The best escapes for September sunshine around Europe
There are many good reasons to take a holiday in July and August. The European summer is at the height of its powers, the beaches and restaurants are full of life, and just about everyone you know has one eye on the airport and a villa in the sun. Who wants to be stuck at home when nobody else is – not least in a year when being stuck at home has become the nature of the stubborn beast?
And yet, the tricky situation in which we find ourselves makes 2021 a juncture when it is worth looking beyond the most obvious parts of the travel calendar – and into September.
The ninth month is a glorious window for travel, even in ordinary times. The weather is still warm, the waterside cafés are still open, but the conversation has begun to move beyond the simplicities of sun-worship, into festivals that acknowledge the changing of the season and the retreat from the beach. Moreover, prices tend to be lower as demand wanes – and if the chirping of small voices is not your idea of a harmonious soundtrack to a week away, then the start of the new school year has rendered many hotspots child-free.
However, this year, September may have an added resonance. With overseas holidays still mired in restrictions and – in the UK’s case, significant government entanglement in what constitutes a safe destination – there may be real value in waiting a little longer before booking a break. Will September bring more certainty than is on offer here in June? Will the breathing space of three extra months in which vaccination programmes continue mean the likes of Malta, Cyprus and Turkey are available to British tourists without quarantine requirements? Will it be possible to head to France and Spain for cultural extravaganzas? This piece is prepared to be optimistic, and is written with a resuming normality in mind.
Of course, there is a difference between optimism and far-flung fantasy. Which is why the 20 September holiday options suggested here are all pinned to Europe, rather than the safari zones of Africa or the rainforests of South America which may take longer to resume their viability. But if the summer brings further gains against Covid, the following should be realistic.
If not, there is always 2022, when all the reasons to go away in September will still be present, even if Covid is not.
Portugal
Stay serene in Albufeira
The Algarve is transformed by September’s retreat to the classroom. Gone are the noisy beaches, the endless sand castles and the screaming in the shallow end – replaced by quiet on the hotel terrace and the knowledge that you can read on your lounger without your novel “attracting” splashes from the pool.
Do it: A seven-night holiday at the Pine Cliffs hotel – a five-star hideaway just outside Albufeira, with seven pools, 12 restaurants and a spa – flying from Manchester on September 4, starts at ￡1,252 per person via Destinology (01204 874496; destinology.co.uk).
Walk the talk on the Costa Verde
September’s slight drop in temperature makes it perfect for walking in a region that may be a little too warm in August. This might include the Costa Verde, the north-west corner of Portugal, with 80 miles of gorgeous coast between the River Douro in Porto and the mouth of the River Minho, where it marks the border with Spain.
Do it: Ramblers Walking Holidays runs a seven-night Portugal’s Emerald Coast escorted break that wanders the area, including crossing the Minho into Galicia. Three September tours, from ￡1,149 a head, with flights (01707 819153; ramblersholidays.co.uk).
Lose yourself in the music of Lisbon
There is no bad month to visit Lisbon, but September is a particularly good one; the city abuzz with post-summer fiestas. One is the Santa Casa Alfama Festival (santacasaalfama.com; 24-25 September) – an annual salute to fado, the mournful yet strangely uplifting style of music that is part of the Portuguese soul. Performances will largely take place in the Alfama district that is the genre’s spiritual home (including the Museu do Fado; museudofado.pt).
Do it: four nights at the Hotel Convento do Salvador in Alfama, flying from Heathrow on September 23, costs from ￡398 a head via Expedia (020 3788 0445; expedia.co.uk).
Spain
See the spectacles in Barcelona
When it comes to festivals, September is also a great month to visit Spain, which comes alive with cultural celebrations. One is La Mercè, a four-day embracing of the autumn that turns the centre of Barcelona into a blur of parades, music and correfocs (“fire runs”, where people dash about with giant sparklers). The event proved impervious to Covid in 2020 (the poster was adapted to show a young woman wearing a face mask) and will return this year (September 23-26; barcelonaturisme.com). Its most eye-catching spectacle is the castellers, the “human towers”, which sway and wobble in the Pla?a de Sant Jaume.
Do it: a three-night stay at the five-star Hotel Majestic, a short walk from the placa, starts at ￡839 a head (with flights) with Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; kirkerholidays.com).
Vine dine in La Rioja
September is the month of harvest in Spain’s most fabled wine region. La Rioja becomes a little giddy as the vines are stripped – pouring out its emotion in the San Mateo Festival (September 22-26; see lariojaturismo.com). Logrono, the capital, is the focal point – all grape-pressing, nights of processions and concerts, and the tapas at which the city excels.
