Our Picks: 10 Autumn Destinations to Cosy-up to

Seasons come and go as always, and autumn’s cool and colourful appearance this time of year makes it great for cosying up to a new destination. Full of autumn festivals and celebrations, this season is the perfect time for you to explore some fantastic cities that boast the best reasons for saying so long to summer. Whether it is viewing colourful foliage or taking part in unforgettable feasting, these autumn destinations have something spectacular to make your autumn breaks rich and delightful.

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Birmingham Victoria Square in autumn 

Birmingham is always a bubbling and vibrant English city with an exciting array of attractions and autumn activities – all without the London prices. You can stroll amongst the greenery not far from the heart of the city in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to snap some shots of the beautiful and Instagram-perfect autumn foliage, which spreads across over 16 hectares. Many local spots love to get into a ‘spooky’ spirit, and you’ll find plenty of Halloween events across the city’s famous nightlife. If you are after delicious and warm autumn tipples and bites, then be sure to join in at one of the many autumn festivals taking place throughout the season. The last weekend of October features a beer and cider festival where you can sip and saunter amongst 300 beers and 100 ciders, and as it lasts three whole days you’ll have plenty of time to try them all. Visiting Birmingham later in the season in November and December means you also have the choice to take a trip to the Christmas Market, which is the largest one of its kind outside of Germany or Austria.

• Don’t miss: The Beer and Cider Festival 29/10/2014 – 01/11/2014
• Traditional autumn activities: Playing ‘conkers’ in the park, haunted Halloween events, Bonfire Night (5th November) celebrations
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 18°C; Oct: 14°C; Nov: 9°C

Weimar, Germany

Weimar Zwiebelmarkt –

Weimar is a charming city in the middle of Germany (Thurinigia) with a history of literary renown given famous writers like Goethe and Schiller lived and worked here. For autumn breaks, it is the perfect destination to blend culture and nature, and a stroll through this city will bring the historical streets to life. Hauntingly beautiful, the great historical graveyard is the most visited cemetery in Germany, and blazes brightly in the autumn months with colourful turning leaves on the many huge trees. If you are a history & literature fan, then you will likely recognise some names on the headstones, including Goethe and Schiller who are themselves buried here. A truly delightful autumn highlight is the Weimarer Zwiebelmarkt (onion market) in the heart of the Old Town at the start of October, and as it’s the biggest and most traditional fair in Thurinigia, visitors from all over Germany have been coming to this festival every year since 1653. You can also visit the Palace Garden, the famous library, the theatre or just take a walk in the beautiful Ilm Park and have a look at Goethe’s summerhouse.

• Don’t miss: St. Martin’s Day on 11/11 featuring lamp processions, bonfires and a St. Martin’s goose (Martinsgans) feast
• Traditional autumn activities: Grape harvest and onion market
• Average autumn temperatures: Sep: 14°C; Oct: 9°C; Nov: 4°C

Hapsengouw, Belgium

Mottevallei in the Hapsengouw region

This fertile region in Flanders is bursting with agricultural delights, making it perfect for the harvest season. The region is especially known for fruits and seasonal delights making indulging in autumn feasts all too easy. The landscape is dotted with many romantic castles, orchards and historical cities: making sure there is always something to explore in between dining on the region’s best culinary offerings. This is especially beautiful in the autumn months, when the rich colours of the countryside and the last rays of warm autumn sun light up the many fairy tale-like small old cities. You can visit Alden Biezen, an old beautiful castle turned cultural centre that is situated in landscape perfect for a cool weather walk. The city of Bilzen is also a great place to wander with streets filled with beautiful statues and monuments, a market and the large Sint-Mauritius Church. You can also check out the city of Genk, just outside Haspengouw, where the Sint-Martinus procession takes place for St. Martin’s Day, with light and fire spectacles (mostly for kids), followed by the burning of old trees, a big bonfire and fireworks. To enjoy exploring this region at your own pace, renting a bike is an excellent way to get around.

