The most beautiful New Year in the world. Unusual places to celebrate the New Year. How to relax for the New Year cheaper

11 ideas on how to celebrate Christmas and New Year- 2020 in Europe. Cities and countries where you can celebrate holidays are interesting!

New Year is a fabulous time, and even if you haven’t believed in Santa Claus since childhood, with the onset of December 31, something freezes inside on the eve of a miracle. If you are a romantic and the pre-holiday bustle inspires you, we recommend celebrating the New Year in Europe - in an atmosphere of antiquity and magic.

It's not easy to choose where exactly to go for Christmas and New Year 2020. We offer 11 countries where you can have a great time New Year holidays.

How to save: If you want to spend the New Year, holidays and Catholic Christmas in Europe, we advise you to fly out on December 22, 23 or 24, and return back in early January. Book everything a few months before your trip.

About prices in the article. Hotels - per double room in New Year's Eve. Tours are for two people. Flights are for one person in both directions. We are considering flights from Moscow. We indicated prices for air tickets and tours for New Year's dates (departure on December 29-30 and return on January 3-6), since it is on these days that tourists fly on vacation.

Finland - Helsinki and Lapland

Where to celebrate New Year 2020 and Christmas in Europe, if not in the homeland of Santa Claus? At the end of December it is frosty outside, down to –15°C, and there is a lot of snow. People come to Finland for solitude and winter's tale. Rent a cottage and devote the New Year holidays to active recreation - skiing and snowmobiling, for example. Admire, explore local cuisine and visit the Joulupukki residence in Lapland.

Tours from Moscow for 4-5 nights cost from 65 thousand rubles.

Flights from Moscow to Helsinki and back cost from 11 thousand rubles. St. Petersburg residents can get there by train or bus.

(Photo: Visit Finland / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Czech Republic, Prague

The Czech Republic is another country in Europe where you can celebrate the New Year 2020 gloriously. In Prague, the main Christmas tree shining with lights is installed on the Old Town Square. There is a fair, tourists and locals walk, eat almonds fried in spices, delicious trdelniki and drink mulled wine and honey. Read: and.

The weather in Prague at the end of December is good: during the day it can be slightly above 0°C, at night - up to −5°C. There is not always snow cover.

Tours to Prague for 7 nights for the New Year you can buy from only 65 thousand rubles.

Flights. Flight to new year holidays from Moscow to Prague and back costs from 16 thousand rubles.

Hotels. Rent a hotel room for two in the center - from 90 € per night and above. New Year's dinner in a restaurant will cost 100-170 € per person.

(Photo: elPadawan / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

If you want to inexpensively celebrate New Year 2020 in Europe, go to Cyprus. In winter it is warm there, about +15...+20°C. and see the whole island while it’s not hot and there are no tourists.

New Year's holidays on the island last from December 23 to January 6. IN major cities There are performances, dances, and the Christmas tree is decorated. However, for the most part, New Year and Christmas are family holidays, and after two in the morning the streets are already quiet.

Tours to Cyprus during the New Year holidays in 2020 for 7 nights cost from 60 thousand rubles.

Flights Moscow - Larnaca and back cost from 13 thousand rubles and above.

(Photo: unsplash.com / @matt__feeney)

Germany - Berlin and Munich

The best New Year in Europe, in our opinion, is in Germany. Do you want to plunge into a real Christmas fairy tale? We advise you to go to Munich, Cologne, Nuremberg or other cities. Visit fun fairs with all the gastronomic attributes of Christmas and New Year: caramel apples, gingerbread houses and hearts, stollen and aromatic hot mulled wine. The weather at this time of year in Germany is usually pleasant, from 0 to –4°C, and snow does not always fall.

Tours for 4 nights they cost from 60 thousand rubles for two.

Flights. A flight from Moscow to Berlin and back costs from 16 thousand rubles (direct flights), to Munich - about the same.

Hotels in the center of Berlin - from 120 € per night for two. New Year's dinner in a restaurant costs approximately 100-200 € per person. Find out which ones.

(Photo: visitBerlin / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Montenegro, Budva

Where to inexpensively celebrate New Year 2020 and Christmas? Tourists recommend going to Montenegro (namely Budva or Podgorica). The ski resorts Kolasin and Zabljak are also popular.

Locals usually celebrate midnight with family or friends, and then go out into the street. Traditionally, performances, fireworks and concerts take place in city centers. The weather is changeable and there are rains. There is snow and cold in the mountains, and about +10°C on the coast.

Tours vacations to Montenegro cost from 60 thousand rubles (Tivat, 7 nights).

Flights. A flight from Moscow to Tivat and back on New Year’s dates costs from 15 thousand rubles.

(Photo: Casal Partiu Oficial / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Greece, Athens

New Year's traditions in Greece are close to Cyprus, and the New Year and Christmas celebrations in both countries are almost identical. In cities, residents gather in the center for a concert and fireworks, and young people, after the official celebration of the holiday, go to clubs. Tourists prefer to relax in Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki or Athens. As in Montenegro, the weather is changeable, but warm, about +12...+15°C.