Do it: Caminos (01223 328721; caminos.co.uk) sells a 10-night Wine and Mountains road trip, which spends two days in La Rioja. From a basic ￡900 a head; flights extra.
Have barrels of fun in Jerez
The idea is much the same in this splendid city of southern Andalucia, with the exception that the Fiesta de la Vendimi (jerez.es/ciudad/fiestas) – and all its grape-treading, and song and dance – revolves around the feast of the Nativity (September 8) rather than St Matthew’s Day. Plus the crucial difference is that the end product is Jerez’s much-vaunted sherry, which can be tasted at bodegas like Díez-Mérito (diezmerito.com).
Do it: Saga runs a seven-night Little Boats of Andalucia group break that tours the region, including Seville and Cadiz, but is based at a hotel in Jerez. The next edition starts on September 7. From ￡1,099 a head, with flights (0800 096 0074; travel.saga.co.uk).
Celebrate by the sea in Torremolinos
Spain’s love of a September festival even reaches the Costa del Sol, where Torremolinos shakes off its beer-on-the-beach image with La Fería de San Miguel. Part pilgrimage, part party (see turismotorremolinos.es), it starts on the last Sunday of the month (September 26 this year) and runs through the following week. There are gatherings in Plaza de la Nogalera; there are giant pork stews (estofado de cerdo); and there’s sherry. Lots of sherry.
Do it: a seven-night holiday at the four-star Riu Costa del Sol in Torremolinos, flying from Glasgow on September 25, starts at ￡886 a head via Tui (020 3451 2688; tui.co.uk).
Greece
Keep cool on Crete
September drapes a soothing arm across the shoulders of destinations that can be all but infernal in the months of high summer. Crete is a fine example. The largest – and most southerly – of the Greek islands cowers in temperatures that hit the lower 30Cs in July and August; the famous Meltemi winds that try to cool it all but powerless in the face of such solar might. September brings a welcome dip into the high 20Cs. Perfect.
Do it: a week at the five-star Minos Beach Art hotel, flying from Bristol on September 18, starts at ￡1,806 a head via Olympic Holidays (020 8492 6868; olympicholidays.com).
Pedal your way around the Peloponnese
Greece’s temperature dip in September (down into the upper 20Cs) is enough to cast an active holiday amid its fields and furrows as a pleasant proposition – rather than the endurance event it might be in August. The Peloponnese peninsula is an ideal area for a cycling odyssey, throwing up landmarks like the Corinth Canal and the amphitheatre of Epidaurus – plus local tavernas where Nafplio loiters on the Argolic Gulf.
Do it: Headwater’s eight-day Cycling in Greece tour loops through the peninsula from Athens. Two September trips, from ￡1,879, with flights (01606 369 811; headwater.com).
Italy
Step back in time on Sicily
September’s temperature discount applies a balm to history-focused holidays as much as to weeks on a bike. Not least on Sicily, where admiring the Temple of Apollo in Syracuse or the Greco-Roman amphitheatre of Taormina under August’s unforgiving skies can feel like a wrestling match with the ancient gods, rather than a gentle inspection of yesteryear.
Do it: Martin Randall Travel runs a Civilisations of Sicily group tour that dissects the island’s multilayered past over 13 days. From ￡4,960 a head (with flights). The September (13-25) tour is supplemented by two in October (020 8742 3355; martinrandall.com).
Live elegantly for less in Tuscany
One of the big benefits of waiting for September is that costs can be far lower, especially in destinations of traditional popularity. Tuscany is a case in point: beloved of British family groups in summer, with prices to match; less so in September when schools return.
Do it: the cost factor is demonstrated by Sant’ Antonio – a six-bedroom retreat with pool, between Siena and the Maremma coast, that is part of the CV Villas portfolio. You can still rent it in the week starting August 21, from ￡6,267, or wait for the week of September 25, when the fee is ￡1,849; flights extra in both cases (020 3811 1894; cvvillas.com).
Find room to move in Amalfi
The general hubbub – of café chatter, revved mopeds, gear-boxes being tortured by the gradient – never entirely dies down on the most feted stretch of Italy’s west coast. But September brings a caveated calm to an area that can feel busier than a biblical sermon-scene in August: the road into Positano less stymied by badly parked cars, the waterfront tables in Amalfi vaguely more available, the cathedral in Ravello back in the hands of the devoted.
Do it: A week at the four-star Hotel Villa Fraulo in Ravello, flying from Manchester on September 17, costs from ￡1,444 a head, with Inghams (01483 676953; inghams.co.uk).
