The 30 best autumn escapes

3. Autumn flowers in Crete
Join an autumn botanical holiday in Crete, departing on October 21. The trip is based in the pretty town of Chania, from where it’s possible to see swathes of crocus, cyclamen and narcissi bought to life by autumn rains. There is a daily programme of botanical and history-themed walks, with visits to the spectacular Samaria Gorge and beautiful Akrotiri peninsula.
Details: Naturetrek’s eight-day botanical tour is from £1,195pp including flights, half-board and all guiding (01962 733051, naturetrek.co.uk)

4. Truffle hunting in Umbria
Autumn in the Italian countryside is blissfully crowd-free, although as the days shorten the Umbrian hills fill with locals out hunting for truffles. Join the search under the guidance of a cavatore (truffle-hunter) while on a break at the gorgeous Castello di Petroia hotel, which is on a 900-acre estate on a hill between the medieval towns of Gubbia and Assisi — both of which can be reached along the excellent Franciscan Trail. It’s a great spot for walkers.
Details: A B&B double room is from €150; two hours’ truffle hunting with a guide is €100 for a couple (00 39 0759 20287, petroia.it, sawdays.co.uk)

5. Music in Prague
One of Europe’s most musical capitals, Prague is home to a series of festivals featuring orchestras, jazz trios and soloists. The biggest is the Strings of Autumn Festival (September 23 to November 6), which offers everything from classical to world and medieval music, while the International Jazz Festival (October 15 to November 6) brings together some of the best-known jazz and blues artists in the world.
Details: Events are charged on an individual basis, from about £8. Stay in the Hotel Aria, a converted former theatre in Mala Strana, with doubles from £172 B&B (i-escape.com)

6. Gassltörggelen in Chiusa, Italy
A centuries-old South Tyrolean tradition, Gassltörggelen is a celebration of the year’s harvest, when farmhouses and inns open up their wood-panelled stube restaurants to serve up the best autumn produce and local wine. In Chiusa, Gassltörggelen street markets will be held on Saturdays in September, with music, street entertainment and food stalls selling local dishes.
Details: The 11th-century Pacherhof hotel in nearby Bressanone has doubles from £128 per night, B&B including a special Gassltörggelen dinner (00 39 0472 835 717, www.pacherhof.com)

7. Picasso in Paris
After a five-year closure and a €50 million renovation the Musée Picasso will finally reopen its gilded doors in the Marais district on October 25. The museum will have three times as much space to house its 5,000 works by the artist, alongside 200,000 items from his personal archive and 150 works by other artists including Cézanne, Matisse and Renoir (museepicassoparis.fr).
Details: A three-night break with Eurostar, staying at the Villa Montparnasse, costs from £280pp, including travel and B&B accommodation (03432 186186, eurostar.com)

8. Gastro weekend in Italy’s Le Marche
La Tavola Marche is a traditional agriturismo, tucked away in the hills between the Apennine Mountains and the sea, specialising in gourmet weekends and cookery courses. Their Flavours of Fall break runs throughout October, and includes a “wild edibles” walk and mushroom hunt, half-day cooking course and five-course dinner with wine, along with the chance to laze by the pool and discover the gorgeous surrounding countryside.
Details: The three-night break costs from £276pp (00 39 331 525 2573, latavolamarche.com)

9. Horse-riding in Andalusia
The scorching temperatures of summer fade to a balmy warmth for the Andalusian autumn; the perfect time to discover the beautiful Sierra de Aracena. Head out on horseback with a local guide from the secluded hill farm of Finca el Moro, and spend a week exploring the open parkland and atmospheric 10th-century villages, while eagles and hoopoe soar overhead. Riders must be competent and able to spend four to six hours daily in the saddle.
Details: A week costs from £1,250pp including full-board accommodation and all riding equipment and a guide (00 34 627 479 738, fincaelmoro.com)

10. Clam-picking in the Algarve
Join local fisherman for an early morning trip out to the marshes in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, where the soft sands yield hundreds of clams every day. Guests staying at the Conrad Algarve are taken to the marshes by catamaran, taught how to fish for clams and then taken back to the hotel kitchens, where they will be taught how to cook the classic dish of spaghetti with clams — and then eat it, washed down with a glass of local wine.
Details: A week at the Conrad Algarve costs from £1,059pp including flights, B&B and transfers (01244 355527, itcluxurytravel.co.uk). Clam-picking costs £92pp

11. Munich’s Oktoberfest
For about two weeks from the end of September into the beginning of October, Munich becomes the biggest beer hall in the world, with more than 30 “tents” sprawling across the city, offering a mind-boggling array of craft beers and traditional German dishes — including wurst (sausage), roast pork and roast duck. The event is no longer just for beer drinkers — many tents serve wines too — and there’s plenty of live music and dancing once the party has cranked up.
Details: A four-night Oktoberfest break, including flights and hotel accommodation costs £679pp B&B (020 7471 6417, firstfestivaltravel.com)

