In October, head for the late-season Mediterranean: Milos, Andalusia and Djerba still have a sea above 22°C (72°F), while Jordan and Uzbekistan drop back to perfect walking temperatures. The summer crowds have gone home, flights and hotels return to sensible prices, and the autumn light does the rest.
Wondering where to go in October without reliving the crush of July? This list brings together ten destinations where the month is genuinely a good bet. Each section gives you the real weather, sources included, the crowd levels to expect and one concrete idea for your first days on the ground. Two exceptions on the crowd front are flagged in plain terms.
1. Milos (Cyclades, Greece)
Milos still feels like summer in October: around 20°C (68°F) in the air on average, with peaks near 23°C (climate-data.org), and a sea holding at 22.5°C (72°F) (seatemperature.org). Ferries keep running, many tavernas stay open through the first half of the month, and the beaches have lost the August crowds.
This is your chance to photograph Sarakiniko with nobody in the frame: the white rock, the sea, and you. With a rented scooter or a small car, southern coves like Tsigrado and Firiplaka are easy to reach, with no fight for a parking spot. In the evening, Plaka settles back into its village rhythm.
To plan your days, follow our guide to the 12 essential things to do in Milos, beaches, fishing villages and hot springs included.
2. Andalusia (Seville, Córdoba, Granada)
October is one of Andalusia's best months: in Seville, daytime highs come back down to around 27°C (81°F) and nights to 15°C (59°F) (weatherspark.com). You can finally visit the Alcázar or Córdoba's Mezquita without the crushing heat of July.
The country empties out too. Spain welcomed 11.3 million international visitors in August 2025 (INE) against 9.2 million in October 2025 (INE), roughly 20% fewer than at the August peak. On the ground, you feel the difference in the queues as much as in room rates.
Our guide to the essential things to do in Andalusia covers the full route, and the one on Córdoba's history and architecture goes deep on the densest stop.
3. Tenerife (Canary Islands)
In October, Tenerife posts daytime highs around 26°C (79°F), a sea between 23 and 24°C (73-75°F) and 7 to 8 hours of sunshine a day (climatestotravel.com). After a whole summer of warming up, the water is at its most pleasant of the year.
A quirk of the Canaries works in your favour: high season here is winter, when northern Europeans flee the cold. October falls in the gap between summer holidaymakers and winter arrivals. The Teide trails, the natural pools of Garachico and the black-sand beaches are shared with fewer people, at in-between-season rates.
Our guide Tenerife, essentials between the volcano and black beaches helps you split your days between the coast and altitude.
4. Madeira (Portugal)
October stays mild on Madeira: 23 to 24°C (73-75°F) in the afternoon and a sea close to 23°C. The official tourist board rates swimming as comfortable from August to October (visitmadeira.com). The island still combines sea swims and hiking, which few European destinations manage this late in the year.
The levadas, irrigation channels with footpaths running alongside, are far easier walking at 23°C than under the August sun. Allow a day for the 25 Fontes levada, another for the Pico do Arieiro viewpoint at sunrise, then an afternoon in the lava pools of Porto Moniz.
To build the full itinerary, lean on our guide to the essential things to do in Madeira.
5. Djerba and southern Tunisia
Djerba stretches summer into October: 28°C (82°F) by day, 19°C (66°F) at night and a sea at 25-26°C (77-79°F) (climatestotravel.com). Few places within a few hours' flight of Europe offer water this warm at this time of year.
The other good news plays out inland. The Saharan furnace finally eases, and October opens the season for trips into the South: the Ksar Ghilane oasis and its hot springs in the middle of the desert, the ksour around Tataouine, the Berber villages of Chenini and Douiret. Many travellers stay on the island and miss the best part.
Our guide to southern Tunisia details the circuit from Djerba, and the one on Tunisia off the beaten track adds lesser-known stops.
