Though it is currently as hot as the surface of the sun in New Orleans, it’s also August, and that means that fall will arrive in the reasonable places in the northern hemisphere sooner than seems possible. I cannot emphasize to you how much I love fall. I love fall with my entire soul. I love the colors, the weather, the campfires, and spookiness. I love a cozy sweater and a cold night. And I LOVE traveling in fall. I recently made a Top Europe Destinations for Summer list, and it’s time for me to make one for fall as I sit here being attacked by mosquitoes in the swamp. Truthfully, I think fall is the ideal time to visit most places in Europe—prices are low, and crowds are small, and weather is generally nice. But here are 10 places that stand out to me above the others for this time of year.
Top 10 Europe Destinations in Fall
(In no real order except perhaps the order of how aggressively autumnal the place feels in my heart.)
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1. Transylvania, Romania
Is there a place on Earth more perfect in fall than Romania? It’s nearly too much for my Scorpio heart to take. All of Romania is wonderful to visit in the fall, but the region of Transylvania embodies everything that I adore about the season. The fall foliage is some of the most stunning I’ve ever seen, the weather is exactly as chilly as you want it to be, and it is just as subtly spooky as you hope it is. Romania is vastly underrated and one of my favorite countries I’ve ever visited.
One thing I love about Transylvania is that it doesn’t play as hard into the whole Dracula thing as you’d think. I imagined it being very commercialized and capitalized on, but instead what I saw were some eyerolls and some tasteful nods toward it. The thing that makes Transylvania genuinely spooky to me is that the local people keep their superstitions to themselves. This is a very traditional place full of its own myths and legends, and the fact that people hold them close gives them far more authenticity than Hollywood stories. I am endlessly fascinated by the sociology of myths and legends (which I wrote about here), and visiting this place felt like a dream come true.
Brasov is my favorite town in Transylvania. Here, restaurants set up heaters outside and place wool blankets on all the chairs so you can eat your soup and feel like you’re sitting by a campfire. You have to watch out for bears when walking in the woods, and you can visit the incredible Libearty Bear Sanctuary and see brown bears and wolves. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can stay in a treehouse! (I had TWO treehouses booked in Romania, but this was exactly the time when Putin was making nuclear war threats, so I canceled my reservations in case I needed to access public transit to leave the region quickly. Reason for me to return ASAP.)
Fall is a very popular time to visit Romania, especially around Halloween. But prices are always quite affordable. I stayed in nice Airbnbs in Brasov, Sibius, and Cluj-Napoca for around $40, and you can find hotel rooms for between $60 and $90. There are a few hostels in Brasov where you can find shared rooms for around $20 and private rooms for around $40.
2. Ljubljana and Bled, Slovenia
Slovenia is a dreamscape at all times of the year, and it’s not yet overrun with tourists even during peak tourist season. But fall in Slovenia, specifically in Ljubljana and Bled, is magical. In Ljubljana, the nights are chilly and the days are pleasant, and the colors of the sunset from the castle will break your heart. The Old Town is lively, but you won’t have to wait in line for a restaurant table. I spent my birthday, November 7th, in Ljubljana a couple years ago, and it was a dreamy fall day. I wandered around town sampling different types of traditional cake and ate one of the best meals of my life in a cozy restaurant that served me gnocchi with giant truffle slices for shockingly little money considering the price of even thinking about truffles. The day after my birthday, the first Christmas tree I saw of the season magically appeared in Old Town.
At Lake Bled, the town mostly empties out in fall. I wouldn’t recommend staying in Bled during fall unless you’re seeking solitude, but I 100% recommend it for a day trip. You’ll have the castle and the lake nearly to yourself, and the fall colors around the lake are beautiful.
Slovenia is always a good deal compared to most Western European countries, but it’s even less expensive in fall. I had my heart set on staying in Hostel Celica, a fascinating hotel that was once a military prison. It’s not at all creepy though—it’s been converted into a unique, artistic space, and each of the private rooms were designed by a different artist. It’s like staying in an art installation. The private rooms at Hostel Celica range from $75 to $90 in the fall, but you can get a shared dorm room for between $30 and $40 if you’re on a tighter budget. Airbnbs are in that same $75-$90 range, and hotels are a bit more expensive.
3. Veliko Tarnovo and Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a stunning country that has somehow stayed off the radar of mass tourism so far. It’s never really crowded, so there’s not a bad time to visit, but I think it’s especially lovely in the fall.
Plovdiv is a fascinating little city that I’d recommend at all times of the year. It’s Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city, and the history is woven into daily life here in a fascinating way. (They regularly still hold concerts and events in the ancient Roman amphitheater.) You can find an Airbnb here for between $30 and $50.