12. Cycling in Majorca
Majorca is great for cycling, with the curving mountainous roads appealing to everyone from Bradley Wiggins to the British Olympic team. The good news is that the centre of the island is completely flat, making it ideal for less hardcore two-wheelers, and the plains are dotted with atmospheric towns such as Inca and Sineu, which has the island’s best market.
Details: A four-night Unspoiled Central Majorca self-guided cycling break with Inntravel costs from £620pp half-board at Son Mercadal, near Porreres, pictured, and Es Torrent, near Campos, excluding flights (01653 617003, inntravel.co.uk)

13. Party in Reykjavik in Iceland
One of Europe’s priciest capitals has suddenly got more affordable with easyJet starting direct flights from Gatwick on October 27. Pair a jaunt out to the Blue Lagoon, where you can float alfresco in the bubbling waters even when the air temperature is sub-zero, with browsing at the Kolaportid flea market and dinner at Dill (dillrestaurant.is), the city’s hippest eaterie.
Details: Flights with easyJet cost from £80 return. Stay at 101, a sleek design hotel with a spectacular art collection and pared-down, monochrome doubles from £184, room-only (00 354 580 0101, 101hotel.is)

14. Olive oil harvest in Greece
The steep slopes of the Peloponnese are covered in olive groves and until the end of October the villagers harvest the olives as they have done for centuries. Stay at the upscale Costa Navarino resort and you can join the olive picking, with a chance to taste locally produced oils and learn about their benefits. Follow it up with a cookery course in a local family’s house, which ends with a slap-up dinner and wine from the Costa Navarino estate.
Details: A five-night break at Costa Navarino costs from £755pp, including flights, B&B accommodation, olive harvest excursion and cookery class (0845 4851143, abercrombiekent.co.uk)

15. Sailing in Croatia
Grab a last hit of summer sun until the end of October on a sailing week around the beautiful Croatian archipelago, taking in the lush green hills of Mljet, the beautiful Venetian architecture of Korcula town and the iconic walls and streets of Dubrovnik, mercifully free of the high summer crowds. Join a flotilla and you can sail independently, safe in the knowledge that an experienced crew is always within easy reach.
Details: A week costs from £565pp, based on a two-cabin Monohull Yacht, sleeping four, including flights (0844 2731935, sunsail.co.uk)

UK

16. Surfing on the Gower Peninsula
The tourists have gone, the beaches are quiet and mid-Atlantic storms pump more swell on to the beaches — autumn is the perfect time for a surfing break. The Gower peninsula is home to spectacular beaches such as Rhossili and Caswell Bay, which offer equally good surfing possibilities for beginners and experienced wave-riders.
Details: Langland Bay House B&B is a short drive from Caswell Bay and has sleek doubles from £120 per night (01792 367241, langlandbayhouse.com). Gower Surfing Development (surfgsd.com) offers two-day beginner courses from £80pp

17. Stargazing in Northumberland
The clear skies of autumn offer some of the best stargazing possibilities of the year, with Orion and Cygnus particularly clear. The area around Kielder Observatory has been declared a “dark skies” park, and the observatory runs regular stargazing evenings and events throughout the autumn months.
Details: The family astronomy night is £15 per adult, £13 per child (kielderobservatory.org/events). Stay at Falston Barns, a clutch of four luxurious apartments in converted stone buildings, a short drive from Kielder Forest Park. They cost from £85 per night, for two (01434 240251, falstonebarns.com)

18. Walking in the Lake District
Once the summer crowds have gone, the Lake District takes on a calmer, more relaxing feel — perfect for a gentle walking holiday along the shorefronts and through the hills. Borrowdale, clad in leafy woodland, is a great spot for an autumn walking break, along with the rugged beauty of Watendlath fell. And if the legs get tired, rest them on a boat trip out to beautiful Derwentwater.
Details: A three-night break with HF Holidays costs from £275pp including full-board accommodation, a walking guide and evening activities (0345 4707558, hfholidays.co.uk)

19. Cider-making in the Forest of Dean
The apple orchards that roll through the Herefordshire countryside become a hive of industry in the autumn months as the cider-making process begins. Farms and small breweries offer the chance to join in with both the harvest and the pressing; try Kate’s Country School (katescountryschool.co.uk) which charges £90 per one-day course.
Details: Stay at the Tudor Farmhouse Hotel, an elegant boutique B&B in Clearwell with doubles from £95 (01594 833046, tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk)

20. Nordic walking in Sussex
Nordic walking is a great way to take gentle exercise — you use poles to involve your upper body as well as your legs — and it offers the chance to get out into the countryside. Sussex was once one of the most heavily wooded parts of England and what forest remains blazes with colour in autumn, with great views from the South Downs Way. You stay at Ockenden Manor, pictured.
Details: A two-night nordic walking break costs from £440pp including B&B, two massages, three meals and a programme of walks (01444 416111, prideofbritainhotels.com)

21. Photography in the New Forest
Purple heathland, dense forest, picturesque villages — the New Forest is a photographer’s dream, and in the quieter months it’s a great place to polish up your skills. Book a two-day course, staying at Moorhill House Hotel, and you’ll have the chance to snap some of the forest’s most beautiful locations under the guidance of an experienced photographer. It is held on October 9-10, October 22-23 and November 5-6.
Details: A two-day workshop with one night’s B&B accommodation costs £299pp including dinner (0800 444441, newforesthotels.co.uk)

