New Year's Eve in Vienna

The classic: no entry fee, several stages through the old city, midnight at Stephansplatz. Crowded, loud and free — if that is not your evening, have a plan B booked in advance.

A rock and party night in one of the city's oldest venues, central enough to walk to from the Silvesterpfad. Free at the door in recent editions.

The club option for anyone who has had enough of punch stalls and brass bands. Central, so it combines with a short detour for the midnight fireworks.

The darker alternative — rock and alternative rather than chart music. Outside the centre's crush, so no queueing. For people who would rather skip the champagne cheer.

On 1 January, not the 31st. Tickets go by ballot, entered a year in advance — realistically you watch it on television or at the live relay on Rathausplatz.

The reachable concert option: Mozart and Strauss at the Konzerthaus, no ballot and no three-figure prices. For visitors, the obvious alternative to the Musikverein.

€15 in the Vienna Boys' Choir concert hall — the cheapest route to a genuine Viennese New Year concert. Small, good, and usually still available when everything else has gone.

Free, on the morning of 1 January, along the Hauptallee. The antidote to the night before, and the only thing on this list where a hangover is arguably part of the format.