Autumn holidays

Where should you go in Europe in autumn?

Warm seas, the grape harvest and half-empty old towns. Six destinations compared with 30 years of weather data and official crowd and price statistics.

By the Time to Travel teamUpdated 15 October 20264 min read

The short version

Autumn is the best-value season in southern Europe. In October, Crete still averages highs of 24 °C and Palermo 23 °C, while the crowds fall away: Croatia gets 3.7% of its year's tourist nights in October against 28.2% in August. For beach weather, go in September or early October and go south: Crete is the driest choice. For a city break, Lisbon stays near 22 °C in October and Budapest near 16 °C, and both are among the cheapest places in the EU to eat out. Porto and the Douro valley add the grape harvest, usually in September and October, but October there brings about 13 rainy days.

Who is this guide for?

Travellers who can go after the school holidays and want warm weather without summer prices and queues. We compare six destinations on the average weather in September and October over 1996 to 2025, how busy each country is in October compared with August, and restaurant and hotel price levels.

How warm is it in October?

Heraklion, Crete24.3 °C
Palermo, Sicily23.4 °C
Lisbon, Portugal21.8 °C
Porto, Portugal20.5 °C
Dubrovnik, Croatia20.3 °C
Budapest, Hungary16.0 °C

Average daily high in October; orange bars are 23 °C or warmer. Source: our calculation from ERA5 reanalysis data via the Open-Meteo historical weather API, 1996 to 2025, retrieved 15 October 2026. Grid values can differ from a city weather station by a few degrees, most in mountains and fjords.

September is still summer in the south: highs average 28.6 °C in Heraklion, 26.9 °C in Palermo and 25.1 °C in Lisbon. October is where the destinations separate. Crete stays dry, with about 6 rainy days, while Porto averages 13 and Dubrovnik and Palermo about 10 to 11. Autumn rain in the Mediterranean tends to come in short, heavy bursts rather than grey days, but it is worth keeping a flexible plan.

Budapest is the one clear city-break pick here. October highs near 16 °C and lows near 8 °C suit walking, and the thermal baths make a cooler day an advantage.

How do the six compare on crowds and prices?

To measure how much quieter autumn is, we compared each country's share of annual tourist nights in October with its share in August, using Eurostat's 2025 monthly data. Price levels compare restaurant and hotel prices with the EU average of 100.

Six autumn destinations compared: weather 1996 to 2025, crowds 2025, prices 2024
Destination	Sept / Oct high	Oct rain days	Share of nights: Oct vs Aug	Prices (EU = 100)	Best for	Downsides
Heraklion, Crete	28.6 / 24.3 °C	6.0	7.1% vs 21.7%	86	Late beach season, hiking, archaeology	Check that seasonal hotels and tavernas are still open late in the month
Palermo, Sicily	26.9 / 23.4 °C	10.2	6.8% vs 17.9%	107	Food, markets, warm sea	More autumn rain than Crete
Lisbon, Portugal	25.1 / 21.8 °C	9.2	9.1% vs 14.1%	76	City break with day trips to the coast	Least drop in crowds: Portugal stays busy
Porto and the Douro	24.1 / 20.5 °C	13.0	9.1% vs 14.1%	76	Port wine, vineyards, the harvest	Wettest of the six in October
Dubrovnik, Croatia	24.6 / 20.3 °C	10.7	3.7% vs 28.2%	95	Old town without the summer crush	Check ferry timetables and seasonal opening dates
Budapest, Hungary	21.7 / 16.0 °C	7.5	8.3% vs 14.7%	72	Thermal baths, cafés, cheap city break	Too cool for swimming outdoors

Croatia shows the biggest autumn drop by far: its October share is less than a seventh of its August share. Greece and Italy fall to well under half. Portugal and Hungary are steadier through the year, so autumn there is calmer but not empty.

What happens in autumn worth planning around?

The grape harvest in Portugal. VisitPortugal says the harvest date is set each year by the weather, grape variety and vineyard, and usually falls between the end of summer and the start of autumn. Several wineries run harvest programmes where visitors can take part, including treading grapes.
Oktoberfest in Munich. If you are routing through Germany, the 2027 Oktoberfest runs from 18 September to 3 October, according to the City of Munich. Book a room early if your dates overlap.
The clock change. Most of Europe moves its clocks back an hour on the last Sunday of October, so evenings get dark noticeably earlier in November.

Who should pick which destination?

Last swim of the year: Crete in late September or early October, the warmest and driest option here.
Food and culture with warm weather: Palermo, with a plan for the odd rainy day.
Best value city break: Budapest or Lisbon: Hungary and Portugal have the lowest restaurant and hotel prices in this list.
Wine lovers: Porto and the Douro in September, before October's rain picks up.
Crowd avoiders: Dubrovnik from October, when Croatia is at its quietest relative to summer.

Eating out is a big part of an autumn trip. Our guides to tipping in European restaurants and cafés and to national dishes and hotel breakfast prices help with the bill.

Frequently asked questions

Where is it still warm in Europe in October?

Of the destinations compared here, Crete is the warmest in October, with an average high of 24.3 °C at Heraklion over 1996 to 2025, followed by Palermo at 23.4 °C and Lisbon at 21.8 °C.

Is October a good time to visit Croatia?

For sightseeing, yes. Dubrovnik averages highs of about 20 °C in October, and Croatia receives only 3.7% of its annual tourist nights in October compared with 28.2% in August. Expect around 11 rainy days, and check ferry timetables before you go.

When is the grape harvest in the Douro valley?

It changes every year with the weather and grape variety. VisitPortugal says it usually falls between the end of summer and the start of autumn, which in practice means September and early October.

When is Oktoberfest 2027?

The City of Munich lists Oktoberfest 2027 from Saturday 18 September to Sunday 3 October 2027.

Where the figures come from

Checked on 15 October 2026. Weather averages are our own calculation from the data sources below.