Travel guides · October 2026
Where to Go in October
Ten places that are at their best this month, picked from where our explorers actually go, and one to plan around.
Bled Island, the castle and the Karawanks: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0
October is the month the crowds go home and the light turns gold. The Mediterranean is still warm enough to swim, the mountains change colour, and the post-monsoon skies in the Himalaya are the clearest of the year. These are the ten places we would send a friend this month.
1Malta Summer, still on
Malta's summer runs late. Days are still around 25°C and the sea around 24°C, warmer than in June, while the August crowds have gone home.
Tip: Swim at Għajn Tuffieħa or the Blue Lagoon early, before the boats arrive.
28 of our explorers have beenRead the Malta guide →Photo: Anton Zelenov, CC BY-SA 4.0
2Albania The Riviera without the queues
The Albanian Riviera is around 24°C with the Ionian Sea still around 22°C, and the beach clubs of Ksamil and Dhërmi go quiet. Hotel prices drop with them.
Tip: Pair the coast with Gjirokastër and Berat: hill towns are far nicer when it isn't 35°C.
20 of our explorers have beenRead the Albania guide →Photo: Liridon, CC BY-SA 4.0
3Montenegro Mountains and sea in one day
Days around 21°C make October right for doing both halves of Montenegro: a swim in the Adriatic, then the Durmitor or Lovćen roads while the beech forests turn.
Tip: Drive the Kotor serpentine up to Njeguši for the view back down on the bay.
24 of our explorers have beenRead the Montenegro guide →Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
4Morocco Cool enough for the medinas
Marrakech drops to around 28°C, so walking the souks and the Atlas foothills is a pleasure again. Desert nights turn cool, which is exactly when a Sahara camp is at its best.
Tip: Pack a warm layer for the Merzouga or Zagora dunes: desert nights are much colder than the days.
27 of our explorers have beenRead the Morocco guide →Photo: Fbrandao.1963, CC BY-SA 4.0
5Portugal Warm south, harvest north
Lisbon is around 22°C and the Algarve sea still around 20°C. Up north it's the end of the grape harvest in the Douro and the start of chestnut season.
Tip: Our Portugal food guide covers the week from north to south, and what to eat in autumn.
67 of our explorers have beenRead the Portugal food guide →Photo: Joaomartinho63, CC BY-SA 3.0
6Slovenia Autumn colour, chestnut season
Around 15°C in Ljubljana, the Julian Alps turning gold, and roasted chestnuts on every square. Bled and Bohinj are calm again after the summer.
Tip: Walk to the Ojstrica viewpoint above Bled in the morning, when the mist sits on the lake.
34 of our explorers have beenRead the Slovenia guide →Photo: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0
7Romania Transylvania in its best season
The forests of the Carpathians go red and gold, and Brașov sits around 14°C, ideal for walking the old towns of Sibiu, Sighișoara and Brașov.
Tip: Drive the Transfăgărășan before it closes for winter, usually around the start of November.
29 of our explorers have beenRead the Romania guide →Photo: Pudelek, CC BY-SA 4.0
8South Korea The start of the leaf season
Korea's autumn colour sweeps down from the mountains through October, with Seoraksan peaking around the middle of the month, and Seoul sits around 20°C with clear, dry skies.
Tip: Seoul's palaces and Bukhansan turn later: late October into early November is usually the best.
29 of our explorers have beenRead the South Korea guide →Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
9Iceland Northern lights season
Nights are long and dark enough for the aurora again, while days still give you nine to eleven hours of light for the Ring Road. Summer crowds and summer prices are gone.
Tip: Weather changes fast: check road.is and the aurora forecast every evening.
22 of our explorers have beenRead the Iceland guide →Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0
10Nepal The clearest Himalaya of the year
After the monsoon the air washes clean, so October is the peak trekking month in Nepal: Kathmandu around 25°C and the clearest mountain views of the year.
Tip: It's peak season on the trails too: book Everest and Annapurna region lodges ahead.
5 of our explorers have beenSee Nepal on the map →Photo: Faj2323, CC BY-SA 4.0
⚠️ Plan around: central Vietnam
October and November are the heavy rain and flood months on the central coast around Hội An and Huế. The north is the opposite: Hanoi and Hạ Long Bay are dry, mild and lovely right now, so start there.
Read the Vietnam guide →How we picked: places where this month is genuinely one of the best of the year, weighted towards countries our own explorers keep going to and that we have written full guides for. Temperatures are rounded climate averages for the month, not a forecast. All travel guides →
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