22. Whisky weekend in Speyside
There’s no better way to combat the autumnal nip in the air than with a dram or two of whisky by a roaring fire. Head to Dufftown in the Highlands from September 25-29 to join the Speyside Whisky Festival (whisky.dufftown.co.uk), and taste a vast array of single malts, then visit the whisky museum and join the “Seven Stills Tour” of Dufftown’s distilleries with a dram at each.
Details: Events at the festival are priced individually from about £10-£60. Stay at Highland Spirit, a comfortable, welcoming B&B in Dufftown, with doubles from £98 (01340 821136, highlandspiritbandb.co.uk)

23. Leaf-peeping in Gloucestershire
The National Arboretum at Westonbirt has the biggest collection of maples in the country: some 2,000 different specimens that glow sherbet-pink, burnt orange and lemon-yellow in the winter months. This year is predicted to be a “mast year”, an unexplained phenomenon when trees bearing fruit produce an exceptional crop; hawthorn, hornbeam and field maple are predicted to be particularly pretty (forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt).
Details: Entry to the Arboretum is £9 per adult, £4 per child. Stay at The Priory Inn, a traditional Cotswold pub in Tetbury, with B&B doubles from £99-£135 (01666 502251, theprioryinn.co.uk)

24. Beside the seaside in Devon
The beaches of North Devon — Putsborough, Saunton Sands, Croyde Bay and Westward Ho! — are some of the most beautiful in Britain, and the gorgeous villages beside them are perfect for an off-season break. Mix seaside walks and long lunches at old pubs such as the Rock Inn at Georgeham (www.therockgeorgeham.co.uk) with browsing the antique shops of Braunton and Bideford.
Details: The beautifully restored Netherham Hill Cottage in Georgeham, sleeps four and is from £91 a night (holidaylettings.co.uk, ref 1295117)

25. Autumn cookery at Le Manoir
Splash out on a day’s autumn cookery course at Raymond Blanc’s renowned hotel-restaurant, using produce straight from the two-acre garden and the UK’s first wild mushroom valley. Herbs and vegetables are picked from the garden in the morning to create dishes that day. The accent is on simple, seasonal food.
Details: The one-day autumn cookery course costs £365pp including lunch, and runs on September 20 and 28, October 12 and 18, and November 1. Double superior rooms start from £555 B&B (01844 278881, belmond.com)

26. The Enchanted Forest in Perthshire
Take the kids to Scotland to experience the Enchanted Forest — an award-winning sound and light show in woodland near Pitlochry. Children will love the storytelling yurt. There’s mulled wine and hot chocolate to stay warm.
Details: The show runs from October 3-26 (enchantedforest.org.uk). Tickets cost from £14-£20 per adult, £7-£10 per child. Stay at East Haugh, a 350-year-old turreted country house, with doubles from £129 B&B (01796 473121, easthaugh.co.uk)

27. Harvest Festival at the Eden Project in Cornwall
Cornwall becomes a different place once the schools have gone back, and the Eden Project plays to a whole different audience. Its Harvest Festival runs from today to October 5, with differently themed events including a Chilli Weekend (September 20-21) and a Beer Festival (October 4) as well as visits from celebrity chefs including Allegra McEvedy and Monica Galetti.
Details: Festival entry costs £19.95 per adult and £11.50 per child (edenproject.com). Stay at The Crown Inn, a classic pub with rooms in the nearby village of Lanlivery, with B&B doubles from £60 (01208 872707, wagtailinns.com)

28. Canyoning in the Brecon Beacons
Those in search of a white-knuckle weekend should head to the spectacular Brecon Beacons: in the summer months the gorges are dry, but in autumn the rain brings back the waterfalls that tier down the hills in the Vale of Neath. Don a wetsuit to slide down weirs, leap into plunge pools and slither down the waterfalls into the warm River Neath.
Details: A two-night break, including a full day of canyoning, costs from £145pp full-board through Call of the Wild (0843 6346005, adventurebritain.com)

29. Hiking in the Scottish glens
The Central Highlands blaze with colour when summer’s over; great swathes of auburn, russet and saffron-coloured foliage flanking the lochs. A walking break is the ideal way to see some of the wildest, most untouched countryside — perfect for photography fans and naturalists. Visit the Plodda Falls, a 40m-high cascade and stroll along the remote shores of Loch Eich.
Details: A four-night walking break with Wilderness Scotland costs from £725pp, including B&B, most meals, transfers and a walking guide (01479 420020, wildernessscotland.com)

30. Mountain biking in Gwynedd
The trails that wind through Coed-y-Brenin are flanked by mixed forest, which glows gold and copper in autumn — a change from many mountain bike routes, which weave through plain green pine. Yr Afon trail whizzes along above the Mawddach river, while the Beast of Brenin trail will put the most experienced riders through their paces, with great views of Snowdonia.
Details: Bike hire costs £25 per day for adults, £10 for children (beicsbrenin.co.uk). Y Meirionydd in Dolgellau has two-night breaks from £75pp B&B (01341 422554, themeirionnydd.com)