Where to go in October

A city on water without a single car: canals, humpbacked bridges and palaces mirrored in the lagoon.

Porto tumbles in terraces down to the Douro River: azulejo tiles, wine cellars and an iron bridge that looks like the Eiffel Tower.

Gothic spires, red-tiled roofs and Charles Bridge — a storybook city that's a joy to explore on foot in 2–3 days.

A medieval town in Europe's southernmost “fjord”, where mountains plunge straight into a turquoise bay.

Southern Italy without the crowds: white clifftop towns, trulli houses and a stunning sea.

Seven hills, yellow trams, fado drifting from open windows and the ocean nearby.

Mozart's city with its baroque squares, and just an hour or two away — Hallstatt: wooden houses above a mirror-like Alpine lake.

A fortress city with marble streets, encircled by walls above the sea.

A city that lives inside a Roman palace.

An open-air museum of an island with honey-coloured stone, knights' fortresses and a warm sea almost all year round.

The heart of Andalusia: flamenco, orange trees lining the streets and Moorish-style palaces.

The Alhambra against the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada — one of the most beautiful sights in Europe.

An elegant city of limestone palaces on the Garonne and the wine capital of the world.

The French Riviera at a budget-airline price: the Promenade des Anglais, an old town full of markets and clifftop villages 20–30 minutes away by bus.

Fly into Pisa and an hour later by train you're in five colourful villages perched on cliffs above the sea, linked by hiking trails.

Parliament on the Danube, hot thermal baths and evening river cruises.

The birthplace of pizza, Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii — and right next door, the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast with lemon groves above the sea.