Three, Two, One...JUMP: Unusual European New Year Destinations

If you think New Year’s Eve is just fireworks and tepid fizz, Europe is here to gently correct you.

Across the continent, cities mark the turning of the year with rituals that are eccentric, communal and occasionally slightly alarming. 

Yes, you could stand for hours on London’s Embankment battling your bladder and praying it doesn’t rain (seriously, it’s far better to just watch this on TV) or battle for enough elbow space to stuff twelve grapes in your mouth in Madrid’s Plaza del Sol but there are far more intriguing destinations out there.

Europe's range of new year destinations knows no bounds. From smashing crockery in Denmark to dodging airborne furniture in Naples, these celebrations are not about polished spectacle and more local symbolism and starting again, which, as we learnt from Forrest Gump, is what New Year is all about.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

In Copenhagen, you can expect New Year’s Eve to unfold with cheerful disorder. As evening falls, fireworks erupt seemingly at random across neighbourhoods like Vesterbro.  There’s still the choreographed celebration in Radhusplan (central square outside the City Hall) but step a little bit outside and it’s more of an enthusiastic free-for-all.

Just before midnight, you’ll notice people climbing onto chairs indoors, glasses in hand. This is your cue to join them. When the clock strikes twelve, everyone jumps down together, symbolically leaping into the new year…keep your booze intake in check up to then if you value your ankles.

But the night doesn’t end there. New Danish friends may well usher you outside to witness (or assist with) another tradition: smashing old plates against the front doors of friends and family. The more shards on your doorstep the next morning, the more loved, and lucky, you supposedly are.

While You're Here: Go see Hamlet's castle of Kronborg (skull-holding photo opportunities aplenty) and nip across to Sweden to the charming university town of Lund.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna doesn’t ease you into the new year, it commits you to it early. The Silvesterpfad, or New Year’s Eve Trail, kicks off mid-afternoon, turning the historic centre into a looping circuit of open-air stages, food stalls and wine stands.

You’ll spend hours drifting from square to square, fortifying yourself with sausages, punch and increasing optimism about your stamina. As pub crawls go, this is at the more genteel end but at least you’re not paying to get in everywhere

As midnight approaches, tradition takes over. You exchange tiny marzipan, wooden or ceramic pigs - symbols of good luck - with friends and family, pocketing them like talisman. Then, as The Blue Danube (no Auld Lang Syne here, thank you very much) floats through the streets, you’re expected to waltz. Don’t worry if you can’t dance; neither can most people. By the time the last note fades, you’ll have ushered in the new year the Viennese way with just the right amount of elegance.

While You're Here: Hear some of Austria's most famous sons' (think Mozart, Haydn, Strauss) music performed at a concert in the jaw-droppingly beautiful St Peter's Church

Reykjavik, Iceland

In Reykjavik, New Year’s Eve goes back to the elements. Instead of a single focal point, the city hosts dozens of bonfires scattered through neighbourhoods, each one drawing locals together well before midnight. You’re encouraged to dress warmly (although you should already have known that if you chose to visit Iceland in December!) skip personal fireworks, and simply turn up.

Flames roar into the winter darkness as families chat, children run circles around the fire, and the old year is symbolically burned away

What you won’t expect is how social it feels. Hip flasks appear, often filled with homemade schnapps passed down through generations, and refusing a sip feels almost rude. The alcohol warms you faster than your coat ever could, and soon the cold becomes irrelevant.

And, at 66 degrees north, you may – just may – see in the New Year with a northern lights show.  Which, let’s face it, craps on even the most spectacular firework display.

While You're Here: You're obviously going to want to see the Northern Lights (and have a very good chance!) Paying a little more for a guide with pro photography gear is the way to go, their pics will be infinitely superior than anything you take on your phone!

Porto, Portugal

Porto is one of my favourite cities in Europe – in the territory of Bill Bryson’s ‘you haven’t been yet? Go at once.  Take my car.  It’s wonderful’ exhalations.

New Year here begins in indulgence and ends in shock. Multiple boats float on the Douro in between the downtown and Vila Nova de Gaia districts - glass of vintage port in hand, as you watch fireworks bloom above the city’s tiled rooftops. At midnight, you’ll dutifully eat twelve raisins, one for each chime, making wishes at a pace that feels increasingly unrealistic.

Then comes New Year’s Day.  A large number of hardy locals indulge in the tradition of the primeiro banho do ano: the first swim of the year.   Don’t be fooled by the often mild climate – this is still the Atlantic and there’s a reason why everyone is wrapped in towels or warm clothing.  I’ll confess to never having been tempted but I’m told the dip is brief, shocking and oddly invigorating.  

Swimmers emerge gasping, laughing and being embraced by their loved ones…once they’ve dried off of course.

While You're Here: Go explore the wonderful Douro valley - even better to do it in a coach tour with ample wine and food tasting en route.

Naples, Italy

Naples treats New Year’s Eve as a full-body reset. In the days beforehand, the city’s markets explode into red, selling underwear of every imaginable style. You’re expected to buy some; red brings luck, and Neapolitans take this seriously (don't ask for proof, just assume your new friends are observing tradition!) As midnight approaches, streets fill with noise, music and anticipation that feels barely contained.

When the clock strikes twelve, look up, and then quickly look away. Old possessions are thrown from windows: plates, pots, sometimes entire pieces of furniture. Each crash is met with cheers and cries of buon anno, as if gravity itself is being celebrated. It’s chaotic, noisy and a perfect metaphor for one of Europe's most misunderstood but capitvating cities.

While You're Here: You'll thank yourself for booking a food tour here, which includes the greatest pizza you will ever taste (you may get another plate thrown at you if you dare argue!)

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana delivers a New Year that feels like stepping into a fairytale. Fireworks burst above the hilltop castle, illuminating the old town below in a way that feels almost theatrical. Wherever you stand, by the river, in a square, halfway up a cobbled street, you should have a perfect view. The celebration is lively but never overwhelming, and the city feels comfortably human-sized.

Good luck is taken seriously here. You’ll see people exchanging charms, pigs (well, Slovenia does border Austria), ladybirds, horseshoes, clovers, with friends and strangers alike. The symbolism continues into New Year’s Day, especially at lunch. Restaurants proudly serve roast pork, because pigs push forward, symbolising progress.

Chicken is avoided entirely; scratching backwards is apparently terrible for your future. You’ll leave well fed, lightly superstitious, and quietly rooting for the pig to be right.

While You're Here: If you think Ljubljana looks like a fairy tale, wait until you see Lake Bled and the Bohinj valley. In winter, there can't be many more beautiful spots on the planet.

European New Year Destinations - The Final Word

Whether you want your new year to begin with elegance, chaos, courage (or mild hypothermia if you avoid the Icelandic hipflasks), each of these European new year destinations offers a celebration to match.

These cities remind you that New Year is a lot more than a countdown and another bottle being opened. Whether your preference is to jump, waltz, burn, smash, swim and occasionally dodge flying crockery - or furniture - you have ample opportunty to start afresh. And, let's face it, your new year stories will be far more interesting than your co-workers.