Tours for the Christmas and New Year holidays they cost from 50 thousand rubles for two for 7 nights.

Flights from Moscow to Athens and back cost from 15 thousand rubles.

Hotels. A double room in Athens costs from 14 €, in Chalkidiki (for example, Sarti) - from 24 €. Find out which ones.

(Photo: Paul D "Ambra / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Italy Rome

To have a fun New Year 2020, you need to go to Italy. Local residents love New Year and Christmas very much and celebrate them in a big way. In addition, you can relax in the country relatively inexpensively.

Cities popular with tourists for celebrating the holiday are, and. How to mark? Choose original ways: in thermal baths and spas, in medieval castles and villas, cruise. Good idea- go to .

Tours Cheap holidays to Italy for New Year and Christmas. For example, in Rimini for 7-8 nights - only from 56 thousand rubles. And trips to Rome for 4 nights can be purchased from 60 thousand.

Flights Moscow - Rome cost from 18 thousand rubles in both directions, to Milan and Venice - from 16.5 thousand rubles.

Hotels. Night in double room in a 3* hotel in Rome - from 50 € and above in the city center. Dinner on New Year's Eve will cost 50-250 € per person.

(Photo: Trishhhh / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY 2.0)

France Paris

Where to go for New Year 2020 if not to the most romantic city in Europe? There are illuminations everywhere, Christmas markets (the best are on the Champs Elysees and in the Défense quarter). The aromas of hot wine and roasted chestnuts waft through the streets. Try foie gras, choucroute, maroon glace and fondue. True, the weather is not impressive: it rarely snows, the temperature is up to +5°C, it is quite damp and it can drizzle.

Tours. 5-night packages to Paris and Cote d'Azur cost from 80 thousand rubles for two.

Flights. A flight from Moscow to Paris and back costs about 16 thousand rubles.

(Photo: colorsoftimeless / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Türkiye, Istanbul

Many people go to Istanbul for the winter holidays: there is good service and various possibilities for relax. New Year is not celebrated as such - it is a holiday for tourists. However, the city is beautifully decorated and hotels, clubs and restaurants offer entertainment.

You can celebrate New Year's Eve on the Galata Bridge, on Istiklal Street, in a hotel, in a club, on a ship, and so on. But dedicate your vacation to the sights - read our big one.

Tours. In addition to Istanbul, you can fly on holiday for the New Year to the resorts: Antalya, Alanya, Side, Kemer and others. Vouchers for 5 nights cost from 58 thousand rubles.

Flights. A flight from Moscow to Istanbul in both directions costs from 10 thousand rubles.

(Photo: Tim Moffatt / flickr.com)

Latvia, Riga

The New Year holidays in Riga are long: both Catholic and Orthodox Christmas is celebrated. A good reason to go to the capital of Latvia! As in other European countries, preparations for Christmas and New Year begin well in advance, around the end of November - beginning of December. The city is gradually “coming to life” with garlands and decorations, main square The Christmas tree is put up and the fair begins. The New Year 2020 itself can be spent in a hotel, restaurant, or just walking around the city - concerts and performances are organized.

The weather in Riga at the end of December is usually pleasant: medieval city covered with a white veil, there may be a slight frost.

Tours. New Year's tour packages to Riga for 4-5 nights cost from 56 thousand rubles.

Flights. To fly to Riga from Moscow and back during the winter holidays, you will have to pay 13 thousand rubles and more.

Hotels. A room in a budget hotel in the city center costs from 30 € per night for two. On average, a New Year's dinner in a restaurant will cost 50-100 € per person, but you can look for cheaper places.

(Photo: Janitors / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Great Britain, London

Christmas and New Year in London are fabulous: shop windows are beautifully decorated, garlands are hung, fairs with souvenirs and delicacies are open, Christmas carols are sung. Fireworks are set off over the Thames and the chimes of Big Ben strike twelve times at midnight.

In London at the end of December it is relatively warm - an average of +7°C, but due to the humidity the temperature feels different. Freezing at night. It may rain, so take an umbrella. You can visit museums in rainy weather - find out which ones

On New Year's Eve, Moscow is transformed. Festive installations are being installed in the center and other areas of the city, the streets are decorated with various decorative elements, and colorful lighting appears on the facades of buildings. We will tell you where to go for a walk and what to see in New Year's Moscow and list the most beautiful places in Moscow for the 2020 New Year.

These days, thousands of people come to the main square of the country to admire the beautiful ancient buildings located here. The square complex includes the Spasskaya Tower, St. Basil's Cathedral, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, Lobnoye Mesto, Lenin's Mausoleum, GUM, and the Historical Museum.

