for a good luck ritual. The task sounds simple enough: twelve chimes, twelve grapes, eaten in sync for a lucky year ahead. Half the fun is watching everyone else try to keep up. Missed it? Don’t panic – at 1am, the clock repeats the whole thing to mark midnight in the Canary Islands, giving the square a bonus countdown. Across the city, bars stay open until ridiculous o’clock and the crowd drifts in one big, good-natured surge from plaza to plaza.

Time Out tip: Grab your grapes early – shops sell out faster than you would think. If restaurants are more your thing for the countdown, head to the world’s oldest, Casa Botín.

Stay here: Hotel Casa de las Artes by Meliá Collection is tucked away in the Barrio de las Letras neighbourhood, celebrating all things art and culture

Best for: 24-hour partying

Put simply: Berlin doesn’t do the big night quietly. Come NYE, the kilometre-long stretch between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column transforms into one of Europe’s biggest, loudest open-air parties, complete with stages, DJs, and enough fireworks to make you blink twice. Food stalls offer the celebratory Pfannkuchen (New Year doughnuts). Beware, though: hidden among the sweet treats, the occasional mustard-filled prank survives as a New Year tradition, a shock sharp enough to make you forget the sub-zero temperatures.

Time Out tip: Layer up and aim to arrive a couple of hours before midnight if you want a decent spot near the Gate. Public transport runs through the night and is your best friend. Taxis are basically mythical after midnight.

Stay here: Orania.Berlin is a funky, charming hotel which dates all the way back to 1913. 

Best for: high-end energy

‘Low-key’ is not a word in Milan’s vocabulary – especially as the final hour of the year approaches. The fashion capital celebrates New Year’s Eve with its usual sense of theatre. Piazza del Duomo is the main televised stage, packed with concerts, countdown crowds and enough confetti to make you forget it’s the middle of winter. After midnight, the night splinters across the city: some stay in the centre for more music and bars, others drift to Navigli, where the canals turn into a long glittery procession of Prosecco toasts and late-night wandering.

Time Out tip: Milan’s metro runs later on New Year’s Eve, so you can move between Duomo and Navigli without relying on taxis. If you are heading to the canals, get off one stop early at Sant’Agostino and walk in before the midnight surge arrives.

Stay here: B&B Milano Sant’Ambrogio is a lovely little bed and breakfast in the upmarket Cinque Vie neighbourhood. 

Best for: ancient drama

Predictable? Maybe. Unbeatable? Absolutely. It is hard to argue with a city that puts fireworks over the Acropolis every year,  and Athens goes all out. You can secure a rooftop dinner with a champagne toast overlooking the Parthenon (try GB Roof Garden or Attic Urban Rooftop), or go to the street party at Syntagma Square. When the crowds head home, look out for Athenians smashing a pomegranate on their front door for prosperity, and then, as the new day arrives, seek out Vasilopita, the sweet cake with a hidden coin that brings good fortune to whoever finds it in their slice.

Time Out tip: For an epic view of the Acropolis at midnight, head to Filopappou Hill. And for the cake, pick up one from Lido, where the Piperidis family have been baking the same recipe since 1967.

Stay here: For a splash-out stay, luxury hotel King George is right in the action, looking out over Syntagma square.

Best for: crowd hoppers

Amsterdam is a dream if you like to roam rather than commit. Museumplein is the city’s main focal point on New Year’s Eve, drawing up to 60,000 people for its electric firework show, live acts and giant countdown clock. Out in Nieuw-West, the Sloterplas display lights up the lakeside at midnight with a ten minute traditional show. Prefer things a little calmer? The canals stay lively but gentler, with small groups gathering along the bridges to watch bursts of colour ripple across the water. And if you want the view from the water itself, book a cruise ahead. New Year’s Eve events sell out quickly.

Time Out tip: Amsterdam Central Station shuts from 8pm to 1am, and public transport pauses with it. Trains, metros, trams, the lot. Get where you need to be before the cut off or line up a taxi in advance.

Stay here: The July Boat & Co is one of our favourite hotels in the city right now, sitting quietly on the water in Houthaven, 

Best for: glitz without the grind

Malta’s pint sized capital keeps New Year’s Eve concentrated and easy enough to handle once you secure your position. St George’s Square leads the night, hosting a free John Newman concert this year before the big countdown. Plenty of top hotels host black tie nights, yet The Phoenicia Hotel is the headline act. Book well ahead. Valletta’s own streets handle the rest of the party: find pop-ups along Merchant Street, and late live sets along Strait Street. The entire city is compact, meaning that while moving through the massive crowds is slow, all the action remains within a short stumble.

Time Out tip: If St George’s Square starts to feel like a human panini press, shift to the waterfront. Still lively, but with a real chance of moving your elbows.

Stay here: The Phoenicia is a blowout stay crammed full of history, with a number of marvellous outdoor pools

Best for: diy grandeur

Kraków’s old town looks like a film set on a normal day, so needless to say New Year’s Eve comes with an extra glow up. Rynek Główny is the natural magnet, a huge medieval square that fills with live music, DJs and a countdown that feels more warm and cheery than wild. The city doesn’t run an official firework display anymore, but you’ll still see pockets of colour going up around the skyline, best spotted from Wawel Hill or along the Vistula. After midnight, the crowd drifts into Kazimierz and Podgórze, where bars, back rooms and late night clubs take over.

Time Out tip: Sounds obvious, but wrap up. Kraków drops fast after dark, and standing still for the countdown can feel Arctic.

Stay here: Design hotel Stradom House is built into the site of an old convent – and it’s excellently located for a quick trip