• Don’t miss: Sint-Truiden by Lights, a night time walk through the city of Sint-Truiden that lets you see how light and sound can shape an urban setting
• Traditional autumn activities: Mushroom foraging and apple picking, St. Martin’s Day (11/11, with the St. Martin procession celebrated in Genk on 8th November)
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 12°C; Oct: 9°C;  Nov: 4°C

Maastricht, Netherlands

Autumn Skyline Maastricht 

Maastricht is a beautiful, cosy town in the south of the Netherlands and a perfect destination for autumn city breaks. With the leaves turning beautiful colours throughout the city, a warm and inviting vibe inspires people to enjoy sitting outside in the innercity or taking walks in the beautiful surroundings of Maastricht. This city is also rife with lots of shopping opportunities should the autumn weather turn a bit wet. October and November are deliciously known as the culinary months in Maastricht, where for these two months wine, food and culture meet for a sensational season of events and activities. To warm yourself while exploring Maastricht, be sure you visit Vrijthof, a popular square since Medieval times  where you will find many people still enjoying the many outdoor cafes and food festivals. For a great view of the city, you can set out for a hike to Sint Pietersberg. This hiking route of 16 km also boasts some great things along the way including Duivelsgrot (a well-known, devilish cave) and castle ruins of Hoeve Licthenburg, all amongst the brilliant glowing colours of the Dutch countryside in autumn.

• Don’t Miss: Chateau Maestricht, a celebration of the culinary season on 31 October – 2nd November in Vrijthof with a focus on local foods and wines
• Traditional autumn activities: Drinking Bokbier (a popular German beer in the Netherlands in autumn), mushroom gathering, conkers and the arrival Sinterklaas on the 15th of November
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 15°C; Oct: 10°C; Nov: 7°C

Girona, Spain

Girona River Facade on the Oñar river

Girona is a Spanish city that welcomes autumn with a celebration like no other when it throws its major party in the last week of October. Called Sant Narcís, this autumn festival brings together a great variety of concerts, attractions, food and drinks. Located in the Parc de la Devesa, the biggest city park in the entire Spanish region of Catalonia, the events unfold amongst a setting full of Spanish plane-trees – many older than 150 years old. Strolling between these stunning trees during the warm autumn days or terrifically tepid nights is truly a beautiful and picturesque sight. Girona has also one of the best preserved Jewish Quarters in the world. El Call Jueu (the Jewish Quarter in Catalan) is a rich area of the city to explore and learn more about the Jewish history of Spain. The main Cathedral lays claim to the world’s largest Gothic nave, a stunning Gothic altarpiece and the Romanesque Skin – all very well known to art historians the world over. Walking along the streets, you can take and post an eclectic collection of beautiful photos as the old city is surrounded by many medieval houses, stunning churches and also a Roman wall. Four rivers cross Girona, and on the Oñar river you will see an architectural delight where the colourful houses are built suspended over the river along the banks.

• Don’t miss: The Sant Narcís Festival, celebrating the patron saint of the city from 24th October through 2nd November
• Traditional autumn activities: Collecting and roasting chestnuts, mushroom picking, and baking Panellets
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 25-15°C; Oct: 20-10°C;  Nov: 15-5°C

Bolzano, Italy

Bolzano in Autumn 

Bolzano is a charming city in the north of Italy that truly comes into its own in autumn. Half Italian and half German, it has a lot of gorgeous green space perfect for long walks and trekking as the leaves begin to change colours. Much of the local produce hailing from this city and the countryside are autumnal, such as chestnuts, mushrooms, speck and of course wine. Between October and November in Bolzano the festival ‘Autunno in Festa’ (Autumn in celebration) takes place to celebrate the season and all of its delights. Autumn, also known locally as the season of Torggelen (chestnuts), becomes a brilliant place to discover all types of delicious old foods and wines in the city, local vineyards and the ‘Maso’, an old famous countryside house in the area. Feasting at the Autunno in Festa this year includes lunches and dinners where you will enjoy culinary creations inspired by the regions best seasonal produce. Eight seasoned restaurants are taking part in this event, and it is perfectly paired with a wine cellar tour (there are almost 30 wine cellars in this area) that take place every Saturday, where you can learn about (and taste) local wines like Lagrein and Santa Maddalena.

• Don’t miss: Autunno in Festa, from 14th October through 15th November
• Traditional autumn activities: Long walks and trekking, collecting mushrooms and chestnuts, wine tastings and seasonal food festivals
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 26-11°C; Oct: 18 to 5°C;  Nov: 11 to -1°C

Rouen, France

Rouen in Autumn 

The city of Rouen is located in the north west of France on the river Seine in Upper-Normandy. It is a Medieval city known as the old capital of Normandy. Filled with many picturesque Gothic churches, the Gothic cathedral may draw your artistic eye while wandering through this city as it is one made famous by Monet as having been painted in different times of the day. Rouen is also the city where Joan of Arc was imprisoned and died. During autumn Rouen and the whole of upper-Normandy reach a full peak of beauty as autumn colors are everywhere in the form of beautiful changing foliage. From the Sainte-Catherine hill there is an amazing view where you can take in all of the seasonal splendor that this region has to offer. To celebrate this stunning time of year and embrace the full artistic appeal of the region, autumn in Normandy hosts an art festival that takes place in the upper region between October and November to celebrate artistic dance, theatre and music. Autumn in Rouen is also known as the season of apples, and Normandy is famous for their ciders, and you have plenty of opportunities to taste the most famous including Pommeau, Calvados and Poiré the “Norman Champagne”.

