Where to Travel in September
Azerbaijan, Belarus and Bulgaria among 102 destinations in their best season this September.
The best month, and the one most people miss.
September holds summer’s warmth without summer’s noise. The sea stays warm, the light softens, and cities become liveable again. For travellers who can choose their dates freely this is the month to choose — and the one seasoned travellers quietly keep for themselves.
102 published destinations name September in their own best-time guidance. Each card links to that destination's page, where the season is described in full.
Where to go in September
In their own words, from each destination's best-time guidance.
Asia in September
The widest range of journeys on the map, and the most seasons to plan around. 34 destinations name September in their own best-time guidance.
ChinaGenerally the best window of the year — dry, clear and comfortable, with autumn colour in the north. Avoid the first week of October entirely: Golden Week is the largest domestic travel period on Earth.Explore China →
CyprusThe other clear window, and the sea is at its warmest of the year. The summer crowds thin through September, the Paphos sites become comfortable again, and October is often still shirt-sleeve weather when much of the Mediterranean has shut.Explore Cyprus →
LebanonThe other clear stretch. The summer heat has broken, the sea is at its warmest, and the light on the coastal sites is at its best. The Qadisha valley and the cedars are ideal walking in these weeks.Explore Lebanon →Journeys to inspire you
Published journeys in the destinations whose own best-time guidance names September.
4 NightsBaku, Absheron & Gobustan, 4 NightsPlan this journey →
6 NightsCanadian Rockies to Vancouver: Banff, the Icefield and Jasper, 6 NightsPlan this journey →
6 NightsBeijing & Shanghai, 6 NightsPlan this journey →
8 NightsCroatia Highlights — 8 NightsPlan this journey →
8 NightsPrague, Vienna & Budapest — 8 NightsPlan this journey →
9 NightsScandinavian Capitals & the Fjords — 9 NightsPlan this journey →What are you in the mood for?
A month tells you when. This tells you what kind of journey it should be.
Europe in September
Cities, coastlines and countryside within easy reach of one another. 34 destinations name September in their own best-time guidance.
BulgariaThe equal of May and often better: the heat has broken, the coast has emptied, the Rhodopes turn, and the monasteries are near-silent. Late October starts to close the higher roads.Explore Bulgaria →
CroatiaWarm sea, long days, everything open, and noticeably fewer people than the peak. September in particular has the warmest water of the year after a summer of heating, with quieter old towns and easier ferries.Explore Croatia →Czech RepublicWarm without being hot, long daylight, gardens and castle grounds open, and noticeably fewer people than midsummer. If you have a free choice, take these.Explore Czech Republic →Africa in September
Where the landscape is the itinerary. 16 destinations name September in their own best-time guidance.
RwandaThe main trekking window. Trails are firmest, the volcanoes are visible rather than in cloud, and photography is far easier. It is also the busiest period, and permits for these dates go earliest.Explore Rwanda →
UgandaThe main window. Forest trails are firmer for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, park roads are passable, and savanna game concentrates. Permits for these dates are the first to go.Explore Uganda →
South AfricaThe dry winter. Vegetation thins, animals concentrate at water and game viewing is at its most reliable. Mornings are genuinely cold in open vehicles. This is also whale season on the Western Cape coast.Explore South Africa →South America in September
Altitude, coastline and cities worth the long flight. 9 destinations name September in their own best-time guidance.
ColombiaOne of the wettest coastlines on earth, visited for one reason: humpback whales come to calve in these waters. Outside that window there is little reason to make the journey.Explore Colombia →
BrazilThe clear choice for wildlife. As the wetland dries, animals concentrate around the remaining water and jaguar sightings become far more likely.Explore Brazil →
PeruThe dependable window: clear mornings, cold nights and the best chance of the view you came for. It is also the busiest, so entry tickets and trains are booked furthest ahead. The shoulder weeks in April and October are quieter and often still fine.Explore Peru →Oceania in September
The far side of the world, keeping its own calendar. 5 destinations name September in their own best-time guidance.
French PolynesiaHumpback whales come north to the warm water to calve and can be watched, and in regulated groups swum with, off Moorea and Tahiti. September and October combine the whales with the tail of the dry season and slightly fewer visitors.Explore French Polynesia →
FijiLower humidity, cooler nights, calm seas for the island crossings and the clearest water of the year for snorkelling and diving. Manta rays move through the Yasawas. This is when Fiji is at its best, and May and June coincide with the Indian school holidays.Explore Fiji →
Cook IslandsThe southern winter, and the clear window. Lower humidity, less rain, calmer seas and the best lagoon visibility. Humpback whales pass close inshore through roughly July to October, which is a genuine reason to choose the middle of this period.Explore Cook Islands →North America in September
Big country, and the road trips that make sense of it. 4 destinations name September in their own best-time guidance.
United StatesNew England and upstate New York turn red and gold from late September into mid-October, California has its harvest and its warmest sea, and the canyons cool down again. Fewer people than summer, better prices, and the Diwali school break falls inside it. The best all-round month is September.Explore United States →
Costa RicaResplendent quetzals are most reliably seen in the cloud forest from about February to April, in the breeding season. Green turtles nest at Tortuguero from July to October. If a particular animal is the point of the trip, its season sets the dates.Explore Costa Rica →
MexicoHot and humid on the coasts, with afternoon downpours in the capital and the highlands that usually clear by evening. Ruins are green and empty, prices are lower, and Oaxaca's Guelaguetza dance festival falls in July. The trade-off is the Caribbean: hurricane season runs June to November, heaviest from August to October, and seaweed can arrive on the beaches in summer.Explore Mexico →
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