October is a great time to travel. This is the middle of the off-season – most tourists have returned home, prices for hotels and flights are affordable, the weather in many cities in Western Europe, East Asia and the southern USA is excellent – warm air and sea and no heat. Immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere of carnivals and holidays, have fun at the beer festival, and relax on the seashore. We’ll tell you where you should go in October for real adventures:
1. To Germany – to the fun beer festivals Oktoberfest and Volksfest
In autumn, Germany hosts the two largest beer festivals in Europe – Oktoberfest in Munich and Volksfest in Stuttgart. Both festivals start at the end of September and last until October 3 (Oktoberfest) and October 8 (Volksfest).
Oktoberfest has been held for more than 200 years – beer from the best Munich breweries, fried sausages and chicken are sold in 29 huge tents that can accommodate 15 thousand people. The festival has a lot of entertainment for adults and children: costume processions, concerts, an amusement park and a circus. The tents are open from 10.00 to 22.30 on weekdays and from 9.00 to 22.30 on weekends.
Volksfest in Stuttgart is Oktoberfest’s main competitor, quieter and more family-friendly, and runs from September 22 to October 8. Guests will have fun in ten beer and wine pavilions, where live music plays every day, and there are 300 food stalls around. The pavilions are open from 12 to 23 hours. Next to them is a huge amusement park with slides, workshops and children’s rooms and a farm with animals.
2. To Malta – for excellent weather and beaches, music festivals and night processions with candles
Malta is a small island state in the Mediterranean Sea. Malta has amazingly beautiful landscapes, sandy beaches and hundreds of historical attractions. In October it is dry and sunny, temperatures range from +22 °C to +26 °C. At this time there are almost no tourists on the island and hotel prices are low. The weather is ideal for walking along the rocks and cliffs of Dingli, as well as exploring the ancient temples and chapels that exist in every village.
Photo: Nicholas Olesen
The sea in October is warm – + 24 °C, and there are excellent beaches – Mellieha Bay, Golden Bay and Tufieha Bay. The best diving spots are Blue Lagoon and Blue Hall. Also in October, Malta hosts interesting holidays and festivals, for example, Notte Bianca (October 7, 2017),
when the streets of Valletta dance all night to live music, and performances are played in every square. From October 6 to 9, Birgu will host the Birgufest music and gastronomic festival, which will end with a nightly candlelight procession.
3. To Thailand – for the best beaches, Buddhist temples and participation in the bloody festival
Thailand is known for its white beaches, clear seas, excellent cuisine and ancient Buddhist temples. And October is the best month to go there. The rainy season is over, it is already warm and sunny, but not hot, the sea is warm, the sea breeze is blowing. The average air temperature in October is +28-30 °C, water temperature is +27 °C. Due to the rains that fall throughout September, in October, especially in its first half, you can buy last-minute trips to Thailand at low prices.
Among the many seaside resorts, we recommend choosing Phuket, where the Vegetarian Festival will be held from October 19 to 28. This Buddhist festival is so called because for all 9 days participants eat only plant foods, cleansing the body and soul. To prove their faith and appease the gods, believers walk on coals and blades, pierce their cheeks and lips with sharp objects while drums beat. Tourists with strong nerves from all over the world come to see this terrible festival.
4. To New Orleans, USA – to the autumn festival for jazz and a fun Halloween celebration
In the birthplace of jazz, in New Orleans, in October it is +25-27 °C, sunny and dry, sea temperature is + 23-24 °C. There are much fewer tourists than in summer, but the cultural program is no less interesting. From September 29 to October 1, New Orleans will host Treme Fall Fest, an autumn festival featuring blues and jazz bands from around the country and a puppet theater for children.
From October 27 to October 29, 2017, a major music festival, Vodoo Festival, will be held in New Orleans City Park. This year’s headliners will be Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, The Killers. And from October 28 to 31, the entire city will be decorated in honor of Halloween. The owners of colonial mansions in the French Quarter are especially keen – they often decorate and illuminate the house from the foundation to the roof. Parties are held in nightclubs and ancient mansions, costume parades, and musicians play on the streets throughout the city.
5. To Istanbul, Turkey – for excellent restaurants, Sultan’s palaces and a biennale of contemporary art
Istanbul has stunning architecture of all styles and eras: Byzantine temples, Ottoman palaces and mosques, huge squares and entire neighborhoods built in the Middle Ages. October in Istanbul is the height of warm autumn, with an average temperature of 18-20 °C. The most popular quarter of the city is Sultanahmet, where the Blue Mosque, St. Sophia Cathedral and the Hippodrome are located. But we advise you to go to Beyoglu – a quarter with trendy restaurants, coffee shops, clubs and shops, where life is in full swing day and night. Beyoğlu is also home to many museums and art galleries, which will be exhibiting artists participating in the International Istanbul Biennale of Contemporary Art, which runs from September 16 to November 12, this fall. Excellent restaurants in Beyoğlu are located near Galatasaray Square and Nevizade Street. And you will find the best fish restaurants in Istanbul near Beyoglu, in the Karakoy district.
