Where to go in October

In October, 18 of the 39 areas we cover score 75 or more for at least one holiday type.

Beach in October

For a beach holiday, Larnaca, Cyprus leads at 92/100, followed by Mauritius (Grand Baie) on about 90 (an estimate); and Hawaii (Honolulu), United States on 89. In October, 11 of the 29 areas with a beach score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for beach, daytime highs run from 28°C to 30°C. Sea temperatures for the top 5 beach areas run from 23°C to 27°C; the coolest is Gran Canaria at 23°C. In October, the beach list is ranked by the beach score, which is based on daytime high, rainy days, humidity (dew point), cloud and wind (tropical areas use daytime rain, total rain, humid heat and sunshine instead), and does not include sea temperature.

  1. 1
    LarnacaCyprus
    29°Cdaytime high
    2rainy days
    26°Csea
    High confidence
    92/100Excellent
  2. 2
    Mauritius (Grand Baie)
    29°Cdaytime high
    65 mmrain a month
    24°Csea
    Low confidence
    ~90estimateExcellent
  3. 3
    Hawaii (Honolulu)United States
    30°Cdaytime high
    3rainy days
    27°Csea
    High confidence
    89/100Good
  4. 4
    Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands)
    28°Cdaytime high
    4rainy days
    23°Csea
    Medium confidence
    89/100Good
  5. 5
    Nosy BeMadagascar
    30°Cdaytime high
    64 mmrain a month
    27°Csea
    Medium confidence
    88/100Good

All 29 areas for beach in October

City break in October

For a city break, Athens, Greece leads at 91/100, followed by Santorini, Greece on about 90 (an estimate); and Málaga, Spain on 89. In October, 12 of the 26 areas with a city break score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for city break, daytime highs run from 24°C to 27°C and rainy days from 1 to 6.

  1. 1
    AthensGreece
    24°Cdaytime high
    3rainy days
    7 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    91/100Excellent
  2. 2
    SantoriniGreece
    24°Cdaytime high
    3rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    Low confidence
    ~90estimateExcellent
  3. 3
    MálagaSpain
    24°Cdaytime high
    5rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    89/100Good
  4. 4
    Algarve (Faro)Portugal
    24°Cdaytime high
    6rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    88/100Good
  5. 5
    FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands)
    27°Cdaytime high
    1rainy day
    8 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    88/100Good

Hiking in October

For hiking, Málaga, Spain leads at 75/100, followed by Santorini, Greece on about 74 (an estimate); and Algarve (Faro), Portugal on 72. In October, 1 of the 16 areas with a hiking score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for hiking, daytime highs run from 24°C to 25°C and rainy days from 3 to 7.

  1. 1
    MálagaSpain
    24°Cdaytime high
    5rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    75/100Good
  2. 2
    SantoriniGreece
    24°Cdaytime high
    3rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    Low confidence
    ~74estimateMixed
  3. 3
    Algarve (Faro)Portugal
    24°Cdaytime high
    6rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    72/100Mixed
  4. 4
    MajorcaSpain (Balearic Islands)
    24°Cdaytime high
    7rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    72/100Mixed
  5. 5
    CreteGreece
    25°Cdaytime high
    6rainy days
    7 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    66/100Mixed

All 16 areas for hiking in October

October at a glance

Of the areas in these lists, 2 have low confidence, so their scores are estimates: Mauritius (Grand Baie) and Santorini. Scores are estimates from modelled climate averages (2004–2023), not forecasts. Daytime highs come from ERA5-Land, rainy days are estimated from ERA5-Land (a few areas use CHIRPS satellite rainfall), tropical areas show monthly rain in millimetres from CHIRPS, and sunshine and sea temperature come from ERA5. See How we score.