A city with a romantic and charming atmosphere, Venice is often identified as the ideal destination to spend New Year’s Eve. Here not only couples, but also groups of friends and families can find something special to do on New Year’s Eve as Venice is a city of many opportunities.
The atmosphere in Venice already becomes magical at the beginning of December when the city, shops and houses are decorated with Christmas decorations and lights make the atmosphere really special. Moreover, Venice is a cosmopolitan location frequented by visitors from different parts of the world, which makes the atmosphere even more special.
The city makes it possible to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in a traditional way by attending a party in St Mark’s Square or by enjoying a dinner in a typical Venetian restaurant. There is no lack of parties in clubs or the possibility of dining by candlelight in some renowned restaurant.
Venice is one of the best places to spend New Year’s Eve as the city offers many opportunities that appeal to all types of travellers. If anyone is still undecided in this article you will find plenty of suggestions on how to spend New Year’s Eve in the lagoon city. Just remember that Venice is a very popular city during the festivities, so it is best to book well in advance the activities you prefer to do not only on the night of 31 December but also the days before and after.
One of the most exciting (but also inexpensive) ways to await the start of the New Year is to take part in the celebrations organised in St Mark’s Square where a large stage is set up. Here, from 9 p.m. on 31 December until midnight, singers and artists perform to keep tourists and Venetians company until the arrival of the New Year. Then, at midnight, fireworks are set off from a platform positioned on the San Marco basin, creating a truly suggestive and magical spectacle.
To spend a really special evening in Venice you can choose to spend New Year’s Eve on a boat. There are numerous companies that offer tours in the waters of the lagoon with dinner on board.
These tours allow you to touch the city’s most iconic sites such as the Giudecca Canal, Le Grazie, St Mark’s Square, the Arsenal and perhaps even the most famous islands such as Murano or Burano. All this while savouring the specialities of the local cuisine accompanied by some excellent prosecco from Veneto.
At the stroke of midnight, then, you can toast admiring the fireworks display from an unusual perspective, without the crowds in the square. Some of the tours also include on-board entertainment, with musical groups livening up the dinner or entertaining cabaret shows.
There are many New Year’s Eve Grand Canal cruises on offer, and the duration and prices vary depending on the services required and the company chosen.
Fans of classical music can choose to spend the last day of the year at the Teatro La Fenice where the traditional New Year’s Eve concerts are organised. The performances are usually scheduled on 31 December in the late afternoon and 1 January in the morning. The performances end each year with the chorus ‘Va, pensiero’ from Nabucco and the toast ‘Libiam ne’ lieti calici’ from Giuseppe Verdi’s Traviata. These are renowned events that attract fans from all over the world and involve some of the most famous conductors and tenors.
Venice is a city with many restaurants offering different menus at different price ranges. The capital of Veneto, however, is one of the most popular destinations to spend New Year’s Eve so the advice is to book a restaurant in advance to avoid a sell-out. Many hotels offer packages that include both accommodation and dinner on 31 December, but even in these cases it is better not to take the last minute to confirm.
The good news is that Venice offers both top-notch restaurants with dinners that can cost hundreds of euros, as well as small venues or traditional inns where you can wait for the new year by eating typical dishes at lower prices. If you follow local customs on New Year’s Eve, it is traditional to eat cotechino with lentils and polenta at midnight. As an appetiser, however, ‘sarde in saor’, or fried sardines seasoned with sweet and sour onions, pine nuts and sultanas, are very popular.
As first courses in Venice, it is easy to find fish-based dishes such as spaghetti with clams, a true traditional classic, or a good risotto. Tables cannot be without the famous pandoro, which originated in the Veneto region. These, however, are customs mostly carried out by families, while restaurants now offer a variety of menus. You can choose whether to follow taste or tradition.
For dinner lovers, we have selected the best restaurants for where to spend New Year’s Eve in Venice. Some of these offer a refined menu and elegant settings, while others offer more local cuisine and less formal settings.
For an unforgettable New Year’s Eve Avanspettacolo is the right place for a high level dinner accompanied by musical performances and shows. This, in fact, is the most famous venue in Venice for cabaret-themed evenings that combine art, entertainment and tradition.
On New Year’s Eve, you can dine on an excellent menu of typical dishes while the relaxing sounds of a master pianist play in the background. Afterwards, the evening is enlivened by performances by singers, musicians, dancers, acrobats and contortionists. After the midnight toast, the entertainment continues with live music and dancing.
