In this story · 3 sections
New Year's Eve is the one night when a whole city goes out at once, and Monaco and Paris do it in characteristic ways. The principality turns its harbour into a dance floor and its grand hotels into ballrooms. Paris gathers on its most famous avenue for a show on the Arc de Triomphe. Both reward planning: the best tables go early, transport changes, and security rules apply. Here is how each night works, based on the most recent editions.
01Monaco: the harbour and the Place du Casino
The public celebration centres on Port Hercule. According to Monaco Tribune's guide to the most recent New Year's Eve, the Christmas Village by the harbour hosted a free event with two DJ stages from 9 pm to 2 am, and the traditional midnight fireworks could be seen from there. Up the hill, the Place du Casino is decorated and illuminated, and it is where the official countdown takes place; the terrace of the Café de Paris looks onto it.
Many visitors spend the evening at a table. The Société des Bains de Mer's hotels lead the programme. At the Hôtel de Paris, Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV and Le Grill serve New Year menus, the Salle Empire stages a dinner show, and the Bar Américain is open for the night. The Hôtel Hermitage offers L'Abysse, Le Pavyllon and live music in the Salle Belle Époque, and the Monte-Carlo Bay has Marcel Ravin's restaurants. The Salle des Étoiles holds a dinner show. Afterwards the nightclubs – Jimmy'z, La Rascasse, Twiga and others – take over.
Culture is part of the season too. The most recent programme included the Ballets de Monte-Carlo at the Grimaldi Forum and a musical at the Opéra Garnier. Book early: Monaco Tribune advises arriving well ahead of time, as car parks fill up. For the rest of the principality, see vpios.com/monaco.
02Paris: the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe
Paris's main celebration is on the Champs-Élysées. At the edition reported by The Connexion, the show began at 7 pm with a concert of French artists and dancers from the Moulin Rouge and Paradis Latin, shown on screens along the avenue. At 11:50 pm a 3D video was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe, followed by fireworks at midnight. Access to the avenue opened at 6 pm, through dedicated entry points with bag checks; glass bottles and fireworks were banned, and public sale and consumption of alcohol were prohibited in the area from 4 pm. Organisers discouraged bringing small children because of the density of the crowd.
One point surprises many visitors: there are no New Year's Eve fireworks from the Eiffel Tower. As Sortir à Paris explains, the tower's fireworks are reserved for 14 July, the national holiday; the only exceptional New Year show there marked the millennium in 2000.
Getting home is easier than it looks. Several metro stations near the avenue closed from mid-afternoon, and driving was restricted from 3 pm, but several metro, RER and tram lines ran through the night free of charge, airport routes excepted.
At a glance
| Monaco | Paris | |
|---|---|---|
| Public focus | Port Hercule, Place du Casino | Champs-Élysées |
| At midnight | Fireworks over the harbour | Fireworks and show on the Arc de Triomphe |
| Best for | Gala dinners, clubs, a compact evening | A huge open-air party, then dinner or a bar |
| Plan for | Early bookings; parking fills | Security checks; station closures |
03Choosing your night
Monaco suits those who want the evening to be about a long dinner and a dance, with the sea at midnight. Paris suits those who want to be part of a crowd of a city's size – and then disappear into a bistro or bar. Whichever you choose, check this year's programme when it is announced, and book restaurants and hotels well before. More winter journeys in our travel section and on metromode.co, and Riviera guides on verapi.fr.
