Best New Year parties in Europe

Berlin is Europe's most exciting capital, and one of the best times to visit this city is during Silvester – the German name for New Year’s Eve. On the morning of the 31st, sleep in and gather your energy for the fun night ahead. You can explore the city and see some of the best attractions of Berlin such as Brandenburg Gate, East Side Gallery, Fernsehturm, and many more. Here, you have plenty of options to choose from to ring in 2023. You can make dinner reservations and get tickets to the Berlin Philharmonic Concert for a low-key celebration, or gather with thousands of other people at the city's official party at Brandenburg Gate. One of the best Silvester traditions is to pick a jelly-filled Berliner donut. You can also take our suggestions and reserve tickets at one of Berlin’s most famous establishments – The Grand. No matter how you choose to celebrate, you’ll definitely see a lot of fireworks.

The Grand is a German-French restaurant that also features a club and a bar. It offers its guests three dining options: the outdoor terrace with heating, the first-floor gallery, and the main dining room with a view of the open kitchen. For New Year’s Eve, you can purchase a ticket for a 5-course tasting menu created by their head chef, Tilo Roth, with live music in the background. After 10 pm, the package also includes an entry into their club accompanied by a welcome drink. You can party your way till the early hours of the morning. You also have the option to book a private dining suite for up to 15 guests.

The menu offers festive dishes such as oysters with potatoes in a spinach leaf, beef tartare with capers, mustard, and caviar, king prawns with a lentil salad, grilled beef filet with fried foie gras in white truffle sauce, and quail eggs. For desserts, you can indulge in sweet delicacies such as apple confit drizzled with calvados and poached spiced pear in chocolate with vanilla ice cream. You can also order an option of wine pairing with your meal.

New Year’s Eve Tasting Menu – €199
With Wine Pairing – €298

Amsterdam is the party center of the world. The charming city is known for its canals, narrow gabled houses, and vintage cobblestone streets. Every year, for the holiday season, the Dutch capital lights up with the colors of the Amsterdam light festival and has installations from different international artists. The New Year celebrations start on the streets at the heart of the city.

Some of the best party spots here are Dam Square, Leidseplein, The Nieuwmarkt, and Rembrandtplein, where you will find beer tents, live music, and food stalls. You can enjoy Dutch traditions such as sipping a glass of champagne with oleibol (deep-fried sweet dough) and apple beignets or buy an oudejaarslot (lottery ticket) which happens to have the highest cash prize of the entire year. Partygoers can join a huge range of festivals at the largest music center in Europe, Q-Factory.

Q-Factory and Amsterdam Nightlife collaborated on a New Year’s Eve Festival that features a buffet, a massive club celebration, and an exclusive VIP-only party. The event starts at 19:00 with a buffet meal that consists of delicious dishes to prepare your stomach for the celebration ahead. You can choose between meat, vegetarian, and fish options and enjoy delicacies such as chicken filet with prawn crackers, pork spare ribs in coca cola bbq sauce, bruschetta with cheese and tomato, nachos with toppings, vegetarian mini spring rolls, fried cod with chips, and soup with sourdough bread.

For desserts, try apple pie or an assortment of pastries with whipped cream. At 22:00, the party moves to the massive club section where you will celebrate and usher in the New Year with 1250 party people and the finest DJs and MCs in Amsterdam. For the VIP-only party, there is an additional lounge area with champagne, fruits, sweets, hostesses service, and refreshments.

Party Ticket – €50
Dinner and Party Ticket – €85
Diamond VIP – €1500

Seville is known internationally as the city of flamenco. It offers amazing flamenco dinners, festivities around the city, and boat trips on the river. The Andalusian capital is home to magnificent attractions such as the Royal Alcazar palace, the Cathedral with the Giralda tower, and the Guadalquivir river that flows through the city. The historic old town of Seville combines the architectural trends of the present and past while inviting you to revel in its beauty.

For Nochevieja, the city turns into an epicenter of festivities and joie de vivre (joy of living). The best way to ring in the New Year with the locals is with a bottle of chilled cava or cider in Plaza Nueva. You can also follow the unique Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight at the 12 chimes of the tower clock. This is said to bring you good luck for the coming year. Those in the mood for an unusual celebration can choose a boat ride on the Guadalquivir river or enjoy a flamenco show with dinner at EME Catedral Mercer Hotel.

Hotel EME Catedral Mercer is situated in the center of Seville, in an unbeatable location close to Giralda and the Cathedral. It is a luxury hotel that combines the historical elements of its Andalusian roots with a modern contemporary interior giving a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Celebrate an exceptional New Year’s Eve gala dinner as a couple, or with family and friends, and experience an amazing gastronomical offer with a flamenco show.

In their tasting menu for New Year’s Eve, you can savor scrumptious dishes such as anchovy with dried tomatoes and chili, grilled tuna with watermelon in soy and honey, black tempura cod with pine nuts, beurre blanc lobster with caviar, pork sirloin with foie gras in cream sauce, and saffron scallops. In desserts, you can enjoy delights such as chocolate sphere with whiskey caramel, sponge cake with pears, and an assortment of cheese and grapes. The tasting menu includes champagne and exquisite wines with the meal. After the New Year’s Eve dinner, have a glass of wine on their panoramic terrace with a beautiful view of the city.

