Enchanting European New Year’s Eve
Minimum Stay: 4 days
Preferred Stay: 1 week +
Vienna, the Austrian capital, is one the most luxurious cities in Europe, and the one of the most elegant cities in the world. It offers world class museums, cultural art centers, beautiful boutiques, high end shopping, fine dining, fashion, and architecture. Voted one of the happiest cities in the world, Austria is a mix of contemporary luxury and historic charm.
During the holidays Vienna becomes a paradise of exquisite beauty filled with elaborate festive decorations and grand celebrations. More than 700,000 people from around the world come to celebrate each year, just on New Year’s Eve alone. With celebrations extending over several miles, it’s Silvesterpfad (or New Year’s Eve Path) brings in the holiday spirit for a full 12 hours, and it’s all free. Are you ready to celebrate in exquisite style surrounded by old charm?
New Year's Eve
Silvesterpfad (the New Year’s Eve Path) officially starts at 2 pm on December 31st and runs until 2 am. There are 14 event locations starting at the Rathausplatz, extending through the City Center (Stephansplatz), and ending in the Prater. There are stages set up along it’s path with lots of different music. Vienna, in it’s elaborate style, will offer something for everyone to enjoy. You can find folk, waltz, opera, pop, soul, blues, funk, disco, rock, and classic dance music. Each stage has it’s own genre with live bands and DJs to bring in that festive spirit. There are two main concert stages located at Stephansplatz (in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and at the Rathausplatz. To end these glorious celebrations, fireworks are displayed across all three areas of Vienna, engulfing the entire city center in style. You may find it’s largest fireworks around the Heldenplatz area, close to the Imperial Palace, and also in front of the Ferris Wheel at the Prater.
My Tip
My favorite location to enjoy music, food, and watch the fireworks is in front of the Rathausplatz. Go early, by 5 - 6 pm, to get a good spot. There are outdoor bathrooms that require change and make sure you bring Euros for food vendors, as to not hold up lines trying to use a credit card (and some may not take them).
Gastronomies
Vienna has many fine restaurants; however, they will be booked out well in advance of the festivities. Plan early if you want to celebrate in grand style for the New Year. My preference is to eat a good lunch and then spend the rest of the day enjoying all the choices of foods at the many street booths along the New Year’s Eve Path. This allows you to enjoy the most out of the celebrations, street entertainment, and the atmosphere.
Along the New Year’s Eve Path there will be booths offering faschingkrapfen (carnival donuts), pastries with jellies, apple strudel, large pretzels, kebab (sausages), gulasch (a stew), tea, beer, champagne and Glühwein; a mulled wine punch made of cinnamon, sugar and red wine. It’s served hot and you may find it served in a mug shaped like a pig. Pigs are considered good luck, originally a sign of wealth and prosperity, indicating their owners would never go hungry. Be sure to look for marzipan schweinchen, marzipan in the shape of pigs. Other good luck items you may notice are four-leaf clover charms, chimney sweeps, mushrooms, horseshoes, and ladybirds.
Many of the Christmas markets , like the one in front of the Rathausplatz will carry food, drinks, trinkets, toys, holiday decorations, and party favors to wear for bringing in the new year. Some may also carry Bleigießen kits. This is an Austrian tradition of melting lead, or tin, as a way of predicting what the next year will hold for you. You melt the lead in a spoon over a candle, or stove, and pour it into a bowl of cold water. A bubbly surface could mean money. A broken shape could mean misfortune. Those that look like a ship may mean traveling or career advancement, where as a horse may mean a new car. It’s fun to try. See if you can pick one up.
Lentils are also considered good luck, as they are shaped like coins, to indicate money and wealth for the New Year. Fish is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day, as it indicates you are swimming forward in the right direction for a fresh year. Even green peppermint ice-cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover may be found. Can you tell Vienna is a city of money?
Ringing in the New Year
Just prior to midnight, the main national TV station will play Dinner for One, a short comedy sketch recorded in 1963 in English. Many from around the world may see Vienna on TV. Then at midnight, the giant Pummerin bell of Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral rings in the New Year. Chimes will be heard across the entire city. As the last echoes of the Pummerin bell cease, the traditional song, the Donauwalzer, will play across the national broadcaster ORF, television, radio, and across the entire city’s speakers. Fireworks will ring, everyone dances to the waltz in the streets, and lights explode across the skies. It is a sight to see!
Don’t worry if you don’t know how to do the waltz, every December 31st, dancing schools offer free lessons on the Vienna waltz at Stephansplatz between 2 pm and 4:30 pm.
Want to wish those around you good wishes, tell them “Guten Rutsch” before midnight. It means “sliding well into the next year.” Then after the clock strikes 12, say “Frohes neues Jahr”, meaning “Happy New Year”.
It’s tradition to hug and kiss fellow party guests, so don’t be surprised if they do. Feel the excitement as you hear the church bells chiming, the music of the waltz, the people dancing in the streets, and the specular view of fireworks across not one, but several locations along this grand city of Vienna. There is no feeling out there that will compare. That’s why to you come to Vienna!
Where to Stay
I like to stay close to Graben Street. It’s one of the most famous streets in the city center. Known for it’s high end shopping, it hosts many restaurants, cafes and historical landmarks. It’s also walking distance to all the major attractions, buses, and the metro. The underground metro comes up right in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It can be quite shocking to step out from underground to see a huge church in the middle of the city as you emerge, with shops all around it. This area is quite walkable and has everything you could need. Nearby you will find one of my favorite restaurants, the Figlmüller Bäckerstraße. It’s famous for it’s original schnitzel recipe. It is quite large and can be easily shared by two. You may want to try it with the viennese potato salad, as it is also quite good. For those who love history, this is a restaurant you will want to read about.
