Fall Travel In Europe: Is It The Greatest Time To Visit?

Autumn in Europe is between September and November, and there are both pros and cons to fall travel in Europe.

On the one hand, Europe in the fall is low season which means there are typically fewer tourists and it can be cheaper.

But there are also some downsides that come with fewer tourists. Not to mention cooler, less predictable, weather.

At the end of the day, it’s when you travel that makes a huge difference to whether or not the fall is the ideal time to visit Europe.

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Watch Out For High Peak Travel Dates In The Fall!

One of THE best reasons Europe makes a great fall vacation destination is because it’s low season. And with low season comes a few set of perks, like less tourists and cheaper rates!

But don’t take low season fall travel for granted, depending on when and where you’re travelling, there can be a mini high season in the middle.

There are fall holidays and festivals that create a mini peak season.

For example, Germany celebrates Oktoberfest at the end of September. And Spain celebrates Les Festes de la Mercè in September as well… and the list goes on!

That’s why it’s really important to research the dates you’re interested in travelling beforehand.

Fall Travel In Europe Means Fewer Tourists: A Pro AND A Con!

Fewer tourists seems like it can only be a good thing when travelling to Europe.

But after going on many fall vacations over the years, fewer tourists isn’t always a good thing…

The Pros Of Less People – Avoiding The Crowds In Europe!

There’s no denying that Europe is a major summer travel destination. During peak season, the small European towns can become overcrowded making them a lot less enjoyable to tour.

So a perk of visiting Europe in the fall is that there are a lot less tourist. It makes sense, most people will just flat out not be able to take time off. Whether that’s due to school, work, or both!

If you’re someone that can take time off outside of peak season, you’ll want to take advantage!

The attractions and the streets are way less populated. You don’t have to wait in long lines and you have all the space you need in museums. You also won’t have thousands of people in the way of every picture you take.

But There Is Such A Thing As Too Few Tourists!

Less tourists are a perk, but they can also be a drawback to fall travel in Europe.

Some places might be too empty… which can cause some problems.

This is one of the instances where it really depends on where you’re travelling in Europe in the fall. 

If you’re visiting one of the bigger cities (London, Rome, Paris…), this shouldn’t be an issue. The fewer the people, the more enjoyable your trip will be!

The problems arise when you’re visiting smaller towns around Europe. Too few people means that you might be the only ones there. Even worse though, there can be limited opening hours, or off season closures.

There just isn’t enough tourism in smaller towns across Europe in the fall to sustain being open.

And if you think being the only people in a museum is great, you might want to think again… in Aix en Provence (in the South of France) we were quite often the only people in a museum and the security guard would follow us from room to room. We felt rushed and very uncomfortable.

And it doesn’t just stop at museums and activities. Restaurants can also be awkward when there aren’t enough tourists, if they’re even open at all!

When we drove around the Gorge de Verdun in the South of France there are several towns hidden in the mountains that we were planning on stopping in to pick up a bite to eat. We drove through one town after the other to find them all empty. All the restaurants and hotels were closed and there wasn’t a soul in sight! 

With so few people around small cities will close for the season and only reopen in the Spring. This was the case for the South of France, and Scotland (a lot of castles closed at the end of October).

Europe In The Fall Pro: Less Advance Booking Needed

It’s sometimes hard to think of everything you need to book in advance for your trip. But there’s nothing worse than arriving at your destination and realizing that you needed to book tickets for the main attraction two months ago (which can happen a lot in Europe due to the summer crowds!). 

And let’s be real, booking tickets in advance is the worst! You don’t want to overly plan your days out, because who knows where you’ll be!

Well, this won’t happen in Europe in the fall!  You don’t need to book any tickets in advance. And if you do, it definitely won’t be 2 months in advance like some attractions during the summer months. This removes a lot of stress from the planning stage!

For example, booking the Sagrada Familia in December was a joke! My sister visited in the summer and had to book it two months in advance! In December, I was able to book it within the next few days! (Heads up, this isn’t the case for Anne Frank House, that you still have to book in advance, but maybe only a month instead of two months!).

It also doesn’t end at attractions, we would also only book our trains a few days in advance (sometimes even the night before!). It was the same thing for renting cars and buying bus tickets!

Fall Vacations Con: Shorter Opening Hours/ Closures

As I mentioned, another drawback to having fewer tourists is less opening hours (if they’re even open at all!).

The opening hours changed quite a bit from summer to fall. And it was never consistent so you have to be very vigilant on checking opening hours for fall travel in Europe…

Sometimes places would be open every day but with shorter hours. Other times, places were open for the same amount of hours during the day, but closed certain days of the week.

The worst-case scenario is that they might not even be open at all! This was primarily the case for outdoor attractions or smaller towns.

It could also vary from week to week! Maybe you checked at the time of booking, but the hours were only updated when you arrived.