On the territory of the Moscow Kremlin there are also many beautiful buildings: Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals, Great Kremlin and Senate Palaces, Palace of Facets, etc.

At the end of December, an ice skating rink and a traditional fair open on Red Square, where you can buy New Year and Christmas souvenirs and food for the holiday table. A large Christmas market took place at the transition from Manezhnaya Square to Revolution Square.

And on Manezhnaya Square itself they installed one of the capital’s largest Christmas trees. The height of the green beauty is 22 m, and more than 3 km of garlands and 3,500 Christmas tree decorations were needed to decorate it.

Where to go for a walk in Moscow during the New Year holidays 2019-2020?

In the center of the capital, pedestrian zones are opening where street celebrations take place. Theatrical and musical performances are held right under open air- on Tverskaya street, Chistoprudny Boulevard, at VDNH, in the park named after. Gorky, Kolomenskoye, on Poklonnaya Hill, Vorobyovy Gory and other sites.

Concerts are held on Red Square, Lubyanka Square and other city venues, in which famous artists take part.

During the New Year holidays, the capital traditionally hosts the Journey to Christmas festival. At the end of 2019 - beginning of 2020 it will be held from December 13 to January 12. Here you will find many interesting performances, exciting master classes and game programs for children, delicious treats and original souvenirs.

The main venues of this festival are located in Novopushkinsky Square, on Tverskoy Boulevard, Tverskaya Square, in Kamergersky Lane, in Klimentovsky Lane, on Manezhnaya Square, on Revolution Square, on Rozhdestvenka Street, on New Arbat Street.

Let's list other places in Moscow where you should go for a walk on New Year's Eve. The pedestrian Arbat, where many picturesque places are located, is also transformed on New Year’s days. historical buildings, several restaurants, monuments and entertainment venues. Among the popular tourist routes China Town invariably enters.

Where else can you take a walk around New Year's Moscow? If you prefer walking around winter city accompanied by a guide, go on excursions that will be dedicated to famous places and people of the capital. You can also visit them during the New Year holidays 2020 as part of the “Walking around Moscow” project.

These excursions are conducted by enthusiasts who passionately love their city. Among them are not only historians, but also art historians, journalists, translators, directors and architects. The schedule of excursions can be found on the project website moscowwalking.ru

The most beautiful places in Moscow for New Year 2020

On Nikolskaya, Ilyinka and Varvarka there are the ancient chambers of the Romanov boyars, the Old English Courtyard, Gostiny Dvor, as well as church buildings: the Iverskaya Chapel, the Church of Barbara the Great Martyr, the Epiphany Monastery and other beautiful places in the capital. Visit other Moscow churches and temples, including the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichy and Danilovsky monasteries.

Visit the Sparrow Hills, which offers magnificent views of the capital. And you can look at Moscow from observation deck The Empire Towers in the complex of recently erected Moscow City skyscrapers, made in futuristic design, are another of the capital’s attractions.

Where else can you go in Moscow for New Year 2020? A lot of entertainment awaits visitors to city parks - Sokolniki, Kuzminki, Tagansky, Northern Tushino, Lianozovsky, Fili, Izmailovsky, Perovsky, Krasnaya Presnya, Babushkinsky, the Hermitage Garden, etc.

Decorative Christmas trees will be installed here, performances will be held with the participation of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, games and competitions for children and adults, master classes will be held on making Christmas tree toys and other elements of New Year's decor, and preparing dishes for the festive table.

One of popular places VDNKh has become a place of recreation for the townspeople, where numerous exhibition pavilions, fountains, cafes are located on a large park area, concert venues. During the winter holidays, the largest ice skating rink in Europe opens here. artificial ice, 4,500 people can be on it at the same time. Here you can also go tubing down a seven-meter slide, ride a dog sled, ride children's snowmobiles and ATVs.

Among the most beautiful places In the capital, New Year's holidays in 2020, of course, include the capital's museum-reserves. Among them is the Kolomenskoye estate, the complex of which includes ancient churches, including the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, which is included in the list cultural heritage UNESCO, the church-bell tower of St. George the Victorious. The water-cocking tower and two stone entrance gates, the fence of the Sovereign's courtyard and the Sytny courtyard have been preserved here. The museum also displays wooden buildings from various regions of Russia. This is one of the most picturesque places in the capital.

In Izmailovo, the family estate of the Romanov family, there is the Intercession Cathedral, a beautiful bridge tower, a 19th-century fountain, the Silver-Grape Pond, etc. It is also magnificent, built by order of Catherine II palace and park ensemble Tsaritsyno, which includes the Bazhenov palaces, the Bread House, gates and bridges, Grand Palace and a park.

It was not for nothing that the Kuskovo estate was once called the Versailles of the Moscow region - it was so similar to the garden of the French kings. The estate, which once belonged to the Sheremetyev counts, preserves a palace, a greenhouse, a church, a bell tower, pavilions and numerous sculptures, a luxurious garden with gazebos; The entrance and exit points are decorated with figures of sphinxes.

