The Best Places to Travel to in Europe in the Fall

The fall is one of my favourite times to travel and it’s one of the best times to travel to Europe.

Most people travel to Europe in the summer. But honestly? That’s the worse time to be in Europe!

Europe in the fall (or autumn, if you’re fancy) is a magical place with fewer crowds, lower prices, beautiful views, more comfortable weather and some awesome festivals.

So if you have the option to visit Europe in the fall (apx Sep-Nov), I highly recommend it! I promise you’ll have a much better (and cheaper!) time than if you went in July.

From Oktoberfest in Munich to fall foliage on the hills in Tuscany, let’s check out the best places to travel to in Europe in the fall. I’m also including some of my best tips for Europe fall travel!

Why travel to Europe in the fall?

Fall is without a doubt my favourite time to travel to Europe.

Fall is shoulder season – you miss the crowds of the summer and the holiday travellers of the winter.

As well as smaller crowds, shoulder season also means lower prices. So you can travel to Europe in the fall and experience smaller line-ups and cheaper accommodation. Those are big wins in my book!

Travel in the fall can also mean taking advantage of extra holiday time off, like Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day or school break.

Plus, with cooler temperatures, I find fall a lot more comfortable to travel in than hot and sticky summer – especially since most of Europe doesn’t have AC!

Budapest, Hungary

I most recently visited Budapest in October 2019 and thought it was the perfect time to visit this amazing city.

Budapest is one of the best places to visit in Europe. It’s a good-sized city with lots to do and very unique compared to the big cities of Western Europe.

Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than places like Rome or London. From castles and caves to parliament buildings and food markets, it’s hard to be bored in Budapest.

I especially loved visiting in October when we could see the leaves changing. It was a gorgeous view from Buda Castle looking across the river.

Budapest is a city where you’ll want to walk everywhere so it was nice to visit in jean jacket weather. Fall is also harvest season, so you can enjoy some Hungarian wine on your trip, and check out some of the local food festivals.

And on chilly autumn days, there’s no place better to warm up than one of Budapest’s famous thermal baths.

Rome, Italy

When we visited Rome in November of 2019, I couldn’t have asked for a better time of year to see the city.

November in Rome is still t-shirt weather and we loved walking around on our own self-guided tour, enjoying the nice weather without the crowds.

Of course, there were still people at the Trevi Fountain and Colosseum (it is Rome, after all!). But we were able to walk right into the Vatican without lining up, whereas in the summer, the line goes for blocks and blocks.

Rome in the fall is a nice escape if you’re from somewhere cold. Plus, since most of Rome’s top sites are outdoors, it’s good to still have a bit of sun with you.

Food festivals are held throughout Rome in the fall, and there’s nothing better to do in Italy than eat. There’s also All Souls’ Day, which seems like Italy’s version of Day of the Dead.

You can also extend your trip and visit nearby Naples or the Amalfi Coast. Keep in mind that smaller towns and ferries shut down on the Amalfi Coast in late fall.

Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg was a city that completely surprised me. I knew nothing about the place ahead of our October 2019 trip, except that the Nuremberg Trials took place there. So I was totally blown away to discover so much history and culture in this small city.

Give yourself time to visit the site of the Nuremberg Trials (take the tour and visit the actual courtroom where the trials took place) and the Nazi Documentation Centre where Hitler held his rallies.

After that dark history, enjoy wandering around this fairytale town. Timber houses look so picturesque when framed by fall leaves!

One of the reasons why we visited Nuremberg in the fall is because we could take a day trip to Oktoberfest in Munich. We knew we wanted to experience Oktoberfest, but we had no interest in attending for longer than a day or paying the exorbitant Munich hotel prices.

Instead, we based ourselves in Nuremberg, hopped on the train for less than an hour, and spent an awesome day at Oktoberfest. It’s a great way to experience Oktoberfest on a budget and without making your whole trip about beer and lederhosen.

Nuremberg is also well known for its Christmas market (the largest in Europe!). If you’re a fan, come later in the fall to catch the early days of the festival.

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent is probably my favourite city in Belgium. A lot of people will tell you to go to Bruges, but I think Ghent is actually the better choice.

Ghent is incredibly charming with stunning architecture that includes a castle, churches and tall towers. You can wander around by foot or by canal boat (or both!). And their food scene is excellent too.

I first visited in spring 2014 and then again in fall 2022. For our fall visit, the weather was still sunny and comfortable.

When the weather does get cooler, you can warm up in one of Ghent’s many cosy cafes or pop into a museum. Plus with the shorter days, you’ll be able to enjoy more of the glow of Ghent when the city’s buildings light up at night.

Because Ghent is a smaller city, it can really get packed in the summer. It’s much easier to appreciate it’s charm when you’re not shoulder to shoulder with other tourists.