And there’s always a chance that a business doesn’t update their hours at all! So when you travel to Europe in the fall, you have to be prepared to arrive somewhere that says it’s open only for it to be closed.

Pro: You’ll Most Likely Save Money On Fall Vacations

Obviously, you’ll be saving so much money because all the attractions are closed! Just joking!

A lot of tourist attractions will have discounted prices during low season.

Not to mention, flights and hotels will also have reduced rates during low season travel.

Con: Shorter Days During Fall Vacations In Europe

Days become a lot shorter during the fall months, and Europe is no exception to this. But what you might not realize is how much it will impact your travel.

Summer has the longest days of the year, which adds a whole lot of extra hours to your vacation time. There’s a lot more daylight that you can fill with touring and different activities. Places may even stay open later to accommodate the later sunset!

The fall, on the other hand, has way less daylight which means less time to spend exploring. You don’t realize how much less you can see in a day because of how much earlier the sun sets. 

This is especially an issue if you’re planning on driving in Europe in the fall. You have two options; drive back in the dark, or start driving back at 3:00 o’clock. I don’t advise driving on foreign roads, typically without street lights, in the dark.

But, starting to head back at 3:00 P.M. really cuts down your touring time by quite a bit. We ending up cutting quite a few things from our original itineraries because we were just too short on time and didn’t want to risk it driving in the dark.

This really started to become an issue after you change the clocks in mid-October (which you should also be aware of the date when travelling to Europe in the fall!). 

Pro: Much Milder Weather In The Fall

Depending on where and when you’re travelling to Europe in the fall, the weather might be a lot milder than during the summer months.

Unless you’re looking for hot summer weather and want a beach vacation, fall has the perfect weather in my mind. 

You have some days when you can walk around in shorts (especially if you’re travelling in September), and other times when you only need a light jacket. Sure you might have to carry a jacket with you, but at least you aren’t dying of heat.

Travelling in 30°C degree heat, wearing a hat and layering on sunscreen is never fun.

So 15°C to 20°C isn’t beach weather, but it sure as hell is better for touring! It’s not too hot, and not too cold!

Great Fall Vacations: Leaves Change Colours (Pro & Con!)

Depending on when you visit in the fall, you might catch the leaves changing colours.

The vibrant orange, yellow, and red hues make for some pretty spectacular photo ops!

But! And there’s always a but! The timing as to be PERFECT!

If you visit Europe in the fall too early, the leaves might not have changed colours yet. And if you visit Europe in the fall too late, you risk that the leaves have already fallen and now you’re greeted with bare tree branches and muddy leaves.

Con: Packing For Fall Travel Weather Takes More Space

I won’t lie, packing for fall weather is complete chaos!

There are so many ‘just in case‘ items you have to pack because the weather is so much more unpredictable.

The key is to pack in layers, which takes up space. Fall clothes also tends to be thicker and larger than summer clothes… taking up more space!

So you need to pack a lot more, but will end up with way less space due to the larger size of fall clothing.

And fall travel also means wearing a jacket most days, which means you won’t get to show off all your cute new travel outfits.

P.S. See how I manage to pack 2 weeks worth of clothes in a carry-on no matter the season. I even give examples of how I managed to pack in a carryon for a Spring trip to Ireland and London, and a fall trip to Belgium.

When Is The Ideal Time To Visit Europe In The Fall?

I went on a four-month trip from September to January and saw a huge shift in fall travel in Europe.

It made me realize that there is an ideal time to visit Europe in the fall from September to mid-October.

September already sees a huge drop in tourists from the summer months, but there were still people around for it to feel lively. We were never alone in restaurants or museums like we found ourselves in some of the smaller cities after October.

There also wasn’t a big change in opening hours in September. We were still able to do everything we wanted with minimal advance planning. If the attractions did close, we noticed it was after October 31. 

The weather from September to October was also beautiful. It was cooler, but I still only needed a light jacket some days.

It was also only towards the end of October that the days became noticeably shorter.

November became a lot harder to do regular tourist attractions. It also became quite a bit chillier, having to wear a bit of a heavier jacket on most days.

So What’s The Final Verdict On Fall Travel In Europe?

Whether you should travel in the fall is really a 50/50. You win some, and you lose some! It depends on what’s right for you but especially on where you’re going.

If you’re going to a lesser-known smaller city, you might find it kind of dead in the fall. The tourists bring liveliness. If you’re going somewhere that’s overpopulated with tourists (like Barcelona) it might be well worth waiting to travel in the fall.

If it were up to me, I’d only travel during low seasons. I would just double check in advance if there was anything I really wanted to visit to make sure it was open.

My Fall Travel Essentials On Amazon

Related Posts

• Is Travelling To The South of France In The Fall For You
• Why September Is The Best Time To Visit Belgium
• Edinburgh in October: The Ultimate Guide

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Last update on 2024-05-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API