🇺🇸 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 September
September has more destinations at their best than any other month. The sea is at its warmest in the Mediterranean, the crowds have gone home, and prices fall.
Where to go on holiday in September: 72 guides
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Alentejo
Cork oaks, whitewashed hill towns and long, empty Atlantic beaches.
Road trip✈️ 3h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Annecy
A clear Alpine lake, canal-lined old town and mountains made for paragliding and cycling.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Asturias
Green mountains, cider houses and sandy coves on Spain's cool, rainy northern coast.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h7 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL
Azores
Whales, crater lakes and hot springs on green volcanic Atlantic islands.
Nature & hiking✈️ 4h7 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇮🇩 INDONESIA
Bali
Temples, rice terraces, monkeys and warm sea, at very good value.
Beach✈️ 17h10 to 14 nights£
BEST TIMEAPR–SEP
🇨🇦 CANADA
Banff
Turquoise lakes, glaciers and elk wandering through town in the Canadian Rockies.
Nature & hiking✈️ 10h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Barcelona
Gaudí's fairy-tale buildings, a city beach and tapas for dinner.
City break✈️ 2h3 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇩🇪 GERMANY
Berlin
Huge playgrounds, a zoo in the middle of town and history on every corner.
City break✈️ 2h3 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–SEP
🇺🇸 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
🇷🇴 ROMANIA
Brașov
Medieval squares, a bear sanctuary and Dracula's castle in the Carpathian Mountains.
City break✈️ 4h4 to 5 nights£
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇹🇷 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
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Corsica
Mountains that drop straight into clear sea, hilltop villages and beaches that feel more Caribbean than French.
Beach✈️ 3h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN, SEP
🇬🇷 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
🇵🇪 PERU
Cusco
Gateway to Machu Picchu, with llamas, Inca walls and the Sacred Valley.
Adventure✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–SEP
🇫🇷 FRANCE
Dordogne
Castles on cliffs, canoes on a slow green river and prehistoric cave paintings.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h7 to 10 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN–JUL, SEP
🇭🇷 CROATIA
Dubrovnik
Walk the old city walls, swim off the rocks and kayak to a sea cave.
Beach✈️ 3h4 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇧🇪 BELGIUM
Ghent
Canals, a real moated castle and chips by the water, without the Bruges crowds.
City break✈️ 1h2 to 3 nights££
BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP
🇲🇹 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
🇦🇹 AUSTRIA
Hallstatt
A painted lakeside village under the Alps, with salt-mine slides and ice caves.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h3 to 5 nights££
BEST TIMEJUN, SEP
🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND
Interlaken
Mountain trains, glacier views and turquoise lakes in the heart of the Swiss Alps.
Nature & hiking✈️ 2h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEJUN–SEP
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Also good in September
Not quite at their best, but still a good time to go.
Where to go on holiday in September: common questions
Where is still hot in September?
The whole Mediterranean: Crete, Kefalonia, Naxos and Milos, Menorca, Corsica, Puglia, Malta and Gozo, Paphos, Croatia and the Turkish coast. The sea is warmer than in June.
Why is September such a good time to travel?
Schools are back, so beaches and sights are quieter and prices drop, but the weather is still summery. It's ideal for couples, friends, families with children under school age, and anyone who can take time off in term time.
What's good further away in September?
New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. are warm without the summer humidity. Canada's autumn colours start in Banff and Quebec. Bali, Lombok and Zanzibar are still dry, and the Maasai Mara's migration continues.
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