18 of the best places to visit in September 2025

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a day ago

September may mark the start of autumn but it can also be a transient, liminal month. Take Europe, for instance, where the sea remains wonderfully warm off the sun-soaked shores of Malta or Greece, yet harvests have begun in earnest amid Transylvania's valleys, bringing breathtaking golden hues and a need for jumpers. Further afield, whales come to Argentina's coast; South Africa steps into spring with wildflowers and ideal conditions for spotting wildlife; and savvy scuba divers head to Indonesia for its calm, clear waters before the rains sweep in.Back in the UK, of course, the downpours are just getting started. Here's where to escape to.
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Why go in September? To swim with calving humpback whales
When reaching a South Pacific archipelago involves travelling 10,000 miles on multiple flights with tickets costing four figures, a compelling motivation is essential. Luckily, Tonga has a unique string to its bow: there's no better place on earth to share the sea with humpback whales. As the mighty, musical cetaceans come here from Antarctica between July and September to calve, responsible local operators can safely get divers and snorkellers thrillingly close. Manta rays, dolphins and sea turtles should also be around. Try the northerly Vava'u group of islands, where some of Tonga's finest white-sand beaches await.
Expedia has a range of hotels, guesthouses and cottage rentals for exploring all Tonga's best beaches and outcrops.
The UK-based adventure tour operator Natural High offers tailor-made Tonga itineraries, and help with all the complicated travel logistics.
naturalhighsafaris.com/tonga
• Best wildlife holiday ideasWhy go in September? For the autumn colours
A bucket-list destination for US autumn leaves, New England is everything you see in the brochures and more. Think dense foliage in reds, oranges and yellows reflected in mirror-like lakes, with a church spire or gable roof peeking through at intervals. The temperature is just right for those mountain hikes — cooler in the mornings and evenings, but still warm enough to wear a T-shirt during the day. The trick is to get out of the cities and head for those more remote corners of the state where phone reception is hit and miss, like Mount Washington. And, while the timings vary, aim for the end of the month when the transformation from green to golden really stands out.
Stay at the Glen House in Gorham, where the main restaurant has a breathtaking view of those autumn colours each morning.
• How to see New England in autumnWhy go in September? For a beach break without the crowds
The summer hordes may have departed Malta but the balmy weather certainly hasn't. In September you can still expect temperatures to reach the high 20s — comfortable for both sightseeing or simply flopping on the beach. Valletta, with its cobbled streets, honey-hued fortifications, and magnificent churches, will no doubt be at the top of your list. But cross over the Grand Harbour to the Three Cities and you'll get an even better view — Vittoriosa is the one to head for if you only have time for one. Sea temperatures, meanwhile, will have had an entire summer to warm up, and won't have cooled much yet, which makes it ideal for snorkelling. Grab your gear, catch the ferry to Gozo and then bay-hop.
Base yourself at db Seabank Resort & Spa in Mellieha for sea views and easy access to Gozo ferries and the rest of Malta.
• Best places to visit in Malta• Best hotels in VallettaWhy go in September? For an extended summer escape across the islands
If you're not bound by school terms, September is the ideal month for travels in the Greek islands. Air temperatures are a notch down from their peak, but still at summer holiday levels, and sea temperatures are warmer than in the other shoulder season month of June. Before ferry services in the Aegean start to wind down for the winter, there's time for some unhurried island-hopping. The Dodecanese are pleasingly varied and, along with the main island of Rhodes, there's Kos with its long, sandy beaches, Kalymnos for rock-climbing opportunities, spiritual Patmos and the steaming volcanic caldera of Nisyros.
OKU Kos is just steps from a quiet stretch of beach on the island's north coast, and is a place for grown-up relaxation and spa treatments, with cuboid architecture in line with the Greek island look.
• Best Greek islands• Best hotels in KosWhy go in September? For whale-watching off the coast of Patagonia
The coming of spring in Argentina shifts the thermostat to varying degrees in a country that touches the tropics at one end and points to Antarctica at the other. While southern Patagonia is just beginning to unfreeze, flowers start to bloom in the Argentine Lake District; it's a less humid time at Iguazu Falls, and Buenos Aires is a pleasantly mild starting point for nationwide explorations. Perhaps best of all is the Valdes Peninsula in the province of Chubut, northeast Patagonia, with its historic Welsh settlements. Southern right whales stay in the area from roughly June to December, and in September they migrate around the peninsula, often close enough to shore that they can be viewed from land.
The 84-room Hotel Tolosa in Puerto Madryn, the gateway to the peninsula, has a degree of urban sophistication that might come as a surprise in a small city in a remote and rugged region.
• Best places to visit in South AmericaWhy go in September? For a city break with seafood and lots of craic
Live music in brightly painted pubs and on the cobblestoned streets is what most people come to Galway in search of. Food culture is another strength: while visitor numbers elsewhere on Ireland's west coast tail off after mid-September, the last weekend of the month brings the Galway International Oyster Festival. There are cooking classes and tasting trails devoted to other produce of the sea, too. Day trips north of the city lead to the hills and loughs of Connemara, while to the south across the bay is the limestone landscape of the Burren and the towering Cliffs of Moher.
