Where to go in October: deserts, Himalayan treks and autumn colour

October brings mild weather to deserts and old cities, opens the Himalayan trekking season and turns New England's forests red, and there is a good choice at every budget.

Kathmandu and Mexico City give the most for the least money, Marrakech, Cappadocia, Paphos and Jordan sit in the comfortable middle, and Kyoto and Vermont are where a bigger budget pays off. This guide is arranged by spending level, from shoestring to splurge. It does not quote prices, which change fast; it explains where your money goes in each place and how to make it stretch.

October weather side by side

Petra sits higher than Amman, so its nights can be a little cooler than the figure above.

On a shoestring

Kathmandu and the Nepal Himalaya

October opens the main trekking season in Nepal. The monsoon has passed, the hills are green, and the mountain views are often at their sharpest of the year. Few places give as much scenery for the money.

Teahouse trekking, sleeping and eating in simple lodges along the trail with a local guide, costs far less than a fully catered camping trek, and the Annapurna and Everest regions have teahouses all the way up.

In Kathmandu itself, the temples of Durbar Square, Boudhanath stupa and Pashupatinath, and the old towns of Patan and Bhaktapur, are cheap to explore on foot. Allow four days for the valley, and two to three weeks with a trek.

Before you budget

• A guide is compulsory. Rules introduced in 2023 mean foreign trekkers in most of Nepal's national parks and conservation areas must walk with a licensed guide, so build that into your costs.
• Lukla flights move. In the busy season, flights to Lukla for the Everest region often leave from Ramechhap, several hours' drive from Kathmandu, and fog or wind can delay them, so keep spare days at the end.
• Festivals close offices. Dashain, Nepal's biggest holiday, usually falls between late September and October, and offices and some transport close during it.

Nepali calendars put Dashain's main day, Vijaya Dashami, on 9 October 2027, and Tihar follows around Diwali at the end of the month; Nepal's calendar committee confirms the final dates nearer the time.

For a short trip, the Kathmandu Valley and Nagarkot tour covers the highlights, and beginners should read our guide to easy treks and permits.

Mexico City

Mexico City spends the second half of October preparing for the Day of the Dead on 1 and 2 November. Markets fill with orange cempasúchil marigolds and sugar skulls, and altars appear in squares, museums and homes. The rainy season is ending, with showers mostly in the afternoon.

A budget goes far here: street food is excellent, the Metro is very cheap, and many of the best experiences are free, from the Zócalo and the Templo Mayor ruins beside it to the parks of Chapultepec.

Paid highlights include the National Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul in Coyoacán, a boat on the canals of Xochimilco and the pyramids of Teotihuacan.

Five to seven days is a good stay, or ten with Oaxaca, whose Day of the Dead is smaller, more traditional and centred on family visits to cemeteries.

Casa Azul tickets are sold online for set times and sell out days ahead. The city's Day of the Dead parade runs along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo on a weekend near 1 November; the 2027 date has not been announced. Go to Teotihuacan at opening time to climb the Pyramid of the Sun before the heat and tour groups.

Where not to go on a budget

Budget travellers drawn to Southeast Asia should note that Koh Samui and Thailand's other Gulf islands enter their own wet season in October, peaking in November, and central Vietnam around Hoi An and Hue reaches the height of its rains, with a real risk of flooding in the old town. Nepal is the better-timed choice in Asia this month.

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In the comfortable middle

Marrakech and the High Atlas

Marrakech in summer often goes above 35°C, but October brings it back to a comfortable range for exploring the medina on foot.

A mid-range budget buys a riad inside the old city, with a courtyard and a roof terrace, which is the most atmospheric way to stay. Cars cannot reach most riads, so your host will usually send someone to meet you.

See the evening food stalls of Jemaa el-Fna, the Majorelle Garden and Yves Saint Laurent Museum (book a timed slot online), the Bahia Palace and a cooking class, then take a day hike from Imlil in the High Atlas or a night in the stony Agafay desert.