• Don’t miss:  Festival Automne en Normandie (Autumn Festival in Normandy) from 12/11/14 – 09/12/14
• Traditional autumn activities: City walks, apple harvests and cider tastings
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 21-14°C;  Oct: 15-8°C;  Nov: 9-7°C

Matrei in Osttirol, Austria

Matrei in Autumn 

Matrei is located in the heart of the national park “Hohe Tauern” or High Tauern. This small and charming community is located next to the Großglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. The national park offers endless kilometers of fantastic wandering and hiking routes which in the autumn means you can truly enjoy the unsurpassed beauty of the great outdoors this time of year. If you find you have a bit more of an adventurous side, the park also allows more experienced alpinists to really climb up into the high mountains. After a day admiring the wilderness, you can dine in one of the many cosy restaurants, serving freshly hunted game from local hunters. Local organic farms also produce some of the regions best local delights including delicious mountain cheese. This is also the time of the year when the cows are being led down from the meadows, which is an event accompanied by many autumn festivities, music, food and home-made ‘schnapps’. Truly a time of harvest and celebration, this is also when you will find Austrian Thanksgiving being celebrated.

• Don’t miss: Austrian Thanksgiving, usually celebrated at the end of September or beginning of October
• Traditional autumn activities: Hiking through the national park, collecting berries, wildlife watching and local Thanksgiving celebrations
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 14°C; Oct: 9°C; Nov: 2°C

Douro Valley, Portugal

Douro Valley in Autumn

This river valley is one of the most popular wine regions in Portugal (vinhateiro) and is declared as a World Heritage Site and protected by UNESCO. The Douro river is the largest river in the Iberian Peninsula, and in the past was used to transport the wine from across the region to Vila Nova de Gaia (a city on the Douro river that is also worth to visit). The river valley is surrounded by steep green hills making for for spectacular views while on autumn breaks. Exploring the valley, you can can also spend time in Porto, one of the most beautiful cities of Portugal with an Old Town that has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Known as the City of Bridges, Porto is both beautiful and full of great cuisine and local wines – as port wine hails famously from this region. As the beginning of the wine season is in autumn, taking a tour of local wine cellars in Douro Valley will give you a glimpse of how local wine is made as well offers as a chance to taste the best of the local tipples.

• Don’t miss: The start of the wine season, and you can join in with the locals in stomping the grapes
• Traditional autumn activities: Medieval markets, wine tastings and sailing or trekking through the region along the Douro River
• Average autumn temperatures: Sept: 23-14°C; Oct: 20-11°C; Nov: 17-8°C

Reykjavík, Iceland

Reykjavik Skyline in Autumn 

This capital city in Iceland is one of the largest cities in the far north, and boasts views of the northern lights. Because of this, the locals are also very accustomed to the shortened daylight and therefore also not afraid to get out and socialise when it’s dark. Typically, autumn pub crawls don’t start until midnight, and the whole downtown is full of socialisers often until the early morning hours. If you spend the evening partying a little too hard, or even if not, you can take a short trip to the Blue Lagoon baths for a relaxing, curing soak. In a country full of gorgeous volcanic landscapes, Reykjavík shines at the centre – making it the perfect choice for striking autumn city breaks unlike any other. While there is very minimal forest in Iceland, the breathtaking scenery and brilliant colours of this rugged piece of earth more than make for beautiful autumn viewing. There is also great culture and art here with the Imagine Peace Tower on Island Viðey, a piece of art dedicated to John Lennon & Yoko Ono. This large illuminated light pillar is on display in autumn from 9/10/14 until 8/12/14 (John Lennon’s birthday & day of death).

• Don’t miss: Reykjavík International Film Fest, and Jazz Festival
• Traditional autumn activities: Returning the sheep from the meadow, soaking in hot thermal springs
• Average autumn temperature: Sept: 7°C; Oct: 4°C; Nov: 3°C