6 great ways to celebrate New Year's Eve

Looking for the perfect place to spend New Year’s Eve? Here are our suggestions for where to welcome in 2018 in style...

Sydney New Year Eve Fireworks Display Show. Photo: Shutterstock

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Wondering where to ring in the New Year? From snowy mountains to beach parties, don't miss our favourite destinations to celebrate the start of 2018

1. On a tropical beach

There’s nothing quite like escaping the cold weather to warmer climes in the winter months, and perhaps even more so in the post-Christmas come-down. Whether you’re partying in Thailand, revitalising at a yoga retreat in Sri Lanka or living the high life in one of India's most beautiful beach-side hotels, seeing the new year in with sand between your toes feels utterly luxurious. Prepare for some serious Instagram envy.

Add a trip to party-island Ko Pha Ngan on Insight Guides' Samui Paradise holiday for an NYE party like no other (be warned: book early and prepare for crowds). Alternatively, our range of holidays to Sri Lanka include coastal retreats, cultural celebrations and plenty of time to recharge. India, on the other hand has plenty of beaches to choose from, find your favourites here.

2. With centuries-old celebrations

Join the Hogmanay on Edinburgh's Princes Street for a proper, rollicking knees-up. With a major street party attracting around 100,000 revellers each year, live music performances from famous acts, a traditional ceilidh and candlelit concert at St Giles’ Cathedral, the city’s annual celebrations are pretty unbeatable. And singing Auld Lang Syne in its home context is an experience to give you goosebumps.

3. In a European capital city

The Europeans sure know how to party. But how do you pick just one city to celebrate in? Choose Paris for a luxurious, classy city break, with sunset cruises along the Seine and champagne lunches in the city's finest districts (both included on Insight Guides' Luxury Paris holiday). While Madrid's livelier attitude will have you sipping sangria and partying with the locals when the clock strikes 12: experience it for yourself on our Made for Madrid itinerary. Alternatively, for a snowy celebration, Tallinn will be dusted with snow, has a pretty old town, Christmas markets and plenty of fireworks.

Celebrating New Year in Times Square. Photo: Shutterstock

4. In the outdoorsy Alps

There’s a reason why winter sport holidays are so popular over New Year’s – it’s party central in the resorts, against the backdrop of a perfect winter wonderland (with the potential to ski or board away your hangover the next day). Or lounge in front of your chalet fire with hot chocolate. Some of the best events are held in the major European ski resorts around the Alps – try Tignes in France for an open-air nightclub-style celebration; hear the Danube Waltz and a live broadcast of Vienna’s pealing bells in Ischgl, Austria; or family-friendly fun in Merano, Italy, with an ice-skating rink, live music and floodlit slopes open for business.

Fancy NYE in the great, snow-covered outdoors? Insight Guides can arrange tailor-made holidays to both France and Italy: submit a trip request today to get your plans in full swing.

5. With an early start

Be some of the first to welcome in the new year by celebrating in Australia’s most iconic city. The beauty of Sydney is that its harbour allows for multiple vantage points of the famously spectacular fireworks display, as well as the other major landmarks. Additionally, it’s the middle of summer down under, so no need to shiver as you're counting down! And with 1.6 million attendees on the Sydney Harbour Foreshore, you can be sure that it'll feel like a party.

6. For a classic feeling

Times Square is the epicentre of action for New York’s New Year’s Eve events, both for those out in the city and those watching on television at home. The famous “ball drop”, a tradition dating to 1906, is the culmination of a major, free party – but get there early to bag your place. For those of us raised on Hollywood movies, New York feels especially thrilling over the Christmas period and its infectious energy makes it the perfect place to see in the new year.

This article was originally published on 15th October, 2016

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