Eating at the food stalls and local canteens rather than rooftop restaurants aimed at visitors keeps costs down. Four to five days covers the city and a mountain day.

The Sahara dunes at Merzouga are a two-day drive each way, via the Dades and Todra gorges, so allow at least three nights for that. More ideas are on our Morocco page. The city is busy, especially during European autumn school holidays late in the month.

Cappadocia

The volcanic valleys of Cappadocia in central Turkey are at their most walkable in autumn, with cold dawns and gentle afternoons. A cave hotel in Göreme is the classic mid-range stay, and the balloon flight is the main splurge within it.

Flights only take off when the civil aviation authority gives daily approval based on wind, and several days in a row can be cancelled. Book your balloon for the first morning and keep later mornings free. Watching the balloons rise from a viewpoint above Göreme costs nothing.

Spend the rest of three or four days at the Göreme Open-Air Museum, in the Rose and Red valleys at sunset, in the underground city of Derinkuyu and walking the Ihlara Valley. Nevşehir and Kayseri airports both link to Istanbul.

Paphos, Cyprus

When most of the Mediterranean starts to cool, Cyprus still has proper beach weather, with the sea around 25°C. Paphos on the west coast combines beaches with Greco-Roman sites, and the Troodos mountains are a short drive away for village walks and wineries.

See the mosaics of the Paphos Archaeological Park in the morning, as it has little shade, then the Tombs of the Kings, Aphrodite's Rock and a boat trip from Latchi to the Blue Lagoon on the Akamas peninsula. Coral Bay north of Paphos has shallow, clear water for families.

Hire a car, because buses between villages are infrequent and the best Akamas beaches are reached by rough tracks, some needing four-wheel drive; driving is on the left. Rates are below the summer peak, which makes five to seven days good value for a late-season beach week.

Petra and Jordan

October is one of Jordan's two best seasons, along with spring. Long walks at Petra, a night under the stars in Wadi Rum and a swim off Aqaba fit into one comfortable week.

Petra is far larger than most visitors expect, so allow two days. Walk the Siq at opening time and see the Treasury before the crowds, climb the 800-odd steps to the Monastery, and save the quieter High Place of Sacrifice trail for the second morning.

The biggest saving is the Jordan Pass. It bundles entry to Petra and many other sites, and waives the visa fee for visitors staying at least three nights; buy it online before you land.

Mid-range Bedouin camps in Wadi Rum include a jeep tour and dinner. Our five-day Jordan itinerary covers a shorter route.

Worth the splurge

Kyoto

Kyoto is never cheap, and a night in a traditional ryokan with a multi-course kaiseki dinner is one of the best ways to spend a bigger budget in Japan.

October comes before the mid-November rush for maple leaves, with comfortable temperatures and a busy calendar of local festivals, and room rates rise as November nears.

Start at the torii gates of Fushimi Inari at dawn, then the bamboo grove and riverside temples of Arashiyama, Kiyomizu-dera, the Gion district at dusk and Nishiki Market. The famous sights are crowded by 9am, so spend the middle of the day in quieter northern temples or museums.

Buses are slow when full, and a subway and bus day pass beats single fares if you see more than a few sights. Many temple grounds are free to walk even where halls charge.

Autumn festivals in Kyoto and the Alps

The Jidai Matsuri costume procession leaves the Imperial Palace at noon on 22 October and moves to Heian Shrine, postponed a day if it rains.

In the Japanese Alps, Takayama holds its autumn festival on 9 and 10 October, as every year, with ornate floats pulled through the old town.

Three or four days in Kyoto pairs naturally with Tokyo and Nara. The typhoon season is fading but an early-October storm is still possible.

Vermont in foliage season

New England's autumn colour is one of the great seasonal sights of the United States. Vermont's tourism office places peak colour from late September into mid-October, starting on the high ground and moving down into the valleys.

Inns charge their highest rates of the year on peak weekends, so this is where a splurge buys location: a country inn or a farm stay in the hills rather than a motel on the highway.