Where else can you go in Moscow for a New Year's walk? In winter, about 1.5 thousand skating rinks with artificial and natural ice, both paid and free, will operate in the capital. Among the most popular are the skating rinks in the park named after. Gorky, Kolomenskoye Park, Ostankino, VDNKh and others. You can go here with your loved one or friends and have fun with the whole family.

Scale, grandeur and mass participation – this is the type of event the capital offers during the New Year holidays, where everyone will find entertainment to suit their taste.

All over the world, people celebrate the arrival of the New Year in much the same way - with spectacular fireworks, street celebrations, music and dancing, as well as luxurious feasts and drinks. However, every country has something special and different from others. Of all the locations featured, from Times Square in New York to an amazing dance party in South Africa, you are sure to find the city that is right for you for an unforgettable New Year's celebration.

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Paris, France

There is nothing more romantic than watching the incredible light show and fireworks at the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris or use one of river cruises along the Seine if a more intimate location with more privacy suits your needs.

No matter what your idea of ​​a perfect New Year's Eve is, the streets of the City of Light really come alive this night with thousands of people celebrating the New Year with big amount champagne and dance the night away. In addition to the big show, small fireworks can be legally sold in Paris, which means an abundance of sound and color on the streets all New Year's Eve until the morning.

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London, Great Britain

London's big New Year's Eve celebrations include an elaborate light show accompanied by the chimes of Big Ben, which attracts more than 250,000 visitors lining the banks of the River Thames, along with a range of parties and clubs to choose from.

The city's three-hour show extravaganza features around 10,000 performers who will sing you the New Year's song "Auld Lang Syne". The party continues throughout the night and segues into January 1st, when a parade of marching bands parade through the city, colorful carnival floats carry costumed dancers and the Queen's horses prance. The best places on earth to watch New Year's Eve shows are at Victoria Embankment, Waterloo or Westminster Bridge - and on the water you can enjoy a cruise on the Thames.

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Sydney, Australia

Sydney is one of the first cities on the planet to welcome the New Year, so it's no surprise that the city has such a wide variety of options for celebrating.

In Sydney Harbour, you can join boats filled with revelers to watch the fireworks extravaganza overhead at midnight. Or book a table at one of the many restaurants on the waterfront side of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. You can also try smoking ceremonies, air flights, mini light shows and lighted boat parades. There is also a big dance party on Bondi Beach.

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New York, New York

For more than a century, a huge sparkling ball has been lowered into Times Square on New Year's Eve. At 11:59 pm on December 31st, the time ball begins its descent from a 23-meter height, before thousands of confetti explode into the city sky for one of the largest New Year's parties on the planet. As a rule, more than a million people come here to watch big music shows, as well as leave their wishes and write down plans for the coming year on a special wall.

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More than half a million people come to Melbourne for an exciting New Year's celebration. There are two official fireworks displays, including the one that opens the evening ceremonies at Yarra Park. At midnight, a stunning light show illuminates the entire city with colorful rockets launched from the rooftops around central square, and also from Victoria Harbour.

Throughout the city there are numerous live performances by local folk musicians, a procession of Brazilian samba dancers in Federation Square, and performances by street performers and celebrities along the coastline. Visitors can enjoy carnival rides and all types of sporting events.

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New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

New Orleans is a very popular place to celebrate New Year's Eve. Chic parties are held here, and here you can see one of the best
New Year's fireworks displays across the US with an incredible kaleidoscope of colors cascading across the Mississippi. The 15-minute show is the highlight of the gala evening, which includes the famous Fleur-de-Lys drop, which is reminiscent of the Times Square ball drop. The festivities continue until dawn, with live music in all the bars and clubs of the French Quarter.

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Bangkok is an amazing international city that is well known for its celebrations and parties. And this is one of the best places in Asia to celebrate the New Year. December 31st in Bangkok is a holiday everywhere, every bar and night club filled with vacationers. But the biggest event takes place at Central World Square, where several hundred thousand people gather to watch the spectacular light show and live concert.

A number of restaurants hold their gala dinners on the rooftop, you can sip champagne and watch the magnificent fireworks display, or you can stay in one of the sprawling beer gardens outside. Those traveling to Bangkok with the family can also find a great place for New Year's Eve at Asiatique, an all-ages night market that is considered one of the most popular places to count down to the New Year.

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City of Valparaiso, cultural capital Chile, located in the hills along the Pacific Ocean. Here you can spend an extravagant New Year's Eve. Valparaiso hosts a three-day festival that attracts about a million visitors. People come here to see with their own eyes the famous fireworks display - the largest in Latin America.

To ensure that the coming year brings good luck, locals wear yellow underwear, eat a dozen grapes at midnight, and put a 1,000-peso bill in their shoes. Fireworks are launched from 17 different points along the coast between Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. New Year's Eve also begins a dance party that lasts until dawn, and sometimes continues throughout the next day.

