Best places to travel in September

September is the month our city guides praise most. The sea is at its warmest, the summer crowds are leaving and prices start to fall. Lisbon, Dubrovnik, Naxos and Funchal all call it superb or their best month, and Barcelona and Munich throw two of Europe’s biggest parties.

These are the best places to travel in September, picked from our city guides using their own weather, crowds and daily costs.

🌍 The best places to travel in September

📍 Dubrovnik, Croatia

☀️ 25° average high👥 very busy💶 about €57 a day

Our Dubrovnik guide calls September the best month: the warmest sea and the crowds easing, at about 25°. Walk the marble walls early and swim off the rocks in the afternoon. It’s still busy, at about €57 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Lisbon, Portugal

☀️ 27° average high👥 busy💶 about €45 a day

September in Lisbon is superb, says our guide: a warm sea, thinning crowds and long evenings, at about 27°. The beaches are a train ride away, and the city’s hostel scene is in full swing. A shoestring day is about €45.

📍 Naxos, Greece

☀️ 26° average high👥 busy💶 about €44 a day

Naxos in September has a warm sea and fewer people, at about 26°. The biggest of the Cyclades still farms, with long sandy beaches, marble mountain villages and proper food, without the Santorini mark-up. Budget about €44 a day.

📍 Barcelona, Spain

☀️ 26° average high👥 busy💶 about €60 a day

La Mercè, Barcelona’s biggest street festival, falls in September, at about 26°. Gaudí’s buildings, the Gothic quarter and the city beach are all warm and slightly quieter than in summer. It’s the priciest pick here, at about €60 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Munich, Germany

☀️ 20° average high👥 busy💶 about €58 a day

Oktoberfest starts mid-September, and our Munich guide doesn’t hide the catch: prices treble. The weather is superb, at about 20°. Come in the first half of the month for the beer gardens and the Alps at normal prices, about €58 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Budapest, Hungary

☀️ 23° average high👥 very busy💶 about €29 a day

September is superb in Budapest: the heat breaking and the crowds thinning, at about 23°. Soak in the thermal baths, drink in the ruin bars and stay for a fraction of western European prices, about €29 a day.

📍 Funchal, Portugal

☀️ 26° average high👥 busy💶 about €42 a day

Funchal calls September its best month: the warmest sea and thinning crowds, at about 26°. Walk the levadas, ride the cable car and come back down by wicker toboggan. Budget about €42 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Siargao, Philippines

☀️ 32° average high👥 very busy💶 about €23 a day

September is surf competition month on Siargao, at about 32°, and the island is at its liveliest. Cloud 9, the lagoons and the rock pools are the backdrop for the Philippines’ best backpacker scene, at about €23 a day.

🏖️ Best places for a beach trip in September

Our guides with a beach and a beach-weather high in September, the most hostels first.

1. 1PhuketThailand30°, quiet
2. 2Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam32°, quiet
3. 3Hoi AnVietnam32°, quiet
4. 4GoaIndia30°, quiet
5. 5Koh TaoThailand32°, fairly busy
6. 6CangguIndonesia30°, busy

🏙️ Best city breaks in September

Our city break guides with good weather in September.

1. 1BarcelonaSpain26°, busy
2. 2RomeItaly27°, busy
3. 3KathmanduNepal28°, fairly busy
4. 4ParisFrance21°, very busy
5. 5LondonEngland20°, very busy
6. 6MadridSpain26°, busy

💸 Cheapest places to travel in September

Good weather in September and the lowest shoestring budget.

1. 1VaranasiIndia€13 a day
2. 2PushkarIndia€13 a day
3. 3KolkataIndia€14 a day
4. 4HanoiVietnam€15 a day
5. 5VientianeLaos€15 a day
6. 6DarjeelingIndia€15 a day