Where to go
Best places to visit in autumn: five trips for harvest, light and a warm sea
Autumn is when the summer crowds go home and cities get their own life back. These are the places we would choose from September to November, from the grape harvest in the Douro to Berlin's festival of lights.
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It is early October in the Douro Valley east of Porto, and the terraces above the river are full of people carrying baskets. The grapes are taken down to the wineries, where some are still trodden by foot in wide stone tanks. The air smells sweet, and the sun is warm enough for jackets to come off by lunch.
Autumn is the underrated travel season. The sea in the south is still warm after summer, cities get their own rhythm back and prices fall once schools are in session. We picked five places where autumn adds something: a harvest, an art exhibition, a coast at rest, a festival of lights and a golf coast with warm water.
Short answer: where should you go in autumn?
For food and wine, Porto and the Douro Valley are best in September and October, and Venice is good for art before winter. Berlin has its Festival of Lights in October, and for sun and a warm sea the Amalfi Coast and the Algarve stay good well into October.
Best for wine: Porto and the Douro
Best for art: Venice
Best for calm and views: Ravello
Best city break: Berlin
Best for golf and sun: the Algarve
Pestana Vintage Porto
The row of houses at the Ribeira, home to Pestana Vintage.
Porto and the Douro: the harvest along the river
The grape harvest in the Douro Valley runs from September into early October, and several wine estates, known as quintas, welcome visitors who want to watch or join in. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the steep vineyard terraces built along the river over centuries.
Take the riverside train from Porto to Pinhão, or a boat upriver, and have lunch at a quinta overlooking the terraces. Back in Porto, the port lodges of Gaia are waiting.
The catch: Douro roads are narrow and winding, so let someone else drive after a tasting. Read our Porto guide.
Pestana Vintage Porto: the quay below your window
Pestana Vintage Porto is a row of old houses on the riverside square in the Ribeira, joined by stairs and corridors so that no two rooms are alike. River-facing rooms look across to the port lodges in Gaia, a good place to end the day after the trip upriver. The square stays busy late, so light sleepers should ask for the back.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Pestana Vintage Porto
Ca' Sagredo Hotel
Ca' Sagredo in Venice.
Venice: the Biennale and quieter canals
The Venice Biennale alternates between art and architecture each year, and the exhibitions in the Giardini and the Arsenale run until late November. In autumn there are fewer cruise passengers, and the city regains some of its calm.
Give a day to the Biennale, one to the islands of Murano and Burano, and your evenings to the bars of Cannaregio, where Venetians eat cicchetti, small snacks, with a glass of wine.
The catch: from October, acqua alta, the high tide that floods the lowest parts of the city, can arrive. Pack wellies and check the forecasts. Read our Venice guide.
Ca' Sagredo: a palace on the Grand Canal
Ca' Sagredo is a noble palace on the Grand Canal in Cannaregio, with frescoes and stucco filling the staircase and ballroom. Rooms facing the canal look across to the Rialto fish market. It is large and formal, with a water bus stop a few steps away for trips to the Biennale.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Ca' Sagredo
Caruso, A Belmond Hotel
Caruso in Ravello.
Ravello: the Amalfi Coast after the season
The Amalfi Coast is at its finest in October. The sea is still warm enough to swim, ferries are running and the narrow roads are no longer jammed with coaches. Ravello sits high above the coast, with the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone and views along the whole bay.
Walk the stepped paths down from Ravello to Amalfi, take the ferry on to Positano and keep a day for Capri, which is calmer in autumn.
The catch: many hotels and restaurants close in November and reopen in spring. If you travel late, check that places are open. Read our Amalfi Coast guide.
Caruso: a pool above the coast
Caruso, A Belmond Hotel occupies an old palazzo at the top of Ravello, with gardens and a pool that seems to hang over the sea. Rooms have frescoes and antiques. There is no beach and the trip down to the water takes time, though the hotel provides transport. A place for couples and a special occasion.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Caruso
Hotel Adlon Kempinski
Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin.
Berlin: the Festival of Lights and the museums
In October Berlin holds its Festival of Lights, when the Brandenburg Gate, the cathedral, the TV Tower and other landmarks are lit with projections every evening for around ten days.
Autumn is also the time for the museums on Museum Island, walks through the Tiergarten among yellow leaves and evenings in Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg.
The catch: crowds gather at the biggest landmarks during the festival. Go late, or seek out the less famous sites. Read our Berlin guide.
Adlon: next to the Brandenburg Gate
Hotel Adlon Kempinski stands on Pariser Platz, so close to the Brandenburg Gate that rooms facing the square look straight at it. During the Festival of Lights, that view is the projections on the gate. It is Berlin's classic grand hotel, with a lobby pianist and doormen, and the square outside is full of visitors.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Adlon Kempinski
Pine Cliffs
Pine Cliffs in the Algarve.
The Algarve: golf and swimming in October
The Algarve's golf season is in autumn, when days are warm without being hot. The sea stays warm through October, and the beaches are far quieter than in summer.
Walk the clifftop path above Praia da Falésia, take a boat to the sea caves at Benagil and drive inland to Silves with its red castle.
The catch: some beach bars and restaurants close after October, and the days shorten. There is still sunshine, but evenings are cool. Read our Algarve guide.
Pine Cliffs: the cliffs above Falésia
Pine Cliffs sits on the red cliffs above Falésia beach east of Albufeira, with pine woods, a golf course, several pools and a lift down to the sand. In autumn the course and the beach are the main reasons to stay. The resort is large and pricey but has room for everyone.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Pine Cliffs
Good to know before you book
Half-term fills flights: school holidays in October bring peaks across Europe. Book early or travel outside them.
The season winds down: on the Amalfi Coast and in the Algarve, some places close in November.
High water in Venice: acqua alta can arrive from October. Check the warnings before you head out.
Warm sea, cool evenings: pack a jumper even when the days are warm.
Autumn travel: frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to visit in autumn?
Porto and the Douro for the harvest, Venice for art, Ravello for calm, Berlin for a city break and the Algarve for golf and swimming.
When is the grape harvest in the Douro?
The Douro harvest usually runs from September into early October, depending on the weather that year.
When is the Festival of Lights in Berlin?
The Festival of Lights takes place each October for around ten days, with projections on landmarks every evening.
Is it warm enough to swim in autumn?
Yes. In southern Europe the sea is often warm enough for swimming through October, because it has heated up all summer.
Where is good for an October half-term break?
The Algarve, the Amalfi Coast and Porto are good choices, with warm days and fewer people than in summer.