🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Acadia National Park
Granite peaks, lobster shacks and rocky shores on the coast of Maine.
Nature & hiking✈️ 7h4 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUL–OCT
🍂 WHEN TO GO
Where to go on holiday in October
October half term is the last chance for sunshine before winter, and autumn cities are at their prettiest. Here's where's at its best in October.
Where to go on holiday in October: 45 guides
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Asheville
A mountain town of craft breweries, music and the grand Biltmore house.
Nature & hiking✈️ 9h3 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, OCT
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Austin
Spring-fed pools, barbecue and a million bats at sunset.
City break✈️ 11h4 to 6 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Boston
Follow a red line through history, see whales off the coast and catch a ball game.
City break✈️ 8h4 to 5 nights£££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇹🇷 TURKEY
Cappadocia
Hundreds of hot-air balloons drift over fairy chimneys and cave houses at dawn.
Adventure✈️ 5h3 to 4 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇬🇷 GREECE
Crete
Pink sand beaches, a palace from the legend of the Minotaur and long sunny days.
Beach✈️ 4h7 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇲🇹 MALTA
Gozo
Malta's smaller, greener sister island, with salt pans, sea caves and sleepy villages.
Relax & spa✈️ 4h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Grand Canyon
A mile-deep canyon, sunsets that turn the rock red and Route 66 nearby.
Nature & hiking✈️ 11h2 to 3 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–OCT
🇨🇦 CANADA
Halifax
Lighthouses, lobster rolls and the world's highest tides on Canada's Atlantic coast.
City break✈️ 7h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–OCT
🇯🇴 JORDAN
Jordan
Petra's rose-red city, a night under the stars in Wadi Rum and floating in the Dead Sea.
Adventure✈️ 6h7 to 8 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV
🇯🇵 JAPAN
Kanazawa
Samurai streets, gold-leaf ice cream and one of Japan's most beautiful gardens.
Culture & history✈️ 13h2 to 3 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV
🇹🇷 TURKEY
Kaş
Turquoise coves, ancient ruins in town and boat trips over a sunken city.
Beach✈️ 5h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN, SEP–OCT
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Lisbon
Yellow trams, custard tarts and beaches a train ride away, with no time difference.
City break✈️ 3h4 to 6 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Los Angeles
Disneyland, movie studios and miles of beaches in the sunshine.
City break✈️ 12h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEAPR, JUL–OCT
🇰🇪 KENYA
Maasai Mara
Lions, elephants and the great migration on game drives across the savannah.
Adventure✈️ 9h4 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJAN–FEB, JUL–OCT
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Madeira
Spring weather all year, toboggans down the streets and cliff walks along old water channels.
Nature & hiking✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇲🇹 MALTA
Malta
Sunny, English-speaking islands with clear water, old forts and Popeye's village.
Beach✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇲🇦 MOROCCO
Marrakech
Snake charmers, rooftop pools and the Atlas Mountains on the horizon, a short flight from the UK.
Culture & history✈️ 4h4 to 5 nights£
BEST TIMEMAR–MAY, OCT–NOV
🇮🇹 ITALY
Matera
Whole neighbourhoods of cave houses carved into a gorge, glowing with lights at night.
Culture & history✈️ 3h2 to 3 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–OCT
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Maui
Humpback whales, a volcano sunrise and snorkelling with turtles in Hawaii.
Beach✈️ 16h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEJAN–MAR, MAY–JUN, SEP–OCT
🇲🇺 MAURITIUS
Mauritius
Lagoon beaches, giant tortoises and rainbow-coloured sand in the Indian Ocean.
Beach✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–DEC
🇲🇽 MEXICO
Mexico City
Pyramids, colourful boats and some of the best food on earth.
City break✈️ 12h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEMAR–APR, OCT–NOV
🇨🇦 CANADA
Montreal
A taste of France in North America, with festivals, bagels and a mountain in the middle.
City break✈️ 8h4 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–OCT
🇳🇦 NAMIBIA
Namibia
Climb giant red dunes, spot rhinos at waterholes and sandboard by the sea.
Adventure✈️ 12h12 to 16 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–OCT
Showing 24 of 45 guides
Also good in October
Not quite at their best, but still a good time to go.
- Alentejo
- Amsterdam
- Annecy
- Asturias
- Azores
- Bali
- Bangkok
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Borneo
- Brașov
- Cape Town
- Cape Verde
- Chicago
- Copenhagen
- Corsica
- Cusco
- Dordogne
- Dubai
- Dubrovnik
- Galápagos Islands
- Gdańsk
- Ghent
- Hallstatt
- Interlaken
- Istria
- Kefalonia
- Kerala
- Kotor
- Kraków
- Lake Garda
- Lake Ohrid
- Ljubljana
- Lombok
- Luang Prabang
- Maldives
- Menorca
- Miami
- Milos
- Naxos
- Oaxaca
- Oman
- Orlando
- Paris
- Porto
- Prague
- Puglia
- Queenstown
- Reykjavik
- Saranda
- Saxon Switzerland
- Singapore
- Tallinn
- Tasmania
- Torres del Paine
- Tromsø
- Vancouver
- Vienna
- Yellowstone
- Zadar
- Zanzibar
Where to go on holiday in October: common questions
Where is hot in October half term?
Within about four and a half hours of the UK, try Crete, Paphos, Malta and Gozo, Madeira, Tenerife and Marrakech. Further away, Mauritius, Jordan and Maui are lovely.
Where is good for autumn colours in October?
New England (Boston, Acadia National Park), Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto are famous for their autumn leaves. In Japan, the colours start in late October.
Is October good for a city break?
Yes. Rome, Lisbon, Valencia, New York, Washington, D.C. and Mexico City are all warm and quieter than in summer. New Orleans and San Francisco have some of their best weather of the year.
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