Where are the best places to travel in October?

Malaga: warm days before the wetter months

Malaga is an October pick for travellers who still want warm weather in southern Spain. The WMO lists an average October high of 24.1 degrees Celsius and a low of 15.0 at the Malaga station, with 57.1 mm of rain over 6.8 days (1981 to 2010 normals). That compares with an average August high of 30.8.

The trade-off is that rain returns. September records 20.2 mm at the same station and October nearly three times that, and November is higher again at 100.5 mm. October is a month for terraces and day trips with a rain plan. See Malaga for stays; a kitchen helps on a longer visit.

Funchal: Atlantic warmth with showers building

Funchal on Madeira keeps mild temperatures well into autumn. The WMO lists an average October high of 24.2 degrees Celsius and a low of 17.6, with 75.0 mm of rain over 9 days (1961 to 1990 normals). The night-time low is a couple of degrees higher than Malaga's October figure.

Rain is the catch. September records 36.7 mm at the same station and November 100.8 mm, while July records only 2.5 mm, so October sits in the middle of the shift. The normals are decades old and cover one station on a mountainous island, so conditions vary by area. See Funchal for stays.

Doha: the first month when the heat eases

Doha is an October pick because the extreme heat starts to ease. The Qatar Meteorology Department figures on the WMO site list an average October high of 35.2 degrees Celsius and a low of 23.4, against 38.6 in September and 29.5 in November. The page gives 1962 to 1992 for the temperature and rainfall figures.

Rain is almost absent, at 1.1 mm over 0.1 days in October. Daytime heat is still high, though, so plan outdoor sightseeing for mornings and evenings, and expect strong sun. See Doha for stays. Check official guidance on entry and local rules before you travel.

Austin: music festival weekends and cooler days

Austin suits October for its live-music calendar and a break in the summer heat. The Austin City Limits festival website, read in October 2026, lists the 2026 festival as 2 to 4 and 9 to 11 October at Zilker Park. On 8 October 2026 the first weekend had passed and the second was about to begin, so check the site for next year's dates.

The National Weather Service figures on the WMO site list an average October high of 27.3 degrees Celsius and a low of 13.7 (1981 to 2010 normals), compared with 32.3 in September. The same station records 99.8 mm of rain in October, one of the wetter months, and the page lists no rain-day count. See Austin for stays.

Florence: autumn sightseeing, with the second-wettest month

Florence is an October pick for gallery and food trips outside the summer heat. The WMO lists an average October high of 20.9 degrees Celsius and a low of 10.1 at the Florence station, with 104.2 mm of rain over 8.5 days (1971 to 2000 normals). That compares with 26.7 in September.

Rain is the trade-off. October is the second-wettest month in the table, behind November at 113.6 mm. Museums and indoor options make a wet day easy to plan around. See Florence for stays.

Boston: the Head of the Charles and early autumn

Boston suits October for its rowing regatta and its crisp days. The Head of the Charles Regatta website, read in October 2026, lists the 2026 regatta as 16 to 18 October. Check the organiser for spectating details and next year's dates.

The National Weather Service figures on the WMO site list an average October high of 16.3 degrees Celsius and a low of 8.1, with 100.1 mm of rain over 9.4 days (1981 to 2010 normals). September is warmer, at an average high of 22.4. Dress for cool, damp spells. See Boston stays early if your dates match the regatta.

Fukuoka: the rain eases after September

Fukuoka is a good October pick for a Japanese city break on the Kyushu coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency figures on the WMO site list an average October high of 23.7 degrees Celsius and a low of 16.0, with 94.5 mm of precipitation over 6.8 days (1991 to 2020 normals).

The contrast with September is the reason. September records 175.1 mm over 9.7 days, and the summer months are wetter still, with July at 299.1 mm. October rain is roughly half the September figure. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency for warnings close to your dates. See Fukuoka for stays.

Mumbai: after the monsoon, but still hot

Mumbai is an October pick because the monsoon rain has largely passed. At the Colaba station the WMO lists 81.1 mm of rain in October, against 325.2 mm in September and 819.4 mm in July (1951 to 2000 normals). The station page lists no rain-day count.

The weather stays hot and humid. The average October high is 33.1 degrees Celsius and the low is 23.4, and the average November high is a little higher. Plan activities for the cooler parts of the day. These are old figures for one coastal station. See the India country hub for the stays we list.

October climate at a glance

The table collects the October figures quoted above. All come from the WMO World Weather Information Service pages for each station, and the normals period differs by station, so compare patterns rather than exact numbers. Fukuoka is listed as precipitation; Austin and Mumbai list no rain-day count.

How we chose, and the limits of this list

We looked for places where October has a verifiable reason to go: a dated event on an organiser's page, or a climate figure from a national weather service reported through the WMO. We balanced the list across mild Atlantic and Mediterranean cities, hot regions where heat or rain eases, and North American and East Asian cities. We did not use traveller votes and we did not rank the places. The list leaves out many good destinations and says nothing about prices or availability.

Normals are averages over long periods, several of them decades old, and each is for a single station. Event dates come from organiser pages read in October 2026 and can change, so confirm them before you book. Our when to book guide explains timing, and the table of our own aparthotel figures for these countries is below.