New Year’s Eve Tasting Menu – €280

London is arguably one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. It offers the perfect place for a city party atmosphere on New Year’s Eve. With its diverse culinary offerings, visitors will be spoiled for choice. You can enjoy everything from a simple fish & chips in a pub to a multi-course menu in one of the many fine dining restaurants in this city. You can also explore the variety of special parties, which are waiting to be discovered such as the Jurassic themed one at the National History Museum, where you can party pre-historic style. London is hosting a spectacular fireworks display near the London Eye at the sound of Big Ben at midnight. Those wishing to secure a special place for the fireworks can book a ticket on one of the many boat dinners on the Thames or savor a special menu at Decimo restaurant.

Decimo is the rooftop restaurant of the capital’s trendiest hangout – The Standard. The New Year’s Eve party is being hosted by DJ Benji B and the food is being prepared by Michelin-starred chef, Peter Sanchez Iglesias. He is famous for merging the Spanish cuisine of his family with his love of Mexican food. You can expect a lot of bursts of flavors with gambas Rojas, mezcal cocktails, and unique tacos. Enjoy creative dishes such as suckling pig with tomato chutney, fried potato with aioli, roasted duck in truffle mole sauce, roasted butternut squash with chickpeas, and roasted cornish cod with salsa verde.

For desserts, you can relish chocolate mousse with sherry and spiced apples with lime sorbet. The Decimo restaurant is on the 10th floor of the hotel and is uniquely positioned with floor-to-ceiling windows that feature scenic views of the London skyline and a front-row ticket to the midnight fireworks display. You can also book a stay package with the hotel to spend a night in one of their stylish rooms coupled with a hangover-curing breakfast the next morning.

Tasting Menu – €120
Vegan Menu – €95

Reykjavik should be on top of your list if you are planning to spend December vacation in Europe. Iceland is a very popular destination all year round. Especially in winter, you can be lucky enough to witness the ethereal northern lights. In case you are planning to spend your time only in Reykjavik, there are a host of activities to make your New Year a memorable one. There is a unique Icelandic tradition of celebrating the holiday, which is experiencing a community bonfire with the locals. One of the most popular bonfires in Reykjavik is in the neighborhood at Vesturbaer along the beach.

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Reykjavik becomes a firework extravaganza amidst smiles and champagne. An interesting fact about Iceland is that fireworks are banned for the majority of the year and are only legal for the week around the December festivities, as the profits benefit the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue. After the fireworks, most people, especially tourists, will descend upon the downtown area and visit bars and clubs. For a proper New Year’s Eve party, we highly recommend getting dressed in your finest for an exclusive party at Hedinn Kitchen & Bar.

Hedinn Kitchen & Bar is an elegant restaurant in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavik. Here, you can try an exciting seasonal menu, great wines in a relaxed atmosphere of a historic building. For New Year’s Eve, you will be treated to a gourmet 5-course menu with an optional pairing of selected wines, and live entertainment. Enjoy delicious dishes such as truffle-marinated beef tenderloin with glazed onions in bearnaise sauce, grilled short ribs with smoked and creamy zucchini, grilled oyster mushrooms with pesto in aromatic onion reduction, and glazed rump steak with grilled fennel in aromatic reduction.

After the main course, you’ll be escorted to a neighborhood bonfire to celebrate with local Icelanders. Then you’ll return to the restaurant where you will indulge in mouthwatering desserts followed by sparkling wine and the exciting fireworks display in the city. Lastly, you can head out to the bar and have drinks all night long or stroll around the city and visit other pubs and cafes which will be open.

5-course menu – 13900 KR/ €110
Wine pairing – 12900 KR /€95

Paris as a city is an integral part of Europe. It is impossible to leave it out of any list of the most beautiful destinations for the December celebrations. The “City of Love”, as it is popularly known, is perfect for couples who want to spend a romantic weekend together and be enchanted by the impressive sights such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. For the winter festivities, Paris goes all out and offers an incomparable repertoire of activities, parties, and attractions for everyone.

You can choose a chic multi-course dinner in one of its countless restaurants, explore the city on a river cruise with a meal on the Seine, experience a cabaret show, and be mesmerized by the light show on the Eiffel Tower. The city hosts its famous New Year’s Eve show on the Champs-Elysees with a fascinating video projected onto the Arc de Triomphe. At midnight, after the countdown, the show is rounded off with a spectacular fireworks display that lights up the sky. Our personal recommendation would be to book a table at Apres restaurant.

Apres is a quintessentially gourmet restaurant that has a unique decor even by local standards. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world and serves as a shelter in the future urban jungle. Apres also features a retro mixology bar for ice aficionados called Kube Bar on the second floor. It is an unusual experience to withstand -20°C while enjoying delicious cocktails and shots in glasses made of ice. For New Year’s Eve, the restaurant offers a set menu and a designated partying area in which the soundtrack of DJ sets will hype you up to dance through the night.

For a special meal, you will be treated to creative dishes made with fresh and seasonal ingredients such as marbled foie gras with gingerbread, sea scallops with crispy nori caviar in artichoke truffle sauce, lobster bisque with vegetables in lemon honey sauce, and beef medallion with spinach and pumpkin. There is a complimentary glass of champagne with the meal, or you can also order an array of cocktails made by their expert mixologists.

Tasting Menu – Information available on Enquiry

KUBE Paris

A cheerful New Year celebration with friends and family is what many of us are planning to experience in a few days. But if you are not intending to travel anywhere this December, we have a wonderful selection of mouthwatering global dishes and cocktails that you can recreate with our step-by-step recipes. Here's to a bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old!

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve dinner? Share your ideas with other foodies in the comment section below.