Last minute ideas for those spending New Year’s Eve in Portugal

No plans for your New Year’s Eve yet? Don’t worry, you can still make a big entrance into 2019. There are several free parties, gourmet dinners cooked by renowned chefs, and even some last minute getaways to other cities. Whatever your case is, here are some options worthy of your consideration:

• Terreiro do Paço, Lisbon

Have you heard about this piazza? It was renovated just a few years ago, and it is one of the most iconic places in Lisbon, overlooking the Tagus River, and within walking distance to Cais do Sodré, where all the bars and discos are located and where you can dance all night long. Most Lisboners go there to Terreiro do Paço to see the fireworks, and the entrance there is free. This year, concerts will begin at 10:00 PM, with Tatanka, João Só, Ana Bacalhau before midnight. After midnight comes Richie Campbell with Dengaz, Plutónio and Dj Dadda.

• Avenida dos Aliados, Porto

If you want to go to Porto or live in Porto, you must go to this Avenue to kick-start your New Year the right way. This is where the party starts, and many free concerts are planned for the evening, starting with a DJ set at 10:00 PM. Pedro Abrunhosa, an icon of the Portuguese pop music, will cheer the crowd an hour later with Comité Caviar, and at midnight, the fireworks begin.

• Casa Lisboa, Lisbon

If you prefer to have dinner close to Terreiro do Paço, you can still book your dinner party here: at the restaurant Casa Lisboa. The menu costs €120 per person and it includes six different courses, from a variety of signature dishes from the Portuguese chef Luís Gaspar and you can also pay an extra €40 for the wine pairing. There is a kid-friendly menu as well, for those who wish to bring their children along.

Casa Lisboa is located in Terreiro do Paço

• Le Reveillon Party at Convento do Beato, Lisbon

Convento do Beato will host for the seventh year in a row the event “Le Reveillon”. The last editions have all sold out and for that reason, you should buy your tickets as soon as possible. These are available for sale for €40 now (the price increases as the date of the event approaches). You can choose to go only to the party, or to the party with the dinner as well. This is a very glamorous party and the dress code is elegant and formal.

• Goodbye 2018 in Ericeira, by the sea

Some may prefer to say goodbye to 2018 near the shore, and the city of Ericeira (known very well by surfers all over the world) has a new hotel just by the seaside, in front of Praia do Sul. The new hotel is called You and The Sea, and it has planned a party for the last day of the year with a dinner included in the package, at the restaurant “Jangada”. After the lovely meal, the attendants can go to the disco “Ouriço”. If waking up the next day is too difficult (god knows why), the hotel will bring you a “hangover kit” to your room, with a pizza baked in a traditional wooden hoven. Sounds good. 

Hotel “You and the Sea”

• Start the year feeling like James Bond, in Gaia, Porto

James Bond’s fans should go to Gaia for New Year’s Eve: Holiday Inn Porto Gaia, in Vila Nova de Gaia, will give you the opportunity to spend an evening feeling just like Bond. The cost of the theme party is €154 per agent, and it includes a gala dinner prepared by chef Luís Santos, in a decoration which was inspired with all things MI6.

• Hollywood Theme party in Madeira

Madeira Island’s fireworks are the more acclaimed in the country — it even was awarded a Guinness world record, and an award for “best new year’s party in Europe”, by European Best Destinations. If you want to have an unforgettable New Year’s Eve, and start 2019 feeling like a star, then you should try Paul do Mar Sea View Hotel’s party. This venue will prepare a theme party based on the Hollywood spirit, with a red carpet included, and even little golden statues to deliver to the guests which stand out from the crowd.