Where to visit in late Autumn?

Given the schedule of a teacher, deciding where to go for the October half-term holiday is always a bit of a balancing act. Especially for the last couple of years when it has fallen on the last few days of October and the first few of November. The weather in Europe can be very unpredictable at this point, it is often too late in the season for hiking, too early for skiing, too cold for beaches and too dull and dreary for city breaks. And yet on the other hand, you can sometimes get really lucky with crisp and clear autumn days, golden forests, and, due to it being in-between seasons, you can find good deals on activities and accommodations.

We’ve actually been really fortunate with our choices over the last few years, dodging the weather for hiking trips in Zermatt and around Lake Como, heading up into the Arctic Circle on a Norwegian cruise, and a spontaneous COVID-era trip to the Seychelles, given that it was the only place we were allowed to visit that had a direct flight to where we were living in Switzerland.

This year, we thought we’d found another gem. Reasonable flights from Paris to Reunion Island. One week to do some hiking, snorkelling and escape the Luxembourg autumnal weather. We had bought advance train tickets to Paris, booked various accommodations across the island and had a car booked to drive from one point to another. Hours of research and planning had seemed to come together perfectly. But then, CRACK. One broken foot playing football, one operation the week before we were supposed to fly and now I’m sat at home, needing to keep off my feet for the next couple of weeks. I guess given how lucky we’ve been in general regarding trips, there had to be some balance. The one plus amongst the myriad of negatives is that I now have a bit of time to try and catch up on some previous trips, and I thought I’d start with this time last year. In 2024 we were again lucky. We had a beautiful week in the town of Kaprun in the Austrian Alps.

We had wanted to cover our bases and choose accommodation that had facilities where, even if the weather was awful, we could still relax and enjoy ourselves; whilst still having the potential to enjoy some activities outside. And after lots of searching across Europe and beyond, we found a good deal at Hotel Das Alpenhaus. This hotel would normally be beyond our budget, but due to it being in-between seasons they were offering packages that included half-board; the use of their pool and wellness facilities; a ‘Summer Card‘ that ran until the end of October and included transport, cable-car access and some attraction entrance fees in the area; and a 6-day ski pass for the neighbouring Kitzsteinhorn Ski Resort. Whilst still not cheap, the price was more manageable and was potentially good value given what you could get out of it if the weather was favourable. It was also just about a drivable distance from our base in Luxembourg (around 10 hours, including 3 charging stops), meaning we didn’t have to fly. So, we took a bit of a gamble, but it more than paid off. If you’d like to read more about our time in Kaprun, then please click here.