The House Hotel is a sturdy stone building centrally located in Galway's quayside Latin Quarter, newly refurbished with plenty of boutique touches such as plush headboards, patterned comfy armchairs and rainforest showers.
• Most beautiful places in Ireland• Best luxury hotels in IrelandWhy go in September? For the beauty of life in the desert
Namibia's place names hint at a land not to be messed with, whether it's the ships' graveyard of the Skeleton Coast or the Kalahari ('great thirst') Desert. September in Namibia is generally the last full month of the dry season and sees a slow return to warmer days after southern winter minimums. It's a perfect time to visit national parks such as Etosha in the north, where elephants, giraffes, lions and leopards crowd at watering holes dotted around a vast salt pan. Nights at desert safari lodges are still on the chilly side, but night skies are spectacular in one of the world's most sparsely populated countries.
Blending in well with the natural landscape, Ongava Lodge has 14 thatched stone chalets on a ridge overlooking a watering hole, in a private game reserve on the edge of Etosha National Park.
• Best safaris in AfricaWhy go in September? For an alternative to carnival in the city of canals
An absolute haven of historical re-enactment, Italy's national calendar is dotted with events where proud citizens dress like extras from Romeo and Juliet and compete in time-honoured challenges. September brings the likes of Arezzo's Saracen joust, or Asti's Palio, where flags and trumpets, horses and jockeys are toasted with spumante, the northern city's famous fizz. Over to the east, Venice stages its own spectacle on the first Sunday of the month: the Regata Storica, where the usual all-black gondolas on the Grand Canal are replaced by a colourful flotilla. Venice isn't a complete time capsule though — this month is also when the International Film Festival rolls out the red carpet on the island of Lido.
You don't go to Venice for minimalism, and at Ca Maria Adele the damask drapes, wooden beams and chandeliers really dial up the drama, all in a discreet spot in the Dorsoduro district near the entrance to the Grand Canal.
• Best things to do in Venice• Best hotels in VeniceWhy go in September? For more room to savour a French holiday classic
As la rentrée sends schoolchildren and office workers back to their desks at the start of September, vacancies pop up in some of France's most attractive corners. These include the Dordogne, a region that has inspired residents and visitors for at least 17,000 years, if the cave paintings of Lascaux are anything to go by. In September there should still be plenty of golden light at castle towns huddled against riverside cliffs and through rows of grapevines in the thick of the harvest. The season for the famous black truffles of Périgord (as the province was once called) is still a few months off, but the area's gastronomic reputation rests on other pillars too, from charcuterie to chestnuts.
The turreted, 19th-century Château Hotel Edward 1er overlooks the southern Dordogne's hills from the medieval town of Monpazier — it has 17 bedrooms and a fine restaurant.
• Best villas in France
Why go in September? For a fine blend of culture and beach time
Indonesia is spread over some 17,000 islands. Bali nabs an outsize share of visitors, so why not show some love to its other outcrops? There's one of the world's most populous, Java, with its rice fields, volcanoes and ancient temples such as Borobudur. Rare species hide in the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo, and there are white sands of the pint-sized Gili Islands. You'd expect some climate variety in such a sizeable country, but visit in September and, in most parts, you'll hit the interval between peak-season August and the October start of big rains. Even in the typically wet northern tip of Sulawesi, with its rich coral life and fantastic diving, the month is the year's least rainy.
Siladen Resort & Spa is a great choice for beach breaks and exploring the diversity of the Coral Triangle, with its offshore island location near Manado in north Sulawesi.
• Bali honeymoon ideasWhy go in September? For a short-haul tropical feel
Madeira isn't actually in the tropics, but with locally grown bananas, papayas and mangoes in its markets and fern-cloaked gorges looking like a lost world, it might as well be. Although visitor numbers are down from July and August, temperatures into the high 20s aren't. Almost the only thing spoiling the 'Hawaii of Europe' illusion (other than the splendidly Portuguese architecture) is the lack of natural sandy beaches — but, if you're keen, these can be had on the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, two and a half hours away by ferry. It's easy to get the measure of Madeira from its many clifftop viewpoints, but for an island speciality, try to fit in a hike along its lush levadas (water channels).
An 18th-century mansion in botanical gardens on a hill overlooking the capital Funchal is the setting for Quinta Jardins do Lago, which has classic interiors and a sprawling swimming pool.
• Best things to do in Madeira• Best hotels in MadeiraWhy go in September? For major celebrations in the Catalan capital
Barcelona is one of the few places in Europe to combine a big-name city break with a beach holiday and September brings the best balance between the two. That's especially true in the second half of the month when temperatures make it easier to soak up a range of architectural treasures while making time for warm rays of sun on the sand. Of the two big events in September, the National Day of Catalonia on the 11th is more politically tinged, while the five-day Festes de la Merce later in the month brings parades of giant statues, thrilling fire runs and gravity-defying human towers.
Yurbban Trafalgar Hotel in the old town is a short walk from the cathedral and Plaça de Catalunya, while a 30-minute stroll to Barceloneta beach. A rooftop pool with sunloungers and sweeping skyline views ensures plenty of respite from the action.