Vienna, Austria

When I first visited, I made a lot of mistakes in Vienna. And even on my second visit, I still didn’t have a great time.

So while Vienna isn’t my favourite city, I think I’d sing a different tune if I had visited in the fall.

In the summer, many of Vienna’s greatest hits like its opera house, horse show and famous boys choir were on break. But they all have shows in the fall!

We also didn’t give ourselves any time to soak up Viennese cafe culture or visit the many museums and palaces when we visited in the summer. Obviously these would make perfect fall activities.

A visit to Vienna in the fall would see you avoiding the heat of summer and the crowds of winter (when Christmas markets are in full swing). Fall is the perfect time for wine drinkers, art lovers and museum hoppers.

There’s also no better time to enjoy the beloved Viennese schnitzel than on a crisp autumn night. If we ever do return to Vienna, it will definitely be in the fall!

Tuscany, Italy

We visited Tuscany in late September 2019 and it was absolutely beautiful. The small Tuscan towns that are usually packed with summer day trippers were a little quieter, and I imagine they’d be even more enjoyable into October and November.

The lush fields were awash in all the fall colours. And, of course, the food was as fresh and delicious as possible!

Depending on when in the fall you visit Tuscany, you’ll either be there for grape harvest or olive harvest. But you can’t go wrong with either! Autumn is also when the famous Tuscan truffles are in season, as well as local pumpkins, chestnuts and artichokes.

Tuscany is the perfect place to spend your days relaxing and taking in the views. We stayed at a beautiful Tuscan villa, enjoyed leisurely mornings on the patio, visited nearby towns in the afternoon, and made dinner with fresh local produce every night.

I would go back to Tuscany any time of year but would especially love to visit again in the fall.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

I actually studied abroad in Amsterdam in 2014, but during the winter/spring. However, I’ve been back to visit a few times now, mostly in the fall, and I have to say it’s a pretty magical time to be there!

Amsterdam is heaving with tourists in the summer. To the point that locals are angry and day fees are being considered. But in the fall? Way more space to explore.

Some of my favourite things to do on a trip to Amsterdam include a canal ride, admiring the skinny houses, museum hopping and tasting some delicious Dutch food. That food – like pancakes, stroopwaffel, croquettes, rijstaffel – are perfectly suited to cool fall evenings.

You also want to spend some time in a cafe and maybe biking with the locals. Because Amsterdam’s weather is usually quite mild, you can still enjoy biking and hanging out in a park in the fall.

The big downside to visiting Amsterdam, and the Netherlands in general, in the fall is that you miss prime tulip season. But that also means missing the prices and crowds of tulip season, so yay!

Prague, Czech Republic

I couldn’t complete this list without a shout out to the city we lived in for almost a year, Prague! We lived in Prague from June to March, so I can pretty confidently say that fall is the best time of year to visit.

In the summer, Prague is hot and crowded. The tourists descend and the city suffocates.

In the fall, the cool breeze sets in and the tourist pack lessens. You might actually be able to see six feet ahead of you while you walk the Charles Bridge!

Like Tuscany, fall is a beautiful season in Prague. We took our family photos in November and I love all the beautiful changing leaves in the background.

It’s also the season for local mushrooms and wild game. And it’s always the season for beer in Prague!

Besides food, Prague hosts a number of autumn festivals (like the cool Signal Light Festival) and even starts its Christmas Markets early in the season, so you can catch them during a fall visit.

My 5 tips for traveling to Europe in the fall

1. If you haven’t been to Europe before, check out some sample itineraries and where to go on your first trip to Europe. And if you’re new to travel in general, I have a whole list of travel tips for beginners.

2. If you’re travelling in early fall, expect to still see some summer temperatures during the day. But by night, it can cool right down.

The key is layers. Always keep some kind of cardigan or scarf on hand for when it gets chilly.

3. While I love travelling to Europe in the fall because it’s shoulder season, actual shoulder season seems to shrink more and more each year.

It used to be that July and August were the only busy months, when most people were on vacation. But now the summer is stretching from May to September.

If you’re looking to really escape the crowds or score a deal, late October/early November is probably closer to true shoulder season.

4. Pay attention to opening hours. Depending on where you are in Europe, some places will close down for the afternoon or may have reduced hours in the off-season. Some places close down entirely until the tourist throngs are back!

All of the places I mentioned above should be perfectly fine to travel to but always do a quick Google beforehand.

5. Holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving are not widely (or at all) celebrated in Europe.

If you’re travelling over these periods and desperately need to dress up like a zombie or eat a dry turkey, do some research. You may be able to find an expat-friendly area, party or restaurant to help you out.

So, have I convinced you to travel to Europe in the fall? Where would you most want to go?

Check out these European posts to plan your trip

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