Where to Travel in October: 29 Places at Their Best
Quick answer: October has the most cities at their best of any month: 18, from Rome, Barcelona and Athens to New York, Washington, D.C., Nashville and New Orleans. The Florida Panhandle and Gulf Shores are the beach picks (Destin: 80°F / 27°C, 7 rain days), and the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and Sedona are at their best again.
Pick a destination to see its weather month by month and the best time to go, or pick a month to see where the weather is at its best.
Tokyo · a city trip
Good: Mar–May, Oct–DecNo month is ideal for a city trip by our rule, but these come close.
- Warmest
- Aug · 89°F
- Coolest
- Jan · 49°F
- Wettest
- Jul · 16 rain days
- Averages for 2006–2025: any single year can be hotter, colder or wetter.
Weather from NASA POWER daily data, 2006–2025, for the ~50 km area around each place. Right on the coast, afternoons can be a few degrees warmer than shown.
| Month | High / low (°F) | Rain days | Rain (in) | Storms within 100 mi | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49° / 34° | 5 | 2.4 | Off (too cold) | |
| Feb | 51° / 35° | 7 | 3.1 | Off (too cold) | |
| Mar | 57° / 40° | 12 | 5.1 | Good (cool, showery) | |
| Apr | 65° / 48° | 12 | 6 | Good (showery) | |
| May | 73° / 58° | 13 | 6.6 | Good (showery) | |
| Jun | 79° / 65° | 16 | 8.1 | Off (too wet) | |
| Jul | 86° / 73° | 16 | 6.5 | Off (too wet) | |
| Aug | 89° / 75° | 15 | 5.4 | Off (too hot) | |
| Sep | 82° / 70° | 16 | 8.7 | Off (too wet) | |
| Oct | 72° / 59° | 14 | 8.9 | Good (showery) | |
| Nov | 63° / 48° | 11 | 4.4 | Good (showery) | |
| Dec | 54° / 39° | 7 | 3.2 | Good (cool) |
The tool above opens on October: switch the kind of trip, or pick any of the 173 places for its weather all year. Below, every place at its best in October, sorted from the fewest rainy days.
Beach trips at their best in October (9)
The Panhandle beaches still see a storm in some years (3 of 50 seasons at Destin), under the 5-season line that would keep them from best.
| Place | High / low | Rain days | Storm seasons* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destin Florida | 80 / 62°F 27 / 17°C | 7 | 3 of 50 |
| Cairns Australia | 83 / 67°F 29 / 20°C | 8 | — |
| Gulf Shores Alabama | 80 / 63°F 26 / 17°C | 8 | 4 of 50 |
| Pensacola Florida | 80 / 63°F 26 / 17°C | 8 | 3 of 50 |
| Panama City Beach Florida | 79 / 67°F 26 / 20°C | 8 | 3 of 50 |
| Biloxi Mississippi | 79 / 64°F 26 / 18°C | 8 | 3 of 50 |
| Galveston Texas | 81 / 67°F 27 / 19°C | 9 | 2 of 50 |
| Clearwater Beach Florida | 82 / 69°F 28 / 20°C | 10 | 2 of 50 |
| Tampa Florida | 82 / 69°F 28 / 20°C | 10 | 2 of 50 |
* Seasons, of the last 50 (1976–2025), in which a tropical storm or hurricane passed within 100 miles in October. A beach with 5 or more is left out of this list; see the hurricane section below.
Warm cities at their best in October (0)
None of the 6 warm cities in the tool is at its best in October by the rule below. Closest: Havana, good but stormy and showery, with a high of 87°F; Santo Domingo, good but showery, with a high of 88°F.
