Journal · Where to go · October 2026
Where to go in October.
Japan · Marrakech · Dubai · Maldives
October is when the long-haul calendar reopens. Europe’s summer has thinned out, North Africa and the Gulf become comfortable again, and Japan settles into its clearest weeks — before the autumn crowds arrive.
Clear weeks, before the crowds.
October brings some of Japan’s most dependable travel weather: warm days, cool evenings and far less humidity than summer. The typhoon season is winding down, though early-month storms are still possible, so a little flexibility in the first days of a trip is sensible.
The famous maple colour arrives later in the cities — this year’s forecasts place Kyoto’s peak around the end of November and into December. That is precisely the point of October: the country at a calmer moment, with colour appearing first at altitude, in Hokkaido’s mountains and the higher ground around Nikko and the Japanese Alps.
For most first or second visits, Tokyo plus Kyoto with one onsen stay in between — Hakone or the mountains — is enough. Kyoto’s best rooms and its most sought-after kaiseki counters are worth securing early even in October; for November travel they move considerably earlier.
The heat breaks.
By October the summer heat has gone. Days are warm rather than punishing, evenings are cool enough for dinner outdoors, and the city’s gardens and courtyards become places to spend time again rather than escape from.
The choice of base shapes the trip. A riad inside the medina puts you in the middle of the city’s texture; a hotel or villa in the Hivernage or the Palmeraie trades that for space, larger pools and easier access by car. Groups and multi-generational families often do better taking a whole riad, or a villa with staff, than scattering across several rooms.
UK half-term at the end of the month brings noticeable demand. Riads have few rooms by nature, so preferred properties and good private guides for the medina are best arranged well ahead.
The outdoor season begins.
October is Dubai’s turning point. The first half of the month is still hot, but evenings soften week by week, terraces and beach clubs reopen, and by the end of the month outdoor dining is comfortable again.
It is also one of the easiest short-notice sun trips from Europe: a direct flight of around seven hours from London, little time difference, and a reliable standard of service across the city.
Before the high season.
October sits at the end of the southwest monsoon. Expect sunshine with passing showers rather than guaranteed blue skies; the drier northeast season settles in towards December. In return, rates generally sit below the festive peak and the islands are quieter.
It can also be a strong month underwater. Baa Atoll’s Hanifaru Bay, known for gatherings of manta rays, is in season from roughly May to November — conditions vary year to year, and no encounter is ever guaranteed.
Resort choice matters more than finding “the best” resort. A lagoon perfect for young children can disappoint keen snorkellers; a celebrated house reef means little to someone who intends to stay in the villa. We start with how you like to spend a day, then shortlist islands.