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The beautiful Scottish city of Edinburgh is famous for its annual Hoganay Hoopla, which means "celebration on the last day of the year." It lasts for four days and includes a torchlight procession throughout the city, concerts, and a huge street party on Princess Street. It is difficult to find a city where the New Year is celebrated with the same enthusiasm.

The words of Robert Burns in the song "The Good Old Days" take on special meaning when they are sung on the streets of Edinburgh. At midnight, one of the world's largest fireworks displays takes place here, with the magnificent Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop. New Year's parties continue even after dawn. Events on January 1 include the Royal Mile running competition, diving into the icy waters of the River Fors, sled dog competition and more.

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Barcelona, ​​Spain

Barcelona is the party capital of Spain and on the last day of the year you can see the best of it. A few hours before midnight, massive street celebrations begin in Plaza Catalunya, Las Ramblas and Plaza Reyal, with huge crowds singing and sipping champagne as they count down the minutes and seconds until the New Year.

Restaurants, bars and nightclubs hold special events to celebrate the New Year, and fireworks light up the sky at the far end of Barceloneta Beach. You just need to find a place near the harbor for better review and stay here for the entire first week of the New Year to see the Three Kings Parade with its brightly colored chariots and torchlight procession.

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Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik may be one of the coldest places to celebrate New Year's, but Iceland's capital will give you the hottest New Year's celebration on the planet. Locals leave the citywide celebration, which begins at 6pm, to attend Mass in Reykjavik Cathedral or listen to it on the radio, and then share New Year's Eve dinner with family and friends. Then they go outside to stand near the lit bonfires, which are intended to symbolize the burning of the problems of the past year.

Thousands of fireworks light up the sky from all corners of the city. For gatherings around the fires, a lot of food and drinks are prepared, folk songs are played here, and people are dressed up in elf and troll costumes. Sometimes northern lights complements the effects of pyrotechnics. At 5 o'clock in the morning, locals line up for hot dogs and strong drinks and then continue to have fun.

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The cultural capital of Brazil is best known for its colorful and noisy Carnival, but New Year's celebrations are also celebrated on a grand scale. The city's famous Copacabana Beach hosts a number of events. For parties along the coastline, giant stages are set up, music is played, and people dress up in extravagant carnival-style costumes.

It features traditional dance performances and attractions that keep visitors entertained throughout the evening. More than two million people fill the beach dressed in white. This color is believed to bring good luck in the coming year. They drink champagne, dance samba and send handfuls of flowers into the ocean as a gift to the goddess of the seas. As the countdown to New Year's Eve begins, the ocean lights up with thousands of dazzling fireworks launched from boats.

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Hong Kong boasts one of the best fireworks displays on earth, an amazing pyrotechnics show that lasts eight minutes, bathing Victoria Harbor in light and music, and a Times Square-style countdown with the replica ball dropping at midnight.

If you want to borrow a good place To see this show, be sure to arrive at least eight hours before New Year's Eve for the official opening. The best views will delight spectators in a boat on the water, but if you are on land, then choose the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon or the bars in Lan Kwai Fong, this is also wonderful places to celebrate the New Year.

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Bratislava, Slovakia

In the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, more than 10,000 people gather in the medieval Old Town on New Year's Eve for open-air concerts, dance parties and fireworks shows on the Danube River. Several stages are located throughout the area, featuring the best local bands, dance troupes and various performers.

The entertainment continues all night long. Old city divided into a “concert” zone - for those who want to enjoy music and a “party zone” - for those people who want to socialize. New Year's celebrations in other capital cities around the world are being broadcast on huge screens.

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Dubai, UAE

The 2014 New Year's Eve celebrations in Dubai earned a Guinness World Record for having the largest fireworks display of all time, with 479,651 fireworks fired in six minutes from 400 locations along the Dubai coastline.

On New Year's Eve you can receive unforgettable experience from the performances of world superstars and noisy and crowded, but amazing parties, which, as we know, are very different from all the parties in the world in terms of luxury and grandeur. Best place with the best views is the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel.

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Vienna, Austria

If you're looking for a cultural celebration on New Year's Day, Vienna New Year's Eve offers classical music concerts featuring performances of the world's best symphonies. Although, in this city you can find more entertainment than just concerts. The center organizes festivities that start at 2 pm and last long after midnight. Lots of hot mulled wine, caramel and apples delight holiday guests. And when the bells of the tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral ring, a fireworks show begins over the Prater Park.

You can take a cruise along the Danube, so you can see a beautiful panorama of New Year's Vienna. This a good option holiday if you want to save energy on January 1st, when a gigantic crowd gathers in front of City Hall to watch the famous Vienna Philharmonic New Year's concert on a huge television screen.

