Autumn is one of my favourite times to travel. The summer hordes have gone home, flights drop in price, and the weather, in many places, is far kinder than the furnace heat of July and August. Shoulder season, as the travel industry calls it, is where you’ll often find the best value and, I think, the most memorable and authentic experiences.
If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to spend your precious time queuing for a selfie spot or elbowing your way past tour groups. I’d rather swap that for empty piazzas, half-price hotel rooms, and the chance to wander into a café where the only voices are local.
With that in mind, here are eight destinations where autumn travel really pays off, places that are affordable, crowd-free, and all the better for it. Full disclosure. I might be a little bias towards number five. When working as a mountain guide in the Atlas mountains we used to escape the heat of Marrakech between climbs with breaks on the cool Moroccan coast. Those sardines. Delicious!
Slovenia’s Julian Alps
Slovenia often slips under the radar, which is baffling given how beautiful it is. In summer, Bled and Bohinj fill up with weekenders from Austria and Italy, but come September the scene changes. The air is crisp, the forests are painted in reds and golds, and you can walk trails around Triglav National Park without passing another soul. Prices are gentler too: guesthouses around Bohinj that might be fully booked in July have rooms for €40–50 a night. Autumn is also when local festivals kick off, with chestnut roasts, wine tastings, and village markets heavy with pumpkins and mushrooms.
Andalucía, Spain
Most people head to Spain in midsummer and then complain it’s too hot. I go in October. The searing 40°C days are gone, replaced by a comfortable mid-20s. Seville’s orange-tree-lined streets are quieter, Córdoba’s Mezquita has space to breathe, and tapas bars are filled with locals rather than tourists and coach parties. It’s cheaper too: budget airlines slash prices outside school holidays, and you can pick up boutique hotels for half the high-season rate. Better still, autumn coincides with grape harvests and sherry festivals in Jerez. I can think of worse ways to spend a long weekend than sipping fino in the sun while a brass band plays down the street.
Mezquita Photo by Jordi Vich Navarro
The Albanian Riviera
Albania still feels like Europe’s best-kept secret. In July and August the beaches around Sarandë and Ksamil are mobbed with sunseekers. But by late September? Bliss. The water is still warm, the seafood tavernas are open, and you can rent an apartment overlooking the Ionian Sea for the price of a London pub lunch. I spent a week there in early October and counted more goats than tourists. The road that snakes along the Llogara Pass has epic views of the coast, and you can stop in villages where life seems unchanged for decades and explore unspoilt forests and lakes. If you want Mediterranean sun without Mediterranean prices, this is the place.
Poland’s Tatra Mountains
Poland doesn’t always register as a hiking destination, but it should. Zakopane, the main mountain town, bustles in summer and again in ski season, but in October it’s blissfully quiet. The trails of the Tatra National Park with alpine lakes, spruce forests, and jagged peaks are at their most spectacular with autumn colours. Accommodation is also cheaper: wooden chalet-style pensions cost under €30 a night, and hearty mountain food like dumplings, smoked cheese and goulash rarely sets you back more than a fiver. You can even soak in hot thermal pools afterwards, steaming away under the chilly air, with the peaks looming in the background.
Tatras Mountains Photo by Jan Baborák
Morocco’s Atlantic Coast
I love Marrakech, but by September the souks are still sweltering and the touts relentless. Head west to the Atlantic and it’s a different story. Essaouira, with its blue-shuttered houses and windswept ramparts, is a bargain outside of high season. The weather is mild, the surfers are still around, and fresh fish lunches by the harbour cost less than £5. For something quieter, head further south to Taghazout or Sidi Kaouki, where budget riads and surf camps drop their rates in autumn. The best part? The package-tour crowds don’t arrive until winter, so you get Morocco’s coast at its most authentic.
Georgia’s Wine Country
Georgia – the one at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, not the US state – is a revelation. It’s cheap, friendly, and home to some of the world’s oldest wine traditions. Autumn is harvest season, which means festivals, feasts, and more free-flowing wine than you can keep up with. I based myself in Telavi, in the Kakheti region, where guesthouses cost under €20 and include home-cooked meals that groan under the weight of dumplings, aubergine rolls, and salads. The countryside is ablaze with autumn colours, and you’ll often find yourself drinking wine with a family who has been making it in clay qvevri jars for generations.
The Scottish Highlands
Scotland in summer means midges and motorhomes. Scotland in autumn is something else entirely. The hills turn russet, the air is sharp, and lochs mirror the changing colours. The North Coast 500, which can feel like a traffic jam in August, is practically empty in October. Accommodation prices fall, distilleries are quieter, and you stand a good chance of spotting stags during the rutting season. Yes, you’ll need a raincoat — this is Scotland after all — but the reward is landscapes at their dramatic best without the busloads of tourists.
Mexico’s Yucatán (Beyond Cancún)
Cancún is never really quiet but hop on a bus and you’ll find parts of the Yucatán that are. Autumn here means fewer American holidaymakers, lower hotel prices, and still-warm seas. Towns like Valladolid, with its pastel streets and nearby cenotes, are crowd-free and affordable. Better still, travel in late October and you’ll catch Día de los Muertos preparations. It’s a far richer, more intimate experience than the tourist parades you’ll see in Mexico City. Tacos cost pennies, colectivos run everywhere, and you can sleep in colonial guesthouses for a fraction of Cancún’s resort rates.
Some Practical Tips for Autumn Travel
Check closing dates, because some smaller attractions and ferries shut down after summer. Always double-check schedules before you go. Pack layers, since autumn weather can be fickle, sunny one minute and chilly the next. Travel midweek if possible, because flights are often even cheaper if you avoid weekend departures. And keep an eye out for festivals such as harvest fairs, wine tastings, and cultural celebrations that only happen in autumn add real flavour to any trip.
For me, autumn travel feels like being let in on a secret. You see famous places stripped back to their essence, without the Instagram circus. You save money, sometimes hundreds of pounds, simply by choosing a different month. And you often get richer experiences: more conversations with locals, better access to trails, and time to linger in museums without being jostled.
So, if you’ve been put off travelling by summer’s sky-high prices or by photos of queues snaking around Europe’s landmarks, give autumn a try. Pick one of these eight destinations, pack a jumper, and enjoy the best season of the year to travel.
Photo by Neven Krcmarek
