10 Of The Best Places In Europe To Spend New Year’s Eve

29.12.2023 - 22:43 / forbes.com / Cristiano Ronaldo / Winston Churchill

According to professional travel organisation, European Best Destinations, the Portuguese island of Madeira is the best place to see the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display. The travel experts polled a panel of 11,963 travellers from 112 countries, mainly from the United Kingdom (22,42%) and the United States (18,91%) and found the top destination to count down the 2024 New Year is Madeira, followed by Marbella (Spain) with London ranking number three. Here are the top ten.

Madeira has been the favorite destination for a New Year in Europe for six years in a row. It is ranked at the top thanks to its New Year Fireworks in the bay of Funchal (the largest and most lavish in Europe), its comfortable subtropical climate year round, its great offering of four and five star hotels, including the historic Belmond Reid’s Palace where George Bernard Shaw learned to tango and Winston Churchill came to write his memoirs. Madeira is also the birthplace of the famous footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo who has opened a hotel and museum in his name. Madeira is one of the best places for outdoor lovers. It has 3,000 levadas, small irrigation canals that provide trekking routes through the mountains and forests of the island. Or a guided jeep tour with Hit the Road Tours is truly exhilarating with a focus on going “off the beaten track.”

For fans of bling breaks, Marbella is a great choice ; it has one of the largest concentrations of designer boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants, five-star hotels, an impressive Marina and a beach chosen as the most beautiful beach in Spain. After partying on New Year’s Eve in a Marbella beach front hotel like Amàre Beach Hotel Marbella (Adults Only) or Nobu, wake up on a New Year's sunny day near the sea, lying on a deckchair, enjoying a massage or a hammam for an after party detox.

Magical at Christmas with gorgeous light displays and markets, London is also superb for the New Year. What could be more emblematic than to count down to the New Year at the foot of Big Ben, in front of a fireworks display fired from the river Thames? The Thames fireworks are a ticketed event so booking in advance is essential and it does sell out. However, there are plenty of other events and parties throughout the capital.

Beautiful Lisbon with its iconic yellow trams trundling through narrow cobbled streets over seven hills. New Year’s Eve is a real treat and ideal for anyone who doesn't like to plan New Years 11 months in advance. After an unforgettable evening in the bars of Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodré you can have brunch in the heart of the historic district or head by train to the nearby seaside towns Cascais and Estoril.

Tbilisi is probably the most original choice is this ranking, a trend