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Saint-Petersburg, Russia

The magnificent boulevards and bridges of St. Petersburg are even more stunning when they are covered in white snow and illuminated with holiday lights. The Hermitage is especially beautiful on New Year's Eve, when it is surrounded by crowds waiting for the fireworks show over the Neva. During the countdown, people send hundreds of paper lanterns into the night sky while enjoying a glass of New Year's champagne.

As you know, in Russia they celebrate Catholic Christmas on December 25, then the New Year itself, and later Orthodox Christmas on January 7, which means that this time is considered the tourist “high” season. Pay attention also to the streets of the city, Nevsky Prospekt is decorated with dazzling lights and all kinds of Santa Clauses.

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Hawaii, USA

If you want to celebrate the New Year later than everyone else on Earth, then Hawaiian Islands are great place where you should wait for him. Enjoy the tropical climate and dazzling beach fireworks displays.

Here are held light shows that illuminate coastline on almost all islands. Bars and clubs host themed parties and open-air music concerts. A wide range of river cruises will allow you to find your own fun way to celebrate the New Year.

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Cape Town, South Africa

In Cape Town, you have the chance to ring in the New Year at the top of one of the most impressive natural wonders in the world. You can celebrate at the top of Table Mountain until 12:30 the next day, enjoying panoramic views of the fireworks display on the V&A Waterfront. Or join those who preferred a music concert.

carnival train, live music and plenty of other entertainment, including DJs in the Cape, await you on New Year's Eve in this city. On New Year's Day and the day after there is a parade with 10,000 participants singing and dancing in the streets.

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Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas is one big party all the time, but on New Year's Eve it attracts over 300,000 visitors. From 6 pm on December 31st, the famous Strip is closed to traffic and is open to those who would like to ring in the New Year here, walking, drinking champagne and watching the many fireworks that are launched from nearby rooftops.

Live performances by musical groups, pyrotechnic and laser shows, the transformation of the main square into a giant street festival - this set of events will not let you get bored. Most hotels, clubs and bars also prepare their own special shows and special New Year's events.

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Berlin, Germany

The German capital deservedly has a reputation as a party town, having celebrated non-stop since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. On New Year's Eve, more than one million people attend the "Miele Party", which extends into the distance from the Brandenburg Gate. It is not surprising that Berlin is one of the best cities where you can celebrate the New Year.

There are plenty of music venues, food and drink stalls where you can sip mulled wine or beer and try local German specialties such as Currywurst - pork sausage with curry and ketchup. At midnight, revelers can enjoy fireworks before heading to any of the dance clubs where parties can last over 12 hours.

We don't have long to wait for the New Year to arrive and we are all prepared to celebrate it in different ways - some at home with their family, some with friends somewhere far from home... From this collection you will learn about the most unusual places to celebrate the New Year!

So, we will start from a place where celebrating the New Year is not only unusual, but also completely illogical, although there are people who are interested in celebrating the New Year this way) We are talking about celebrating the New Year in a caravan crossing the Sahara Desert! What is needed for this? Just order in Morocco budget tour through the desert (10 days - about $400) and camel rental, and the desert itself will take care of the rest. Spend some time reflecting on the past year, and then ring in the New Year as loudly as you can, without fear of disturbing anyone, because there is only sand around...

If celebrating the New Year in a noisy company is not for you, you can clean up the house... This is what residents of Edinburgh, Scotland do every Christmas Eve. For what? It turns out that such a “celebration” is dictated by the long-standing Scottish tradition of entering the New Year “fresh”, freed from everything unnecessary that bothered us last year, with the hope that the coming year will be better than the outgoing one

That's why the Scots first thoroughly clean the house, and then send boys into town with sheep skins. They go from house to house, chanting traditional Gaelic tunes and beating the sheepskin with a stick. Fortunately, if all this traditional beating gets boring, there are many parties held on the streets of Scotland, primarily associated with the annual lifting of the public ban on consumption only for this night alcoholic drinks) Thus, you can “celebrate” the New Year until 6 a.m.

Even more strangely, the New Year is celebrated in Venezuela... How do you usually prepare for the New Year? Stock up on food and drinks, buy gifts, maybe take a shower, etc. At this time, Venezuelans wear their best yellow underwear - this is due to the fact that in Venezuela yellow is considered the color of wealth and local residents sincerely believe that such a “tradition” will certainly bring them good luck in the coming year)

Do you want to celebrate the New Year in some magical place? In this case, Goa may suit you - the most small state India, washed by the waters of the Arabian Sea. The climate here is humid, dirty and generally disgusting for six months, but around October everything calms down and the plants very quickly grow to incredible sizes, which makes Goa look like some kind of fairy garden until April, when the next “rainy” period begins. It is not surprising that at this time hippies and just tourists flock here from all over the world in search of a “New Year’s” fairy tale.