City breaks at their best in October (18)
| Place | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco California | 72 / 54°F 22 / 12°C | 4 |
| Denver Colorado | 64 / 36°F 18 / 2°C | 6 |
| Cape Town South Africa | 64 / 58°F 18 / 15°C | 6 |
| Athens Greece | 74 / 61°F 23 / 16°C | 7 |
| Seoul South Korea | 66 / 50°F 19 / 10°C | 8 |
| Washington, DC District of Columbia | 69 / 50°F 20 / 10°C | 8 |
| New Orleans Louisiana | 78 / 66°F 26 / 19°C | 8 |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 69 / 58°F 21 / 15°C | 8 |
| Istanbul Turkey | 68 / 58°F 20 / 15°C | 8 |
| Madrid Spain | 71 / 48°F 22 / 9°C | 9 |
| Barcelona Spain | 72 / 57°F 22 / 14°C | 9 |
| Nashville Tennessee | 73 / 50°F 23 / 10°C | 9 |
| Sydney Australia | 71 / 60°F 22 / 16°C | 9 |
| Lisbon Portugal | 70 / 62°F 21 / 17°C | 9 |
| Rome Italy | 73 / 56°F 23 / 13°C | 9 |
| New York City | 64 / 55°F 18 / 13°C | 9 |
| Venice Italy | 67 / 57°F 19 / 14°C | 10 |
| Milan Italy | 67 / 51°F 19 / 11°C | 10 |
Mountains and nature at their best in October (2)
| Place | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon (South Rim) Arizona | 69 / 42°F 20 / 6°C | 4 |
| Sedona Arizona | 70 / 42°F 21 / 6°C | 4 |
Popular places in October
Rome, Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens, New York and New Orleans are at their best; Cancún, Punta Cana and Aruba rate too wet.
| Place | October | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancún Mexico | Off (too wet, storms) | 85 / 78°F 29 / 26°C | 21 |
| Punta Cana Dominican Republic | Off (too wet) | 84 / 83°F 29 / 28°C | 16 |
| Montego Bay Jamaica | Off (too wet) | 86 / 81°F 30 / 27°C | 27 |
| Nassau Bahamas | Off (too wet) | 83 / 81°F 28 / 27°C | 18 |
| Aruba | Off (too wet) | 85 / 83°F 30 / 28°C | 18 |
| San Juan Puerto Rico | Off (too wet) | 86 / 80°F 30 / 27°C | 23 |
| Honolulu (Oʻahu) Hawaii | Good (showery) | 82 / 77°F 28 / 25°C | 14 |
| Maui (Kahului) Hawaii | Good (showery) | 79 / 76°F 26 / 24°C | 14 |
| Miami Beach Florida | Off (too wet, storms) | 82 / 79°F 28 / 26°C | 18 |
| Key West Florida | Off (too wet, storms) | 83 / 81°F 28 / 27°C | 18 |
| Orlando Florida | Good (storms, hot, showery) | 83 / 67°F 28 / 19°C | 11 |
| New York City | Best | 64 / 55°F 18 / 13°C | 9 |
| Las Vegas Nevada | Good (hot) | 82 / 57°F 28 / 14°C | 2 |
| New Orleans Louisiana | Best | 78 / 66°F 26 / 19°C | 8 |
| Cabo San Lucas Mexico | Good (storms) | 87 / 78°F 30 / 25°C | 4 |
| Puerto Vallarta Mexico | Off (too wet, storms) | 82 / 68°F 28 / 20°C | 16 |
| Paris France | Good (showery) | 63 / 46°F 17 / 8°C | 12 |
| London United Kingdom | Good (cool, showery) | 60 / 46°F 16 / 8°C | 13 |
| Rome Italy | Best | 73 / 56°F 23 / 13°C | 9 |
| Barcelona Spain | Best | 72 / 57°F 22 / 14°C | 9 |
| Lisbon Portugal | Best | 70 / 62°F 21 / 17°C | 9 |
| Athens Greece | Best | 74 / 61°F 23 / 16°C | 7 |
| Santorini (Fira) Greece | Off (too cold) | 72 / 68°F 22 / 20°C | 7 |
| Tokyo Japan | Good (showery) | 72 / 59°F 22 / 15°C | 14 |
| Bali (Denpasar) Indonesia | Good (showery) | 85 / 74°F 30 / 23°C | 10 |
| Bangkok Thailand | Off (too wet) | 87 / 75°F 31 / 24°C | 23 |
| Phuket Thailand | Off (too wet) | 83 / 80°F 28 / 27°C | 29 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | Off (too hot) | 89 / 87°F 32 / 30°C | 1 |
| Cusco (Machu Picchu) Peru | Good (showery) | 61 / 39°F 16 / 4°C | 11 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | Off (too cold, too wet) | 43 / 37°F 6 / 3°C | 19 |
| Banff Canada | Off (too cold) | 39 / 23°F 4 / -5°C | 15 |
| Grand Canyon (South Rim) Arizona | Best | 69 / 42°F 20 / 6°C | 4 |
Hurricane season in October
The season is winding down in the Gulf but not in the western Caribbean or on Mexico’s Pacific coast: Mazatlán has the highest count, 11 of 50 seasons, and Cancún 7 of 50 seasons.