France
Love the landscapes of the Loire
The pandemic rumbles on, but France goes about its cultured business. Covid is not going to stop this year’s International Garden Festival (until November 7; domaine-chaumont.fr) – a feast of green-fingered creativity that sees landscape designers indulge their imaginations in the gardens of the Chateau de Chaumont. This 10th-century wonder – all riverside location and fairy-tale turrets – has staged the event since 1992.
Do it: Gite Cangey, five miles from the chateau, is an ideal base for Loire explorations; ￡595 for the week of September 11, via Vrbo (020 8827 1971; vrbo.com; ref 1606355a).
Stroll slowly in Provence
September is also an excellent month to enjoy France’s southeast corner, the raw heat of August receding, the days lengthening across the lavender fields, but the region’s beauty present in the mountains that swarm on one side – and the promise of the sea on the other.
Do it: Exodus Travels sells an eight-day Highlights of Provence group walking tour, based at Greoux-les-Bains, that lifts is feet to the Verdon Gorge and Lac d’Esparron. The September 18 edition starts at ￡1,599 a head, with flights (020 3131 6362; exodus.co.uk).
Paint peacefully on the Cote D’Azur
If you want to take to one of France’s summer regions at the end of the season – but via paint brushes rather than in hiking boots – there is still scope for booking an art holiday.
Do it: Azenart has spaces on the South of France residential holiday it has planned for September 27-October 4. Based at a villa in Nice, the price includes six days of tuition, all art equipment, plus painting excursions to èze, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat – and into the city. From ￡750 a head; travel costs extra (0033 668 466844; azenartholidays.com).
Turkey
Top up your tan in Bodrum
The Aegean’s “other” country has been off-limits for UK tourists for much of the crisis, dogged by claims that infection rates are higher than stated – and currently on Britain’s “red list” of destinations, which trigger hotel quarantine on return. But in normal times, Turkey is a solid choice for early autumn sun, and the Bodrum peninsula is as pretty as anything over the water in Greece. Patience is advised – but it may yet be viable this year.
Do it: A week at five-star Xanadu Island, just outside Bodrum, flying from Edinburgh on September 10, starts at ￡1,261 a head via Jet2Holidays (0800 408 0778; jet2holidays.com)
Malta
Feel the magic of Mellieha Bay
At the time of writing, Malta is at the heart of the frustration about the shortness of the UK’s green list (Malta’s low levels of Covid and high rate of vaccination making it perfect for quarantine-free travel). Whether its amber status endures into September, the affability of its climate certainly will. You can expect warmth of around 28C throughout the month.
Do it: a seven-night all-inclusive stay at the four-star DB Seabank Resort & Spa in Mellieha Bay (at the tip of the main island), flying from Gatwick on September 10, costs from ￡680 per person, with British Airways Holidays (0344 493 0787; britishairways.com/holidays).
Cyprus
Immerse yourself in the history of Paphos
The same hang-on-and-see approach applies to Cyprus, which remains amber-listed, but may fall into favour later in the summer. The sunshine will wait for you in Paphos, where the weather can be as hot as 29C in September. The appeal of this little city, whose legend as the “birthplace of Aphrodite” haunts its archaeological sites, will also keep for later on.
Do it: A week at the five-star Elysium Resort in Paphos, flying from Stansted on September 18, starts at ￡941 a head via Thomas Cook (020 8016 3295; thomascook.com).
Iceland
Set your compass for the WILD north-west
It would be remiss not to mention one of the few countries that currently meets the UK’s obsessive green-list requirements. Iceland is, inevitably, further advanced into the colder areas of the calendar than the rest of Europe by September, but road-trips are feasible.
Do it: Discover The World markets its Iceland Odyssey as viable between May and September. This 15-night self-drive tour trundles the full perimeter of the island – including more remote places like the Westfjords region in the north-west of the landmass. From ￡2,120 per person with flights (01737 214 250; discover-the-world.com).
Loll in luxury on the Troll Peninsula
While Iceland lends itself to adventure and days of wide horizons on the highway, it also deals in a sophisticated style of relaxation, which applies to September as much as winter.
Do it: For those who feel like spending their way out of lockdown, the Luxury Iceland trip sold by Audley Travel swaps the road for creature comforts. This week-long fling ties the chic Deplar Farm retreat on the Troll Peninsula to Reykjavik and the thermal waters of the Blue Lagoon. From ￡10,145 a head, with flights (01993 683 726; audleytravel.com).