Autumn is in the air… the cool breeze, the changing leaves, the bags are packed and the flights are taking off. Not what you expected?! Well truthfully, it’s the best time of year to sneak away to Europe! The summer crowd has died down a bit, the weather is enjoyable, and of course, it’s still Europe.

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY : CT is a gem of Europe, and October couldn’t be a better time to visit! The trail is only barely scattered with hikers and each of the five villages only moderately filled with tourists making those gelato stops and focaccia treats easy to obtain! And with the Cinque Terre tourism rumored to be limiting the amount of visitors, an off season visit couldn’t be more perfect.  TUSCANY, ITALY : And right off the path of Cinque Terre are the rolling hills of Italian wine country. A visit to Tuscany in autumn is perfect with the warm days and cool evenings and obviously, all the wine.  SANTORINI, GREECE : Again with the minimal amounts of tourists…sounds strange coming from an almost consistent tourist, but it makes a difference! And one of my favorite things to do in Santorini was hiking the Fira Trail and hiking it with barely any other people and with perfect temperatures, may have been my selling point. THE COTSWOLDS, ENGLAND : When you’re after that real fall feeling, the best place to escape to is the English Countryside. The leaves are all kinds of perfect shades of orange, yellow and red and it just feels so complimentary with the quaint and charming feel of the Cotswolds.  SEVILLE, SPAIN : Southern Spain is always a good idea….and when the weather’s just right, it seems the culture, the architecture, the food and especially the sangria, are even better.

Happy autumn travels!