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Best holiday destinations in September
Where’s hot – and cheap – for a late summer getaway in Europe and beyond
Jo is an award-winning travel journalist and hiking holiday enthusiast. Her specialisms include sustainable travel and money-saving advice.
September is the perfect month for a holiday. The peak summer rush is over, meaning cheaper prices.
We found two enticing European breaks with flights for less than £42 return.
There are also fewer crowds and still typically plenty of sunshine, without too many muggy heatwaves, making it better weather for sightseeing than July and August.
September is also a smart month to tick off bucket-list long-haul trips, such as Japan. Travelling in the sweet spot could save you money and spare you the long queues of the two peak seasons in spring and autumn.
Prefer to stay closer to home? Enjoy classic seaside charm in Suffolk, or take a 1h 30m journey on the Eurostar and immerse yourself in colourful Flemish Renaissance cobblestone streets.
Read on for our top picks for September 2026, from Aldeburgh to Istria and beyond.
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Best places to visit in September
- Aldeburgh, Suffolk
- Istria, Croatia
- Bucharest, Romania, 25℃
- Lille, France
- Cappadocia, Türkiye
- Algarve, Portugal 28℃
- Perth, Australia 20℃
- Kyoto, Japan, 26℃
Best UK holiday destination in September
Aldeburgh, Suffolk
September high: 19℃
The summer crowd has mostly gone, but the North Sea is at its warmest (still decidedly chilly), making it the perfect time to visit Aldeburgh - the UK’s fourth-best seaside town, according to visitors.
Here, Neapolitan-ice-cream coloured houses and clinker-built fishing boats create a timeless British seaside feel. Crunch along the shingle beach to queue for fish and chips, best eaten on the sea wall. Or buy crab and smoked fish from the black-tarred fishing shacks.
The 4m-high steel Scallop sculpture by Maggi Hambling rises from the pebbles - a tribute to composer Benjamin Britten, who made his home here in the 1940s. He also turned nearby Snape Maltings into a grand concert hall, which still hosts international musicians to this day.
The riverside venue hosts the Aldeburgh Food and Drink festival on the last weekend of September (26-27) - with more than 130 local producers, live cooking demos and celebrity chefs.
Find accommodation in Aldeburgh with Which? Recommended Providers Rural Retreats and The Landmark Trust.
Where in Europe is cheap in September?
Istria, Croatia
September high: 24℃
The huge heart-shaped peninsula dangling into the northern Adriatic is no longer a secret; tourists flock to its pristine rocky beaches shaded by pine trees. But September sees the summer crowds start to thin, and the forested interior remains unspoiled all year. Here you’ll find fairytale hilltop towns, Istria’s Sistine chapel (the 15th-century frescoed church of St Mary in Beram) and ancient vineyards.
September is also truffle season and the start of the wine harvest. Hunt for your own Istrian ‘black gold’ or simply enjoy a platter of truffled meats and cheeses with a wine tasting. The indigenous whites have crisp notes of citrus, green apple and pear.
Best of all, return flights to Pula were as cheap as £31 from London Stansted when we checked.
Find holidays to Istria with Which? Recommended Providers Jet2Holidays, Trailfinders and Sunvil.
Bucharest, Romania
September high: 25℃
Bucharest is another cheap getaway option, with a £41 return with Ryanair from London.
Not only will you enjoy highs of 25°C with zero humidity, but September is festival season in the Romanian capital. Time it right and you’ll get to enjoy the annual Unforgettable Festival (5-6 September), blending classical and modern music performances. Bucharest’s Experimental Film Festival is also in town from 23-30 September, with a roster of screenings, installations and filmmaker Q&As.
Besides this, you can revel in the city’s booming speciality coffee scene, browse its impressive bookstores, and tour its ornate, architectural highlights (there’s even an Arch of Triumph mirroring France’s own Arc de Triomphe). You’re also perfectly placed for day trips to the castles of Sinaia or Braşov’s medieval old town.
Find holidays to Bucharest with Which? Recommended Providers Hays Travel and Scenic Cruises.