Drive Route 100, cross the Smugglers' Notch pass near Stowe, stop at covered bridges and farm stands, pick apples, and walk the Lake Champlain shore in Burlington. A car is essential here.

Colour varies each year with rainfall and temperature, so follow the state's foliage reports in late September and keep the route flexible. Driving on weekdays or early in the morning avoids the worst traffic on narrow roads. Four to six days works, or add Boston at either end.

Splurges to skip this month

The Caribbean is not the splurge to choose this month. The Atlantic hurricane season runs until the end of November, and October storms still form, especially in the western Caribbean. If you go, the southern islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao sit outside the usual storm track.

The Alps fall between seasons, with many cable cars and mountain huts closed until the ski season.

Getting around on any budget

Transport is where budgets diverge most, and each destination has its own easiest option.

Nepal and Mexico

In Nepal, tourist buses run between Kathmandu and Pokhara, the gateway to the Annapurna region, in around seven hours or more depending on roadworks, and they are the cheapest option. Domestic flights take about half an hour and save a long day, but they are more exposed to weather delays.

Inside the Kathmandu Valley, taxis are cheap if you agree the fare before you get in, and ride-hailing apps work in the city.

Mexico City's Metro is one of the cheapest big-city systems anywhere and reaches most central sights, though it gets very crowded at rush hour. Ride-hailing apps are widely used and a safer alternative to hailing taxis on the street at night.

Buses to Teotihuacan leave from the Autobuses del Norte terminal, and Oaxaca is reached by a short flight or a long-distance bus of around six to seven hours.

Morocco, Jordan, Turkey and Cyprus

In Morocco, trains link Marrakech with Casablanca, Rabat and Fez, and the high-speed line from Casablanca to Tangier makes a north-south trip quick. For the Atlas and the desert, a hired driver or an organised tour is simpler than driving yourself.

In Jordan, public transport between Amman, Petra and Wadi Rum is limited to a few buses, so most visitors hire a car or a driver; roads are good and driving is on the right.

Turkey has frequent domestic flights from Istanbul to Cappadocia's two airports, and overnight buses for travellers saving money. In Cyprus, a hire car is the best way to see the Akamas and the Troodos.

Japan and Vermont

Japan's rail network is the easiest in this guide to use. The shinkansen from Tokyo reaches Kyoto in a little over two hours, and local trains link Kyoto with Nara and Osaka in under an hour. Takayama is reached by limited express train through the mountains from Nagoya.

In Vermont there is little useful public transport for foliage trips. Burlington has an airport, and Boston, the main international gateway for New England, is around three and a half hours' drive.

Where to stay in Kyoto and Mexico City

Where you sleep in Kyoto matters as much as how you move. Each area suits a different kind of trip:

• Kyoto Station is the most practical base for day trips, with trains to Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima on the doorstep, but it lacks atmosphere in the evening.
• Downtown, around Shijō and Kawaramachi, puts restaurants, Nishiki Market and the Gion district within walking distance.
• Higashiyama, on the eastern hills, has the old lanes around Kiyomizu-dera and Ninenzaka and is the most beautiful place to stay, though rooms are fewer and the streets fill with visitors by mid-morning.
• Arashiyama, on the western edge of the city, is quiet once the day-trippers leave and suits a ryokan night.

In Mexico City, most visitors stay in Roma, Condesa or the historic centre. Roma and Condesa have tree-lined streets, parks and restaurants, while the centre puts you beside the Zócalo and its museums.