6. Jordan (Petra and Wadi Rum)
Let's be honest: Jordan is the exception on this list. October is high season there, and Petra will not be empty. You go for the climate window, the best of the year alongside April: 26 to 28°C (79-82°F) by day, desert nights around 12-13°C (54-55°F) and almost no rain (climatestotravel.com).
Those conditions change everything on the ground. The trail to Petra's Monastery, 800 steps, becomes a fine walk instead of an ordeal. A night in a tent in Wadi Rum passes without shivering or sweltering. There is still one anti-crowd trick: enter Petra right at opening time, the Siq is nearly empty before 8am.
Itinerary, budget and booking the Jordan Pass: it's all in our Jordan guide, from Petra to Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea.
7. Oman
Muscat stays hot in October: still close to 33°C (91°F) by day and almost no rain (weatherspark.com). That's the price of a real advantage: the month comes just before the November-to-February high season, and the sites stay quiet.
The forts of Nizwa and Bahla, the wadis with their emerald pools, the Mutrah souk: all of it can be visited without bookings or queues. Two tips for handling the heat. Aim for the end of the month, when temperatures start to ease. And sleep a night or two on the Jebel Akhdar, where the altitude noticeably cools both the days and the evenings.
Our Oman guide, a road trip between desert and fjords maps out a full loop from Muscat.
8. Uzbekistan (Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva)
Samarkand in October means around 21°C (70°F) by day, nights between 7 and 9°C (45-48°F) and dry weather (weatherspark.com). Ideal conditions for the Registan, the lanes of Bukhara and the ramparts of Khiva, places where you walk a lot and shade is scarce.
October is also harvest season. The bazaars fill up with persimmons, melons and fresh walnuts, and the stalls are worth a visit in themselves. As for crowds, the autumn wave concentrates on September and early October: in the second half of the month, tour groups thin out in front of the madrasas.
Stopover cities, trains, budget: our Uzbekistan guide, itinerary and tips covers the full route between Tashkent and Khiva.
9. Cappadocia (Turkey)
Cappadocia is a place you explore on foot, and October suits that: 17 to 22°C (63-72°F) by day, with cool nights between 5 and 9°C (41-48°F) (climatestotravel.com). You can hike the Göreme valleys without sweating, and the pale rock catches a lovely light late in the afternoon.
The deciding argument comes at dawn. Among the region's pilots, autumn has a reputation for steadier ballooning weather than spring. Book your flight for the start of your stay: if it gets postponed, you'll still have mornings left to try again. Bring a proper fleece for take-off.
The typical three-to-four-day stay, underground cities and cave hotel included, is laid out in our Cappadocia guide.
10. Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto)
Early October opens one of the best windows for Tokyo and Kyoto: around 23°C (73°F) in the afternoon, 16°C (61°F) at night and dry air once September's typhoons have passed (climatestotravel.com). You can walk all day without the humidity of summer.
The calendar works for you. Peak maple season, the koyo, hits Kyoto between mid-November and early December (japan-guide.com). In early and mid-October you get the temples before the big momiji rush. October remains a popular season in Japan all the same: book Kyoto accommodation several weeks ahead.
To build the full circuit, our 3-week itinerary between Tokyo and Kyoto serves as the backbone.
Sea, culture or desert: how to decide
If swimming comes first, Djerba has the warmest sea on this list, Tenerife and Madeira pair beaches with hiking, and Milos adds the Cyclades scenery. For a trip built on cities and monuments, Andalusia works in a week, Uzbekistan and Japan in two or three. The desert is split between Jordan, Oman and southern Tunisia.
Flight times from most Western European hubs help settle it: three to four hours to Seville or Djerba, about four and a half to Tenerife, a flight to Athens then a ferry or a short domestic hop for Milos, five to seven hours for Jordan, Oman and Uzbekistan, and a long-haul flight for Japan. On budget, Tunisia and Uzbekistan remain the gentlest on the ground, Japan and Oman the priciest. A long weekend is enough for Andalusia; count a good week for Jordan and ten days for Oman.
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