The hottest place to celebrate the New Year is definitely small island Guam in Pacific Ocean. January temperatures in this remote corner our planet reaches 80 degrees Celsius, so the main “New Year’s” activities here are diving and swimming, and swimming trunks/shorts or a swimsuit are quite suitable as a holiday costume)

Do you like to celebrate the New Year loudly? Then you have a direct route to Japan! If you immediately imagined crowds of Japanese counting down the last seconds of the passing year with champagne in hand, then you were a little mistaken) In fact, in Japan there is a tradition of celebrating the New Year by ringing bells, and not small bells, but huge temple bells. On New Year's Day, every Japanese temple rings its bells 108 times! Imagine the ringing that arises when, in an instant, thousands of temples scattered across the islands begin to ring their bells...

Don't have enough time to fully celebrate the New Year? Go to China) Although it is worth remembering that New Year's celebrations in China begin only on February 14 (and not on December 31, as we are used to) and last 15 days! During this period of time, all of China is illuminated with red lanterns, and colorful demonstrations roll through the streets in waves. The day before the celebration begins, Chinese families gather for a massive food feast, after which everyone chooses any red item to wear for the entire 15 days of the celebration...

Another Asian country popular with tourists at the end of December is Thailand, in the capital of which, Bangkok, you can celebrate the New Year according to three traditions at once - Western, Chinese and Thai!

The world's largest New Year's party is held in Brazil, on the 4-kilometer Copacabana beach (Rio de Janeiro) and is second in size only to the Brazilian annual Carnival) Last year, the main guest of the New Year's festivities in Brazil was Madonna - this event gathered more than 2 million people dressed in all white and that's not the limit!

Imagine a real living white sea with burning lighters and screens moving to the beat of the music mobile phones, which has no end and edge, add to this a lot of fireworks, continuous dancing and a carnival atmosphere - the result is the most spectacular New Year's party in the world!

One more famous place to celebrate the New Year is New York's Times Square, which has gained worldwide fame for the massiveness and entertainment of the festive events

More than a million people come to watch the traditional descent of the crystal ball, accompanied by fireworks, heralding the beginning of the new year!

If you like fireworks (and few people don't), celebrating the New Year in Australia is just for you! After all, Australians are the first on our planet to welcome the coming year, and in order not to lose face, Sydneysiders stage a fireworks show against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House, which has no equal in scale and beauty anywhere else in the world! More beautiful photos You will find festive fireworks in the photo post New Year's fireworks

It all begins on December 31 at 13.00 with a shot from a cannon installed in the bay, and does not subside until the morning of January 1

Last year, Sydney authorities spent more than $5 million on the New Year's fireworks show, and almost a million took part in the New Year's celebrations local residents and tourists - let's see what happens this year)

The best place to celebrate the New Year in the UK is, of course, the Thames embankment in the London Eye, where last year about a million people also gathered for a fascinating fireworks show

Some fireworks are launched directly from Ferris wheel capsules

In fact, there are still many places in the world that gather such huge crowds of people for the New Year, for example Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, or rather the 17th of June street right behind them, where cheerful celebrations with fireworks do not subside all night from December 31st to January 1st, light shows, dancing and beer)

Fireworks against the backdrop of the sculptural group crowning the Brandenburg Gate

The most romantic place to celebrate the New Year is Paris Champs Elysees with a view of the Eiffel Tower, dressed in a festive “garb” (during the holiday, the lighting of the tower changes dramatically, which is facilitated by the modern luminescence installed on it) and thousands of fireworks flying above it…

Well, the wildest New Year's parties are held, of course, in Las Vegas on the seven-kilometer Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people gather on the evening of December 31 to celebrate Old year and meet the New One as unforgettably as possible!

In addition to the above, there are plenty more interesting places to celebrate the New Year - no one forbids celebrating it, for example, in a secluded house somewhere deep in the mountains, or somewhere else in nature. Where to celebrate the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 is up to you, but we want this event to be remembered for something good, unforgettable, and for the next year to make your deepest dreams come true! Happy New Year!

Galina Chernenko

Director of the travel agency "RossTour", Ulyanovsk.

1. Plan your holiday vacation from at least December 24th or even earlier. Then you can choose the most favorable tour in terms of price-quality ratio.
2. Consider non-standard countries and cities for your New Year's holiday. In any case, you will be satisfied, because the New Year is an international holiday.
3. Choose tours based on the company you are going to relax with. For example, families with children will certainly like it in Finland, where there is a residence of the Finnish Father Frost and a school for little skiers.

• Air temperature: –10… –15 °C.
• Visa: need not.
• Who is it suitable for?: families with children, as well as everyone who loves fairy tales.
• Cost of living: from 1,071 rubles per night in a hotel.
• : from 9,464 rubles.

Father Frost is registered in one of the oldest Russian cities, a famous center of family tourism - Veliky Ustyug. Visit your homeland fairy tale hero winter is like going back to childhood.