Veliko Tarnovo in the north is like a fall fairy tale. It’s a hillside town with gorgeous fall colors and remarkably affordably prices. It’s a bit off the beaten path, so transportation can be a tiny bit tricky/inconvenient in the off-season, but this just means you have the place largely to yourself. One of my favorite hostels, Rooster Hostel, is here. It’s like staying in the home of an eclectic grandmother who has lived an unimaginably cool life. A private room that could sleep 3 with a balcony overlooking the town here cost me like $26. (Prices fluctuate based on availability, so I was there at a particularly cheap time. The same room for this coming October is now in the high $30s, which is still a steal.) And shared dorm rooms are as little as $15. Airbnbs and hotels are considerably more—around $60—because it’s such a small place that accommodation options are limited. You’ll want to book in advance if you go before November.
4. Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia is one of my favorite countries in the world, and there’s no time that I wouldn’t want to visit. I spent one brief night in Mostar in August and knew I needed to go back later when I had more time to fully experience the town. I returned in late October and completely fell in love with it.
In peak season, Mostar gets a lot of day-trippers from cruises that dock in nearby Montenegro or Croatia, but in fall, cruise season has largely ended. You won’t see a ton of fall foliage here, and the temperatures in fall are still pleasantly warm, but prices, which are always low, drop even lower, and crowds disappear. With fewer tourists, you have the opportunity to interact more with locals, and the Bosnian people remain some of the kindest and most hospitable people I’ve ever met.
I stayed in Hostel Majdas because it had the highest hostel rating that I’ve ever seen. Ever. It felt like staying in the home of a warm and welcoming friend who greets you with free snacks. I was peer pressured (in the best kind of way) to do a full-day tour with some of my hostel-mates. In the summer, I believe they take the tours in mini-vans. But because it was fall, there were only 4 of us, and we had a very personalized day of driving around in our guide’s car as he told us memories of his childhood. We ended the day at Kravice waterfalls which we had nearly to ourselves. The water was so cold it burned, but the air was warm enough to wear a swimsuit anyway.
A private room large enough for three was $23, and the shared dorm rooms were around $15. You can find Airbnbs in Mostar for $25-$40 and hotels for $50-$70 during the fall. But to be honest, I’d pick a hostel here no matter my budget. This is the kind of community you can’t put a price point on.
5. Cappadocia, Turkey
Now listen. I recognize that Cappadocia is not technically in Europe. It’s far across the boundary line that runs through Istanbul putting it firmly on the Asian continent. (Well. Depending on who you ask. People have strong opinions about this.) BUT since Turkey is still largely considered a European destination, I’m including it.
Cappadocia is otherworldly. In my mind, weather can’t impact Cappadocia because it’s not of this planet. Really though, I imagine that Cappadocia is incredible any time of year, but September was an exceptional time to visit. The days were pleasantly warm, while the nights and early mornings were chilly. There were fewer crowds, so typically expensive activities like the hot air balloons were dropping in price. The sunrise looked like someone airbrushed it.
Because Cappadocia is made up of lots of small villages in the region, you can find accommodations at many different price points year-round. But most tourists want to stay in either Goreme or Uchisar. You can find hotels for around $100 in the fall (or luxury hotels for a whole lot more).
6. Orvieto, Italy
Fall is a magical time in Italy. The grapes are harvested between the end of August and beginning of October. During that time, temperatures and prices begin to drop, and towns that had been chaotic in the summer become quaint again. And while there are a lot of travelers who plan their Italy trips during this ideal window, Tuscany tends to overshadow its neighbors and get most of the media attention. While Tuscany IS lovely in the fall and you should certainly visit Florence, Siena, and some of the Tuscan villages during this time, the media attention on Tuscany also means that people forget about Umbria.
The Umbrian town Orvieto sits conveniently on the train route between Florence and Rome. It’s only 1.5 hours from Rome, but most tourists skip it in favor of the larger cities. It sits atop a large hill, and to access the town from the train station, you have to take a funicular up the hillside. There are parks and walking trails along the cliff edge around the perimeter of the city, and the views overlook the valley and countryside below. The Orvieto Cathedral is one of the most remarkable churches I’ve ever seen. The town was quiet at night, and I could hear choirs practicing in churches like little angel choirs following me around the city. In the restaurants, the waiters greeted their local customers with embraces. It was a version of Italy that is very hard to find.
I visited Orvieto after harvest season ended in mid-November, and it felt like I was the only tourist in town. I splurged on one of the nicest Airbnbs—the building is so picturesque that it’s in a lot of the photos when you Google Orvieto. I would never be able to afford it typically, but in late November, it cost me $78. I had my own balcony overlooking the village rooftops and valley in the distance. There aren’t big hotel chains in the town, but you can find Airbnbs and inns for as low as $50 or $60 in November.
7. Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia
The prices on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, specifically in the popular towns of Split and Dubrovnik, have skyrocketed in the past decade. The popularity of Game of Thrones and other works filmed in these cities changed tourism in a major way, and a lot of people feel that Dubrovnik has started to feel a bit like Disney World (which is to say beautiful but also inauthentic, crowded, and overpriced).
And while Dubrovnik in mid-October WAS still very overpriced and had a shocking number of Game of Thrones shops, it was also not swarming with crowds. The city is gorgeous, and while I wouldn’t necessarily recommend someone spend the entirety of their vacation in Dubrovnik, I would definitely encourage people to make a stop here during the fall.
To my slight surprise, I loved Split. At the end of October/beginning of November, accommodations were cheap enough that I could splurge and stay in the historic, walled Old Town. It’s a large enough city that restaurants and shops don’t shut down in the off season the way some of the nearby towns and islands do, but it’s small enough that you can explore the entire downtown area on foot. The weather stays nice year-round, and I felt perfectly safe walking around on my own after dark.
It’s easy to see how much tourism influences accommodation prices in Dubrovnik simply by looking at the price differences for October versus November. At Old Town Dubrovnik Hostel where I stayed, a private room in October cost $98 and a shared room costs $43. A month later in November, the prices are cut in half–$52 for a private and $26 for a shared room. The later you visit in the fall, the more affordable it is. The hostel prices in Split are similar in November. You can find Airbnbs in both places for $50-$70 in November.
8. Bologna, Italy
Unlike a lot of the places on this list, Bologna in the fall IS quite crowded. However, it’s not crowded with tourists. Bologna is home to the oldest university in Europe (or the world, depending on who you ask), so it’s full of university students throughout the school year. And that’s something I quite like about it. I always love university towns because they tend to be lively, progressive, and full of art and cultural events. There’s an energy in Bologna in the fall that makes the city feel exciting.
Of course, the food is incredible year-round. But there’s something so much more satisfying about eating Bolognese in a cozy restaurant on a chilly night rather than in the sweltering summer heat.
The travelers that you meet in Italy in the fall are a self-selecting, unique bunch. I loved staying in Il Nosadillo Hostel here. They only offer shared rooms which cost about $30 in the fall. Airbnbs are between $60 and $80, and hotels are between $120 and $150.
9. Lisbon and Porto, Portugal
I’m convinced that Lisbon has perpetually nice weather year-round. Fall and winter are quite mild, so it gets pleasantly chilly but not miserably cold. Portugal is not one of the European countries that gets overly enthusiastic about Christmas, but they do have very cute Christmas markets that pop up near the end of November. All the cafes start selling mulled port, and you can listen to Fado in dimly lit restaurants.
One of my favorite things about Lisbon (and Porto, as well), is its hostels. The hostels in Portugal are unmatched in quality. I stayed in my very first hostel (Home Lisbon Hostel) in Lisbon and then stayed in 3 more hostels in Portugal on that same trip, and they are still some of the absolute best hostels I’ve ever stayed in. In fall, the hostels are cozy and filled with travelers who are slightly older (rather than the summer crowd who tends to run through as quickly as they can on their summer vacations). No matter my budget, this is where I’d chose to stay in Portugal. In the best boutique hostels, a shared room in November is between $28 and $35 and a private room is between $140 and $180.
10. Santorini and other Cycladic Islands, Greece
After all the tales I’ve heard about the crowded chaos of Santorini, I really didn’t expect to like the place very much. I ended up loving it, and I attribute this almost entirely to the fact that I visited in very late September. Even a little bit later would have been pleasant in Santorini. There were still crowds, but only in Oia for sunset. There was one line at one restaurant, and that’s the only time we waited for a meal. Our Airbnb (which was really just a small hotel) was in walking distance of the largest town, Fira, and only cost $50. And the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. There are also a few hostels in Santorini where you can get private rooms for $50 in the fall and shared rooms for around $20.
Because ferries run year-round to Santorini, later in the fall would still be a great time to go. For Naxos, Paros, and Syros, late September was absolutely perfect. The beaches were peaceful, and accommodations were cheap. In Syros, the restaurants were about to close for the season, so we snuck in just as the rest of the tourists were heading out. We were able to stay in one of the most remarkable Airbnbs I’ve ever stayed in for about $80 per night in Syros. If we’d gone to those islands any later, the ferries would have been running less frequently and many of the restaurants and shops would have been closed. Late September was exactly the right time. Naxos, Paros, and Syros have prices that fluctuate depending on which town you want to stay in, but you can find good options near the main port towns for about $40-$60 in September.
And of course, there are a TON of European destinations I haven’t visited yet that belong on this list! I would love to hear your recommendations.
Don’t forget to reach out to me for help planning your next vacation! I’ve recently become a Travel Advisor, and I’m always looking for opportunities to help travelers. I can help you with a personalized itinerary and access special deals and perks for your accommodations. You can contact me for travel planning here!