• Best things to do in Barcelona• Best family hotels in BarcelonaWhy go in September? For peace and quiet on storybook woodland trails
Late summer is the most enticing time to put in the distance on the roads and hiking trails of this 100-mile chain of hills and mountains in Germany's southwest. The pretty cathedral city of Freiburg im Breisgau in the lower-lying regions bordering the Rhine Valley is considered Germany's warmest and sunniest. At the centre of the region, the Kinzig Valley includes towns such as Schiltach and Gengenbach, which offer some of the country's finest half-timbered architecture.
The Hotel-Gasthof Zum Weyssen Rössle at Schiltach dates from at least 400 years ago, with crown-glass windows in its wood-beamed dining room and the odd four-poster in its welcoming bedrooms.
• Best river cruises in EuropeWhy go in September? For a brilliant flowering on the desert's edge
The wildlife of South Africa would make a spotter's checklist run to several pages. So if that's your priority then September is the last non-humid month in Kruger National Park to tick off sightings of the big five. But even with such eye-catching fauna, you shouldn't overlook the flora. The Table Mountain area alone has more plant species than the whole of Britain. Here and elsewhere in Cape Town's cooler and wetter surrounds, many of the wonderfully diverse fynbos shrubs are in springtime bloom. Further north in Namaqualand, spilling into Namibia, the flowering season is short but glorious: aim for early September to see the semi-desert sport a vivid carpet of oranges and pinks.
In the hills of the Northern Cape province, Naries Namakwa Retreat offers guests a choice of rooms in a Cape Dutch-style manor house, self-catering cottages and luxurious, boulder-like domed suites.
• Best hotels in Cape TownWhy go in September? For timeless cave hotels and tranquil balloon flights
The summer crowds have eased along Turkey's Mediterranean coast, but despite the temptations of beach days in the high 20s, now might be the time to turn your attention inland. The historic region of Cappadocia lies in modern-day Central Anatolia, almost at the centre of this transcontinental country. Being on a plateau more than 1,000m high means that while summers are almost as hot as on the southern coast, winters are much colder. The transition period is a delightful time for touring ancient towns that melt into a dreamlike landscape of caves and rock spires, where traditional crafts are treasured and hot-air balloons take to the skies on calm days.
Aren Cave Hotel in the town of Goreme shows how far from primitive it can be to live in spaces hollowed out from the rock, with its ten gracefully furnished rooms.
• Cappadocia's hot-air balloon rides: everything you need to know• Argos Cappadocia hotel reviewWhy go in September? For good times at the kick-off of Aussie spring
The start of southern hemisphere spring brings more warmth and less rain to some temperate parts of Australia, while the tropical north is still awaiting its wet season, making September a happy average across this continent of a country. This is usually the driest month in Sydney, and a great time for hikes in mild temperatures in the nearby Blue Mountains. At the Indian Ocean end, the corner of Western Australia around its capital, Perth, blooms with unique wildflowers, as does the city itself in the month-long Everlasting Kings Park Festival. It's an inviting time to sample the eateries and bars of Perth, and pay a visit to its port in the city of Fremantle — where you can also take a ferry to Rottnest Island, home of photo-bombing quokkas.
Como the Treasury is a luxury hotel based in the Victorian-era State Buildings at the very heart of Perth, its 48 rooms and suites spacious and elegantly understated.
Read our full review of Como the Treasury
• Best things to do in Perth• Best hotels in PerthWhy go in September? For cottages and castles among the forests
A mountain-ringed land where rural traditions are still strong, Transylvania looks splendid with summer drawing to a close and autumn preparations under way — as harvest festivals start up and sheep are brought down from high pastures. Dracula-based clichés will only weigh more heavily as October 31 approaches, so this month is an ideal time to do a loop around the region's historic cities, beginning in Cluj-Napoca with its good flight connections, and taking in Sibiu, Brasov and Sighisoara. There are also plenty of farm stays and thoughtfully renovated cottages for a taste of Romanian village life, plus an epic challenge for drivers on the hairpin-rich Transfagarasan Highway.
Copsamare Guesthouses spreads its rooms across a set of traditional Transylvanian Saxon village houses, one valley over from the Unesco-listed fortified church of Biertan.Why go in September? Sightseeing with fewer downpours
Temperatures in Singapore are pretty much constant year-round but its two monsoon seasons can put a dampener on things. Fortunately, September offers some respite with shorter showers and more opportunities for sightseeing. The city state bills itself as a city in a garden, so leafy attractions such as Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay should be top of your list. For a small nation, it's also extremely multicultural. Go on a walking tour of Kampong Glam to learn about its Arab heritage, see Little India via its many temples, and don't miss the colourful Peranakan houses. For families Sentosa is a haven — there's a choice of beaches but also theme parks such as Universal Studios Singapore and Adventure Cove Waterpark.
Raffles Singapore is a classic hotel, and you'll need to stop by the Long Bar for a Singapore Sling and peanuts.
Read our full review of Raffles Singapore
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Additional reporting by Richard Mellor