Autumn is quietly the smartest time to chase late-season sun in Europe and southern Turkey. Warm seas, thinner crowds, lower prices and a cheerful end-of-season energy in the bars — here are five places that make the most of the shoulder months.
Kalkan, on Turkey's Turquoise Coast, barely notices summer has ended. The horseshoe bay still fills with wooden gulets, harbourfront restaurants stay busy and taxis are easy to find — a contrast to nearby resorts that wind down early. October is prime time for a swim at Kaputas beach, which becomes Instagram-level packed from May to September but has room to breathe once autumn arrives. Twenty minutes inland, the mountain village of Bezirgan offers peace, Ottoman-era grain stores and a stretch of the Lycian Way, with manti and kofte at Pirha Köy Sofrası to fuel the hike. White House has doubles from £120 B&B.
On Spain's Costa de Almería, Agua Amarga is an Andalucían fishing village with a 500-metre crescent beach, whitewashed streets and a genuinely relaxed feel — this is not a party town. Hiking trails run over cliffs to hidden coves and 18th-century fort ruins, and the Cabo de Gata nature reserve adds dry riverbeds, prickly pears and abandoned goldmines. Film fans will recognise the bay from Sexy Beast; Ray Winstone's villa from the film is now a holiday rental. Beach bar Los Tarahis serves black rice with lobster with your toes in the sand. Hotel Las Calas has doubles from £80.
Cascais, 20 miles west of Lisbon by train, keeps about 300 sunny days a year and keeps its flower beds blooming into late autumn. Off-season means far cheaper stays — Casa Vela is a spacious sidestreet guesthouse with a garden sauna from €79 room-only — plus kayaking where the Tagus meets the Atlantic, cycling to windswept, surfer-friendly Praia do Guincho, and day trips to a pleasantly crowd-free Sintra. For the latest sunsets on mainland Europe, head to Cabo da Roca.
Senigallia in Italy's Marche region trades on food more than sand. Its 'Velvet Beach' is lovely but packed in summer; in autumn the town's real draw comes forward: Uliassi (three Michelin stars) and Madonnina del Pescatore (two) have earned it the nickname 'five-star town'. Cheaper gems include raw seafood at Cuoco di Bordo and rustic pasta at Rimante. Autumn also means chestnuts, pumpkins and new olive oil — the Festa dell'Olio Nuovo runs 6-10 November in Scapezzano, a pleasant hour's walk inland. Al Foro Annonario has doubles from €80 B&B.
Finally, Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the French Basque coast keeps its warmth thanks to a beach sheltered by two headlands. Stock up on espelette chillies and Ossau-Iraty cheese at the market hall, try the 1660-vintage pare gabea macaron at Maison Adam, and visit the church where Louis XIV married Marie-Thérèse of Spain.
Who's this for? Anyone wanting warm weather without peak-season prices and crowds — couples, food-focused travellers and outdoorsy types alike. Credit: The Guardian Travel.
