A wishlist of the best European locations to visit in autumn

When it comes to having to choose one of the best seasons in which to travel, autumn is undoubtedly one of the most appropriate. End-of-summer getaways, autumn getaways and why not winter getaways are known to be a favourite of many. Of all the places to travel, Europe is so magical in autumn and is one of the best places to explore at this time of year.

In fact, we have chosen to list some of the perfect European travel destinations to escape the chaos in autumn.

Get ready for some ideal travel ideas for October and November, from cooler to warmer destinations.

If travelling exclusively during the summer months doesn’t seem to satisfy you all that much, an autumn getaway may well be the right choice. Not the usual clichés like London in autumn, but less usual locations to visit even for a short stay. The colours at this time of year are splendid and our travel guide to Europe in autumn will have many surprises in store for you.

Whether you are a city-lover or a traveller on the road matters little, autumn is especially beautiful to experience in cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, or in wilder places like the Italian Dolomites, the Canary Islands and the Azores archipelago.

WHAT ARE 6 PLACES TO VISIT IN AUTUMN IN EUROPE?

1. THE COLOURFUL CHARM OF THE TREE-LINED CANALS IN AMSTERDAM

: People enjoy the beautiful weather on the Amstel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on May 31 2020, as the country eases lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus). (Photo by Koen Van WEEL / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT (Photo by KOEN VAN WEEL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

: AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – MAY 11: A general view of Oude Kerk, Oudekerksplein, a canal and boat from on the Oudekerksbrug bridge and Oudekennissteeg on May 11, 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The 800-year-old Oude Kerk “Old Church” is Amsterdams oldest building and oldest parish church, founded 1213. The canal runs along Oudezijds Voorburgwal. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

2. LONG OUTDOOR WALKS THROUGH THE STREETS OF COPENHAGEN

: Picture taken on August 27, 2018 shows old buildings and boats along a canal in the city center of Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo credit should read LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

: The famous “Stroeget” pedestrian street in Copenhagen, Denmark, is empty during the corona closure, on January 12, 2021. – Responding to a surge in virus cases and the threat of recently discovered variant strains believed to spread faster, Denmark has introduced even tighter measures on top of a partial lockdown in place since mid-December. (Photo by Emil Helms / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by EMIL HELMS/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

3. THE CANARY ISLANDS, THE PERFECT PLACE TO EXPERIENCE THE WARMER CLIMATE

: Aerial view of a coral reef area at Playa Blanca, in Portobelo, Colon province, Panama, on April 16, 2021. – Every two weeks, Marine Biology students descend about five meters in the sea to take care of a coral nursery of the staghorn species (Acropora cervicornis), with which they aim to restore reefs damaged by climate change and pollution, as part of the Reef2Reef project. (Photo by Luis ACOSTA / AFP) (Photo by LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)

: An aerial picture taken on September 11, 2022 shows trees emerging from ash on a hill near the Tajogaite volcano, in the Cumbre Vieja mountain range, on the Canary island of La Palma, one year after its eruption. – For many on the tiny isle, life remains difficult and the future uncertain since the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano, in the Cumbre Vieja mountain range, which will mark its first anniversary on September 19, 2022. (Photo by Juan MAZA CALLEJA / AFP) (Photo by JUAN MAZA CALLEJA/AFP via Getty Images)

4. THE CHARMS OF THE AZORES ARCHIPELAGO AMIDST HIKING TRAILS, NATURAL POOLS AND IMMENSE SANDY BEACHES

: Faja dos Cuberes is pictured on Sao Jorge island, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, on March 28, 2022. – Sao Jorge island, of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, has become for a week the epicentre of thousands of small earthquakes that could precede a volcanic eruption. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

: This photograph shows an aerial view of Rosais, on Sao Jorge island, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores on March 30, 2022. – Sao Jorge island, of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, has become for a week the epicentre of thousands of small earthquakes that could precede a volcanic eruption. (Photo by Rui SOARES / AFP) (Photo by RUI SOARES/AFP via Getty Images)

5. THE FAIRYTALE CASTLE OF NEUSCHWANSTEIN, GERMANY

: The castle Neuschwanstein near Fuessen, in the Allgaeuer Alps mountains, southern Germany, can be seen on August 10, 2010. Castle Neuschwanstein is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Fuessen. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to German musician Richard Wagner. The palace was opened to the public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 1.3 million people visit the castle annually, with up to 6.000 per day in the summer. AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOF STACHE (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

: The castle Neuschwanstein near Fuessen, in the Allgaeu Alps mountains, southern Germany, is seen in autumn atmosphere and foggy weather on October 11, 2010. Castle Neuschwanstein is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Fuessen. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to German musician Richard Wagner. The palace was opened to the public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 1.3 million people visit the castle annually, with up to 6.000 per day in the summer. AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOF STACHE (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

6. A VISIT TO THE DOLOMITES TO ENJOY THE WONDERFUL AUTUMN FOLIAGE

: View towards the Monte Piana that was the scene of heavy fighting during World War I from 1915-1917 between Austria-Hungary and Italy in the Dolomites Mountains ranges in Northern Italy, on October 8, 2018. – The Italian Front was a series of lesser known World War I battles on the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy and were fought in the high mountains dividing the two adversaries. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

: This photograph taken on July 3, 2022 from Canazei, shows the sunset close to the Marmolada mountain, near Punta Rocca, where the collapse of an ice serac killed six people. – An avalanche set off by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps killed at least six people and injured eight others on July 3, 2022, an emergency services spokeswoman said. The glacier collapsed on the mountain of Marmolada, the highest in the Italian Dolomites, near the hamlet of Punta Rocca, on the route normally taken to reach its summit. (Photo by Pierre TEYSSOT / AFP) (Photo by PIERRE TEYSSOT/AFP via Getty Images)