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A week in Jordan, mapped out

1. Amman. Stay downtown or in Jabal Amman. See the Citadel in the late-afternoon light, then walk down to the Roman Theatre.
2. The King's Highway. Madaba, with its mosaic map of the Holy Land, is about 40 minutes from Amman. Continue south past Mount Nebo and Kerak castle to Wadi Musa. With stops, the drive fills the day. Sleep in Wadi Musa so you reach Petra's gate at opening time.
3. Petra, first day. The main trail and the Monastery.
4. Petra, second day. The High Place of Sacrifice. If you want Petra by Night, check which evenings it runs and buy the ticket separately.
5. Wadi Rum. The protected area is under two hours' drive south. Book a camp with a jeep tour in advance, and pick an afternoon tour so you are in the desert at sunset.
6. Aqaba. About an hour from Wadi Rum. Snorkel the reefs south of town, where several beaches give access from the shore.
7. The Dead Sea. Drive north along the Dead Sea Highway, float at a resort beach in the afternoon, and return to Amman, about an hour away. Do not shave the morning before floating; the salt stings.

Or four days in Marrakech and the Atlas

Spend two nights in a medina riad, seeing Jemaa el-Fna at dusk and the Majorelle Garden in its first time slot. Then travel about an hour and a half by road to Imlil for two nights in a mountain guesthouse and a guided walk in the foothills.

Clothes for cool nights

Almost every October destination here is warm by day and cool after dark. What to add for each place:

• Jordan and Morocco: Amman and Marrakech fall to around 15 or 16°C at night, and Wadi Rum's open desert gets colder, so bring a fleece alongside light day clothes, plus walking shoes with grip for Petra's steps and Atlas paths.
• Religious sites: mosques and many temples ask for covered shoulders and knees, and a light scarf covers women's heads where required.
• Cappadocia: nights average about 7°C and balloon flights start before dawn, so a warm jacket and hat matter.
• Nepal: trekkers need a down jacket, a good sleeping bag and broken-in boots, as routes climb far above Kathmandu's mild 14°C nights.
• Kyoto: frequent rain calls for a compact umbrella, and shoes you can slip off at temples.
• Vermont and Mexico City: Vermont's nights near 5°C need a warm coat, and Mexico City's afternoon showers a light rain jacket.

Visas by destination

Entry rules differ a lot across this list. Check your own nationality against each official source before booking:

• Jordan issues visas on arrival to many nationalities, and the Jordan Pass site explains the fee waiver.
• Nepal offers a visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport, with a form you can complete in advance on the Department of Immigration site; see our Nepal visa guide.
• Turkey issues e-visas at evisa.gov.tr to nationalities that need one.
• Japan admits many nationalities visa-free for short stays, and the government's Visit Japan Web service speeds up arrival.
• The United States requires an ESTA from visitors under the Visa Waiver Program.
• Cyprus is in the EU but outside Schengen, so it runs its own entry checks.
• Morocco and Mexico admit many nationalities without a visa; confirm your own case with their embassies, and see our visa hub.

When to book, and staying well

Booking ahead

Nepal needs the longest lead time: book guides and flights three to four months ahead, with Lukla flights and Everest-route lodges filling first. Vermont inns on peak foliage weekends are often full two to three months before.

Cappadocia cave hotels and balloon flights need six to eight weeks. Book Kyoto three months out, as rates climb towards the leaf season.

Jordan, Morocco and Cyprus need six to eight weeks, more for the European half-term at the end of the month. For Day of the Dead, book as early as you can, as rooms in Oaxaca's centre are limited.

Staying well

Trekkers in Nepal should follow a slow ascent schedule, learn the signs of altitude sickness and check that insurance covers helicopter evacuation at their planned height. Kathmandu's air quality can be poor, so people with asthma should carry their medication.

Mexico City sits at about 2,240 metres, so take the first day gently. In Petra, autumn rain can cause flash floods in the narrow canyons, and rangers close trails when warnings are issued.

In Cappadocia, fly only with a licensed balloon operator, and in Japan keep an eye on Japan Meteorological Agency warnings in early October.

How we checked this

The climate averages come from national weather services' long-term normals, mostly for 1991 to 2020; Amman's figures cover 1989 to 2018, with sunshine hours from 1961 to 1990. Sea temperatures are long-term monthly averages. Festival and event dates come from the organisers or the official calendars that set them. Everything here was checked in November 2026, and you can read more about how we research our guides.