Just a few steps from St Mark’s Square is this historic Venetian restaurant that allows you to spend New Year’s Eve with an aperitif and a gala dinner served in the historic ‘La Caravella’ room. If you are looking for a quiet, refined ambience with an excellent menu, this is definitely the right place. The dinner includes an extensive meat and fish menu with several appetisers, two first courses, two main courses and desserts. At midnight, traditional cotechino and lentils will be served. The evening is enlivened by background music, but no dancing is provided.
If you are looking for a more lively evening Hard Rock Cafe certainly has the solution for you. The venue is housed in an authentic Venetian-style building with large windows and a panoramic view of the canal. The Hard Rock Cafe in Venice welcomes its customers for a tasty dinner followed by an after dinner with live music while waiting for midnight. Once the New Year has arrived, after the toast all together, the party continues with DJ sets and a dance floor.
The ancient deconsecrated church of the Misericordia Abbey will be finely prepared to host the 31 December dinner in the large nave. This building is a very special place where events, art exhibitions, gala dinners, workshops and conferences are organised. On the evening of the last day of the year, a gala dinner is organised accompanied by live music and performances.
After eating, from 23:00 there will be a New Year’s Eve with a DJ set and a bar stocked with the main cocktails. Those who wish can also arrive after dinner to join the festivities and dance.
Oficine 800 is a 19th century building overlooking the Grand Canal that often hosts events and theme nights. For New Year’s Eve, Oficine 800 organised a truly extraordinary party. First guests are welcomed with a welcome drink and then continue with a gala dinner in the grand salon. Throughout the evening, musical entertainment and live shows are provided. Once midnight arrives, after the festivities and the classic toast, the party continues in the complex’s two large halls, which host a variety of musical genres. The evening includes several bar and music spots for dancing until the morning!
Palazzetto Pisano is a historic Venetian building overlooking the Grand Canal. Here on 31 December an after-dinner dinner is organised to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The location is one of the best in Venice, since from the building’s panoramic terrace you can also admire the fireworks and a wonderful view of the Grand Canal. After dinner the party continues with DJ sets: several rooms will be set up with different music genres that will entertain guests until the first light of dawn.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Venice is certainly an unforgettable experience. The choice of a stay here for 31 December is certainly not one of the cheapest but by booking in advance you can find several bargains. When organising your trip, book not only your flight, hotel and main attractions but also the restaurant or dinner cruise and/or party.
Venice is a city that offers many possibilities and in most cases there is no need to contact an agency to organise: doing it yourself is easy and saves money. It is also a good idea to plan in advance the activities to do before and after 31 December: tickets to the main sites of interest are generally cheaper if purchased in advance online.
Venice is a unique and spectacular city that in the New Year period is often chosen as a destination by visitors from all over the world. There are no particular tips to keep in mind, but the usual safety recommendations apply: watch out for your wallet and valuables, especially if you are celebrating New Year’s Eve in the Piazza. Also watch out for clothing, which must be suitable for the humidity and winter temperatures. Here are some other tips that may be useful to enjoy your New Year’s Eve in Venice to the fullest:
Check the opening and closing times of tourist attractions because some on 31 December may be closed or open with reduced hours. The same goes for 1 January when some sites may be closed. Also check the water bus timetables, which may change on New Year’s Eve.
If you want to admire the fireworks display in front of St Mark’s Square, the advice is to book a table in advance at one of the venues that offer the best view of the Grand Canal, but beware of the price!
Venice is a city that offers many restaurants, but for New Year’s Eve it is essential to book a place for the festivities in advance. If you don’t know where to dine, you can always ask your hotel if they are organising anything or if any nearby restaurant has planned a dinner. Be careful because some venues require a precise dress code to enter so it is always advisable to enquire when organising.
A final tip for ladies: wherever you celebrate New Year’s Eve, you are likely to end up walking a lot. It is, therefore, recommended that you wear comfortable shoes, or if you cannot do without heels, keep a pair of ready-to-wear shoes in your bag.
Winter in Venice is never too harsh, with daytime temperatures of around 6-7 degrees while in the evening they can drop to around zero. Rainfall is usually more frequent in the mid-season; it is rare for it to snow on New Year’s Eve but not impossible. Fog is often present in the winter months and the humidity is always very high.
To avoid spending New Year’s Eve in the cold, the advice is always to dress in layers and always have gloves and a cap with you. If you want to know the weather in Venice in real time or to consult the forecast for the next few days visit the Venice Weather page.
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