Best destination for a rail holiday in September
Lille, France
September high: 19℃
The French capital is crowded any time of the year, so why not escape to the little Paris of the North? Lille is just a 1h 30m train from London, and you can enjoy romantic strolls along the Beaux Arts streets with galleries, independent boutiques and patisseries aplenty.
The city’s art museum, the Palais des Beaux Arts, has the second-largest collection of artworks outside the Louvre, including Manet, Picasso, Rubens and Van Dyck.
Make sure to also admire the Neoclassical opera house and the majestic, ashy stone cathedral. Shop for secondhand books and other collectables in the open-air Renaissance courtyard of the old stock exchange. On Sunday evenings, you can enjoy free tango demonstrations here until late September.
This first weekend of the month (5-6 September) also sees the Braderie de Lille, Europe's largest open-air flea market, take over the city’s pavements. Expect antiques, vintage vinyl, street musicians and plenty of moules-frites.
How to buy cheaper European train tickets
Best short-haul holiday destinations in September
Cappadocia, Türkiye
September high: 26℃
The beach resorts of Türkiye are glorious in September, but for a truly unforgettable adventure head inland. Surreal Cappadocia in the central Anatolia region is a living landscape of ‘fairy chimneys’, which have been shaped over the course of millions of years.
Explore the cavernous underground cities, where the cone-shaped rock formations have been hollowed out to form homes, churches and even hotels.
The comfortable temperatures are ideal for hiking the arid valleys, while clear skies will improve your chances of a magical sunrise hot air balloon ride: every morning more than a hundred colourful canopies lift off over the wide orange horizon in a spellbindingly beautiful display.
Find holidays to Cappadocia with Which? Recommended Providers Kuoni and Trailfinders.
Algarve, Portugal
September high: 28℃
Late-season sunseekers rejoice. The Algarve is blessed with more than 100 beaches, from cliff-backed Praia da Cordoama in the wilder west to Barreta Island in the east – a deserted sandbar in the wildlife enclave of Ria Formosa Natural Park.
The little-known town of Tavira was the Algarve’s best destination in our survey of Mediterranean seaside towns. Straddling the Gilão River, it’s a working harbour with an attractive old town and an island beach that can only be reached by ferry. Visitors awarded Tavira five stars for peace, friendliness and value for money.
Find holidays in the Algarve with Which? Recommended Providers Jet2Holidays and Kuoni
Best long-haul holiday destinations in September
Kyoto, Japan
September high: 26℃
Visiting Kyoto during shoulder season isn’t just a wise choice in 2025 — it’s almost a non-negotiable if you want to avoid throngs of tourists. The city was ranked second-best world long-haul city break in our survey, but its two-star rating for crowds indicates that it’s a destination best enjoyed in peace.
Most people aim to visit Kyoto in time for its cherry blossom blooms in April and May, or later, in October. However, plan your trip for mid to late September when the heat and humidity ease off, and you’ll have the city largely to yourself, with flight and accommodation prices also generally lower than in high season.
Along with exploring its temples, gardens and traditional tea houses, you’ll also get to take advantage of Kyoto’s cultural calendar kicking off again. September offers moon-viewing events, floral festivities, martial arts pageantry and even a traditional hair artistry parade in late September.
Perth, Australia
September high: 20℃
Australia’s most remote city offers plenty of laid-back charm. September marks the start of spring, when temperatures are at their most pleasant – expect highs of 20℃ and eight hours of sunshine a day.
For culture, you’ll find independent shops and a thriving food scene in the Northbridge district, not to mention the city’s best museums, theatres and galleries.
Western Australia's oldest wine region, Swan Valley, is also just a 30-minute drive from the city. Enjoy a top-notch glass of shiraz under the shade of an eucalyptus tree at one of its family-run vineyards. September is the perfect month to walk its wildflower trails to see rare varieties that bloom nowhere else on Earth.
Rottnest island is another must-see, with its serene white-sand beaches and otherworldly pink lakes. It's also famous for its adorable marsupial inhabitant, the quokka.
Find holidays to Perth with Which? Recommended Providers Audley Travel, Kuoni and Trailfinders
