🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam
Canal boats, bike rides and pancakes, with a direct train from London.
City break✈️ 1h3 to 4 nights£££
BEST TIMEAPR–AUG
🎆 HOLIDAY IDEAS
New Year holiday ideas
Big fireworks, northern lights or summer sunshine to see in the new year. Here's where to go on holiday for New Year's Eve, near and far.
New Year holiday ideas: 16 guides
🇩🇪 GERMANY
Berlin
Huge playgrounds, a zoo in the middle of town and history on every corner.
City break✈️ 2h3 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–SEP
🇭🇺 HUNGARY
Budapest
Steaming outdoor thermal baths, chimney cakes at the Christmas markets and great value for a city break.
City break✈️ 3h3 to 4 nights£
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP, DEC
🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA
Cape Town
Penguins on the beach, a mountain with a cable car and a jet-lag-free flight.
City break✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇩🇰 DENMARK
Copenhagen
Old-fashioned fairground rides, harbour swims and the home of Lego next door.
City break✈️ 2h3 to 4 nights£££
BEST TIMEMAY–AUG
🇦🇪 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai
Winter sun, water parks and the tallest building in the world.
City break✈️ 8h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Madeira
Spring weather all year, toboggans down the streets and cliff walks along old water channels.
Nature & hiking✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
New York
Huge parks, rooftop views and a pretzel on every corner.
City break✈️ 8h4 to 6 nights£££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇨🇿 CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague
A hilltop castle, a medieval clock that puts on a show and great-value food.
City break✈️ 2h3 to 4 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇮🇸 ICELAND
Reykjavik
Geysers, waterfalls, whales and the northern lights, a three-hour flight away.
Nature & hiking✈️ 3h4 to 5 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–AUG
🇧🇷 BRAZIL
Rio de Janeiro
Christmas in summer on Copacabana beach, a cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain and the world's biggest New Year's Eve party.
City break✈️ 13h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–SEP
🇫🇮 FINLAND
Rovaniemi
Meet Santa on the Arctic Circle, ride with huskies and sleep under the northern lights.
Adventure✈️ 4h3 to 4 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA
Sydney
Ferries across the harbour, koalas at the zoo and beaches all along the coast.
City break✈️ 22h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMESEP–MAR
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Tenerife
Winter sun, a volcano with a cable car and some of Europe's best water parks.
Beach✈️ 5h7 nights££
BEST TIMEOCT–MAR
🇳🇴 NORWAY
Tromsø
Husky sledding, reindeer and the northern lights, high in the Arctic Circle.
Adventure✈️ 4h4 to 5 nights£££
BEST TIMEJAN–MAR
🇦🇹 AUSTRIA
Vienna
A giant Ferris wheel, the world's oldest zoo and cake in grand cafés.
City break✈️ 3h3 to 4 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
New Year holiday ideas: common questions
Where has the best New Year's Eve fireworks?
Sydney Harbour, Rio's Copacabana beach, Dubai's Burj Khalifa and Madeira's harbour at Funchal are famous for their fireworks. In Europe, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Reykjavik see in the new year with fireworks all over the city.
Where can we go for New Year with young children?
Somewhere you can watch fireworks early or from your hotel works best. Madeira's harbour fireworks can be seen from all over Funchal, and Tenerife resorts put on early family celebrations. Lapland and Tromsø are calm, snowy alternatives.
Where is warm for New Year?
The Canary Islands are around 20 to 22°C. Further afield, Dubai is in its best season, and it's summer in Cape Town, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro.
Is New Year an expensive time to travel?
Yes, along with Christmas it's the most expensive time of year, and hotels often have minimum stays over New Year's Eve. Book as early as you can, or go just after New Year, when prices drop.
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🎟️ IDEAS ON STANDBY
Found somewhere you like?
Put it on standby with the rest of your family's ideas. Everyone spreads their points in secret, gets one veto, and the draw picks where you go.