Interested in coffee and cake? The Viennese offer amazing selections. Two of my favorite restaurants and cafes are Cafe Central and the Sacher Eck Wien. Cafe Central is very rich in history dating back to 1876 and worth reading about. Sacher Eck Wien, located at the Hotel Sacher, is also very famous and known for it’s Sachertorte, a chocolate cake with apricot filling. Can’t choose which one, don’t worry, Cafe Central has them labeled by number.
Suggestions for New Year's Eve
Staying in the Graben area is also the easiest way to enjoy the free Waltz lessons starting at 2 pm at Stephansplatz. You may want to try a visit, or mass, at St. Stephen’s Cathedral that morning, grab a lunch at one of the many cafes, and then head down the New Year’s Eve path towards the Rathausplatz. I recommend arriving by 5 – 6 pm to start the festivities. There are many shops and concerts to see along your walk, so take your time and enjoy your day. In front of the Rathausplatz, you will see a barricaded area that houses a Christmas Market filled with foods, drinks, trinkets, and local small gift shopping. Here you will also find the main large concert stage for the evenings entertainment. Plan to spend the rest of your evening here enjoying food, drink, and live music. By the end of the evening, you may just find that perfect spot to “waltz” in the New Year with a stranger.
For a more quiet spot to ring in the New Year, try one of the many hilltops or in the Heldenplatz area where you can leave a little easier and has less crowds. Be aware; however, you won’t be near the stage with live entertainment, or food, but you will still get amazing views of the fireworks.
Weather
Of course no one can predict the weather, but Vienna typically has around 25-45 °F temperatures for the New Year. Its important to dress in layers. Bring a good pair of walking shoes or boots; along with an umbrella, rain coat, hat, gloves and scarf.
Public Transportation
Typically the Weiner Linien, or municipal transport services, run extended operations for New Year’s Eve. Subways run through the night at short intervals, and many daytime tram lines and some buses operate through the night also. Trams and buses that encircle the city center around Ring boulevard, along with the subway station at Stephansplatz, do not run once the festivities begin, as crowds gather on the Silvesterpfad (New Year’s Eve Path). Again, most of this is walking distance if you are staying in the city center area and not necessary, and a lot easier and less crowded then to try and catch public transportation.
Plan Ahead
It is best to arrive at least one day prior to events just so you can walk around and get your bearings of where you are. Give yourself some time to gather your ideas of where you’d like to be and enjoy the city. There is so much to see and do. New Years Day, many shops and attractions may be closed. If you plan to visit any, make sure you check operating hours over the holidays and plan accordingly, preferably giving you a few extra days before or after the holidays to visit them.
Additional New Year's Eve/ New Year's Day Activities
Vienna has so much to offer, you can go all out attending one it’s elegant balls, galas, fine restaurants, operas, and concerts. For a glamorous ball and gala dinner, you can celebrate in Vienna’s Town Hall listening to live orchestra tunes of the Vienna waltz king Johann Strauss, and a modern live band. Interested in Opera? The operetta Die Fledermaus (The Bat) is a long New Years Eve tradition in Vienna and is performed at the Vienna State Opera and broadcasted live on an outdoor screen for all to enjoy. Orchestra? Vienna’s best classical orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra play here. Tune in New Year’s Day to the Vienna Philharmonics Orchestra broadcast live in front of City Hall. Or catch one of the many elaborate brunches to bring in the New Year. Feeling romantic? How about a horse-drawn carriage ride down the charming streets of Vienna? Vienna has it all, from glamours and exorbitant, to romantic and historic. How could you go wrong?
Have a few extra days for sights?
Check out some of my favorite other activities in Vienna:
- Vienna Boys Choir - Must book this way in advance if available
- Mass at St. Stephen's
- North Tower St. Stephen's Church - Overview of the city of Vienna
- Winter Markets
- Schonbrunn Palace Grand Tour
- Strudel Class at Cafe Residenz
- State Opera House
- Spanish Riding School
- Hofburg Imperial Palace - Be sure to stop at the Hofburg cafe for cake
- Imperial Treasury
- Prater for Family Fun and the world’s tallest wheel from 1910 to 1985
- Kunsthistorisches
- Belvedere Palace
- Peterskirche
- Imperial Carriage Museum
- Imperial Burial Vault
- Danube Tower
There are many others, but these are definitely worth the visit if you are able.
Tip
The Vienna Pass is a great way to see the city at a great price. You must plan ahead and look at the schedules to make the most of your days. You can pack a lot in if you do your homework ahead of time, looking at operating hours, location and the bus stops.
Are you ready for an Enchanting European New Year’s Eve?
What is your favorite restaurant, hotel, or attraction in Vienna?
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This article is dedicated to:
My Mother and Best Friend, Anne.
Journey Jitters | 20th Dec 18
So funny! Love the idea about packing your own hand sanitizer Casey. Lessons we learn.
Casey | 20th Oct 18
The tip about the toilet, so true! Bring some coins, ladies! I didn’t know at first, so I was that person that held up the line with my American Visa debit card, trying to use the loo. Next day, coins in tow, I had someone pay my way because I gave her and her girlfriends a squirt of my hand sanitizer. Everyone is kind is the loo line 🙂