43 of the tool’s beaches had a tropical storm or hurricane within 100 miles in October in 5 or more of the last 50 seasons, so none of them can rate “best” this month: Mazatlán (11 of 50), Cabo San Lucas (10 of 50), Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (10 of 50), San José del Cabo (10 of 50), Puerto Vallarta (9 of 50), Anguilla (8 of 50), St. Barts (8 of 50), St. Martin / Sint Maarten (8 of 50), Bermuda (7 of 50), Cancún (7 of 50), Costa Maya (Mahahual) (7 of 50) and Cozumel (7 of 50) and 31 more.
For your own dates, the hurricane risk calculator counts the storms near 92 beach towns, day by day. It is history, not a forecast: for a storm that exists now, read the National Hurricane Center.
Plan a October trip
- October bucket list ideas
- Destin or Pensacola?
- New Orleans’ number one attraction
- A day in New York
- What not to miss in Italy
FAQ
Where to travel in October?
By the weather, 29 of the 173 places in our tool are at their best in October. Beach trips: Destin, Cairns, Gulf Shores and Pensacola; warm cities: none; city breaks: San Francisco, Denver, Cape Town and Athens; mountains and nature: Grand Canyon (South Rim) and Sedona. The tables above list every one, with its average high, low and rain days.
What are the best places to travel in October?
The driest place at its best for each kind of trip: for beach trips, Destin at 80°F / 27°C with 7 rain days; for city breaks, San Francisco at 72°F / 22°C with 4 rain days; for mountains and nature, Grand Canyon (South Rim) at 69°F / 20°C with 4 rain days.
What are warm places to travel in October?
9 beaches and warm cities are at their best in October. The warmest of them: Cairns at 83°F / 29°C; Clearwater Beach at 82°F / 28°C; Tampa at 82°F / 28°C; Galveston at 81°F / 27°C.
What are the warmest places in the US in October?
By average high: Fort Myers Beach at 83°F / 29°C; Sanibel Island at 83°F / 29°C; Key Largo at 83°F / 28°C; Orlando at 83°F / 28°C; Key West at 83°F / 28°C. Of the US places at least “good” in October, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Orlando lead.
Is October hurricane season?
Yes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 (the eastern Pacific’s from May 15). In October the most storms came near Mazatlán (11 of 50 seasons), Cabo San Lucas (10 of 50 seasons), Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (10 of 50 seasons) and San José del Cabo (10 of 50 seasons).
How “at its best” is decided
A place is at its best in a month when its average daily high falls in the range for its kind of trip and it rains (1 mm or more) on 10 days or fewer. At a beach, a month in which a tropical storm or hurricane came within 100 miles in 5 or more of the last 50 seasons cannot be best.
| Kind of trip | Average high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| Beach | 79–88°F (26–31°C) | 10 or fewer |
| Warm city | 79–90°F (26–32°C) | 10 or fewer |
| City | 63–79°F (17–26°C) | 10 or fewer |
| Mountains and nature | 59–77°F (15–25°C) | 10 or fewer |
The weather is NASA POWER’s daily record for 2006–2025, averaged for each place over about 50 km, so a beach right on the water can be a few degrees warmer, day and night, than shown, most where mountains rise behind the coast. Storms: NOAA’s hurricane tracks (HURDAT2), 1976–2025. Every month is an average: any single year can be hotter, colder or wetter.