Where to go in September: 9 places at their best

September is the best month of the travel year for anyone who can choose. In the northern hemisphere the schools go back in the first days, the crowds and the high prices drop within a week, and the sea around the Mediterranean is still at its warmest. The heat of August eases, the light turns golden, and the harvest starts in the vineyards.

That makes September the month for beaches without the queues, for cities at a comfortable temperature and for the first autumn colour in the mountains. The trade-off is that the weather is less certain further north, and some seasonal places begin to wind down by the end of the month. Here are nine countries that are at their best now.

The first half of the month is still warm enough for the beach almost everywhere on this list, and the second half is better for walking, wine and city breaks. Choose by what you want to do rather than by the date alone.

If you are travelling with children, September is the one month when the family holidays are over, so you will trade the best prices for school dates. Without children, it is the month to take a longer trip, since flights and rooms ease week by week and the weather is still reliable in the south.

Turkey

Autumn in Turkey is as good as spring. The sea is warm, the coast has lighter crowds and softer light, and the Aegean ruins and Cappadocia are comfortable to walk. Istanbul is no longer at its summer peak. It is the month for gulet cruises on the Turquoise Coast without the August rush. Read the Turkey travel guide and plan the city with the Istanbul itinerary. Spend three or four days in Istanbul, then fly to Cappadocia or head to the Aegean coast. Plan around the religious holidays, which move each year.

Greece

For a beach holiday, September is the best month in Greece. The sea is at its warmest, the crowds fall away, prices drop, and the island ferries and restaurants are still open. The strong meltemi wind of high summer usually eases, though it can still disrupt ferries for a day or two. Athens is manageable again. Start in the Athens itinerary, then choose islands from the Greece travel guide. A week suits one island group, with Athens at either end. Smaller islands keep a full timetable of ferries through September but start to close in October.

Croatia

Croatia calls autumn the sweet spot, and September is the start of it. The sea keeps the summer's warmth, the crowds thin out after the school holidays and prices drop. It is the season for wine and olive oil, and truffles in Istria. Ferries still run to a full timetable, but book the busy routes. The Croatia travel guide covers the coast and the islands. Dubrovnik, Split and Hvar are easier now, and Istria's hill towns are at their best for food. A car helps there, but ferries do the work on the coast.

Germany

Wine harvest begins on the Rhine and the Moselle, the air is clear and the leaves start to change. Oktoberfest in Munich usually opens in the second half of September and runs into early October, and hotels in the city cost the most then. Book months ahead if your dates overlap with it, or avoid Munich in those weeks. Berlin is lovely in the early autumn; see the Berlin itinerary and the Germany travel guide. Pair a city with the wine country. The Rhine and the Moselle are an easy train ride from Cologne or Frankfurt.

Czech Republic

Many people find September the best time for the Czech Republic: warm days, clear air, golden forests and wine harvest festivals in southern Moravia. Prague is calmer than in summer and prices ease. It is a good month for the river valleys and the smaller towns. Our Prague itinerary and Czech Republic travel guide show how to use it. Add a night in the south of Moravia for the wine festivals, or a day in the Bohemian forests, with Prague as the base.

Austria

The lifts still run, the larches begin to turn gold and the vine harvest starts in the Wachau. In Vienna, new wine is served in the wine taverns, and the city is mild enough to walk everywhere. The crowds from the Salzburg Festival have gone. See the Vienna itinerary and the Austria travel guide. Take a lake day in the Salzkammergut and a vineyard day in the Wachau, both easy from Vienna or Salzburg.

France

September is a favourite in France. The sea is still warm in the south, the grape harvest is under way in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Alsace, and prices drop once the school holidays end. It is the best season for the wine regions, which are both beautiful and open. Paris is in full swing again after the August lull; plan it with the Paris itinerary and the France travel guide. Choose a region rather than the whole country: Burgundy, Alsace or Bordeaux for wine, or the south for the last warm swims.

Switzerland

Autumn is often the best time of all in Switzerland. The air is clear, the larches turn gold and the vineyards by Lake Geneva are harvested. Far fewer people are on the trails than in August. The lifts and huts mostly run through September, though some close late in October. Use the Switzerland travel guide for routes. Many mountain lifts stop for the season late in October, so check timetables before you plan a high-altitude day.

Ireland

September is often settled in Ireland, and one of the best months to go. The golden light arrives, the summer visitors have left, and prices fall. The first storms roll in from the Atlantic, which makes the west coast dramatic. Some rural places begin to close at the end of the month, so check before you drive far. See the Ireland travel guide. Eat well in the towns on the west coast and expect to be rained on at least once. The sun often comes out in the afternoon.

Planning a trip for September

The advantage of September is that you can book later than for July or August, but the first half of the month still has good weather and the most open places. Aim for the weeks after the school holidays end. Events such as Oktoberfest are the exception, and need to be booked months ahead. Our guide to shoulder-season travel explains how to read the edges of a season, and how far in advance to book gives the order for booking.

Pack for two seasons. A swimsuit and a light jacket will cover most of this list, and a layer for the evening is useful from the Alps to the Irish coast.

Book the cancellable parts first, such as rooms, and the fixed ones later. September weather is good but not guaranteed, particularly in the north, so a flexible booking is worth having.