The estate of Father Frost has its own library, observatory, bedchamber, small room for magical objects, attractions, a zoo, and a throne room where you can take a selfie with the famous grandfather. It is from here that he goes on his famous tour of Russia - to light the main city Christmas trees.

If you go to Veliky Ustyug savage, please note: entrance to the territory of the estate is paid. An entertainment package costs from 1,220 rubles.

Bonus - clean fresh air, gorgeous northern spruce forests, and great amount architectural and historical monuments that can be seen during a sightseeing tour.

2. Kondopoga, Russia

• Air temperature: –3… –5 °C.
• Visa: need not.
• Who is it suitable for?: everyone who loves leisure, families with children.
• Cost of living: from 385 rubles per night in a hostel.
• Cost of the train from Moscow and back: from 4,704 rubles.

Vacations in Karelia are an active holiday surrounded by picturesque landscapes. You can ride across the snowy plains on huskies, reindeer and snowmobiles, go to the Kivach waterfall, and also meet the Karelian Father Frost, who organizes fun competitions like throwing felt boots.

Among other things, tourists in Karelia are fed delicious dried fish and water from healing ferruginous springs.

• Air temperature: 4–8 °C.
• Visa: need not.
• Who is it suitable for?: for lovers of alpine skiing, but not sudden changes in temperature.
• Cost of living: from 190 rubles per night in a hostel.
• Cost of flights from Moscow and back: from 12,300 rubles.
• : from 27,138 rubles.

Despite the congestion of the most popular Russian ski resort, you can still find places in hotels with interesting price tags. The main thing is to choose.

On the Black Sea on New Year's Eve it can be cool and windy. But this does not cancel out pleasant walks, gatherings in coastal cafes and activities active species sports, including horse riding alpine skiing and snowboards.

Tourists from the regions can go on New Year holidays to Bus tours to and Moscow. Their cost is 12–15 thousand rubles per person.

Galina Chernenko, director of the RossTour travel agency, Ulyanovsk

If you decide to go to Sochi, use Aviasales to save on buying tickets.

• Air temperature: 7–9 °C.
• Visa: need not.
• Who is it suitable for?
• Cost of living: from 455 rubles per night in a hostel.
• Cost of flights from Moscow and back: from 17,862 rubles.
• Cost of a week's tour for two: from 57,384 rubles.

Istanbul is not the most popular city during the New Year holidays. Therefore, the trip will be quite budget-friendly.

You will have plenty of time to stroll along the most beautiful streets ancient capital empires, eat hearty dishes Turkish cuisine, you can ride along the Bosphorus, see the sellers of oriental exotica and relax in the hammam.

• Temperature: 24–28 °C (water temperature from 21 °C).
• Visa: not needed if you will stay in the country for no more than 15 days.
• Who is it suitable for?: for exotic lovers and those who missed summer this year.
• Cost of living: from 165 rubles per night in a hostel.
• Cost of flights from Moscow and back: from 46,763 rubles.

If you want to celebrate the New Year under the hot foreign sun, plan your flight on December 25–27, and back on January 1–2. At this time, you can choose a completely budget tour to Vietnam.

Despite the fact that the weather here can be capricious, tourists sunbathe, go fishing and excursions, and enjoy the evening breeze. The only reminders of the New Year are the elegantly decorated Christmas trees that the Vietnamese install in hotels and shopping centers.

• Temperature: 23–28 °C (water temperature 18–21 °C).
• Visa: required, but issued at the border upon entry.
• Who is it suitable for?: for those who don’t want to celebrate the New Year with snow and frost.
• Cost of living: from 1,394 rubles per night in a hostel.
• Cost of flights from Moscow and back: from 23,271 rubles.

The budget holiday will be from December 25–28 to the beginning of January. New Year's Eve is considered a cold time of year here, but not for Russians. Among our tourists there are even those who risk swimming.

• Air temperature: –1… –2 °C.
• Visa: Schengen.
• Who is it suitable for?: for those who like to walk and explore new cities.
• Cost of living: from 455 rubles per night in a hostel.
• Cost of flights from Moscow and back: from 17,862 rubles.
• Cost of a week's tour for two: from 57,384 rubles.

During the New Year holidays, you can go to one of the European capitals - Prague. There you can see the main attractions: the ancient Prague Castle fortress, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge and historic district Mala Strana. But the main thing is that all this time you will be surrounded by the atmosphere of the holiday and the New Year in the most beautiful city Europe.

• Air temperature: –25… –15 °C.
• Visa: need not.
• Who is it suitable for?: for lovers of nature and travel around Russia.
• Cost of living: from 250 rubles per night in a guest house.
• Cost of flights from Moscow and back: from 21,500 rubles.

Small resort on the Halkidiki peninsula is suitable for a relaxing holiday and walks by the sea. In winter there are few tourists in the city, but traditional shops and fish restaurants are still open. Nea Kallikratia is located 40 km from Thessaloniki, so it would be easy to visit the big Greek city for a few days.