This article is updated regularly; it was most recently updated on August 20, 2026, with current information.
Is there a better time to travel than October? It’s that Goldilocks month, when everything’s just right. Weather, crowds, and prices are all moderate, and the only thing over the top is the schedule of events and festivals.
We’ve scoured the world for the best this month, whether you want to sample some exclusive, just-pressed olive oil along the Mediterranean or celebrate Pride in a country that is one of the world’s most ardently LGBTQ+ friendly. Then again, you could pack your running shoes—and plenty of enthusiasm—to see if the world record is again in contention during one of the fastest marathons anywhere on the planet.
Here are our 10 favorite spots to visit this October.
1. Jasper, Canada, for stargazing
Renowned for its vast ice fields, turquoise glacial lakes, and Dark Sky status, Jasper National Park is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Canada—day or night.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash
Is there anybody out there, really? The best way to find out is to come star- (and maybe alien-) spotting at Jasper National Park in Alberta. It’s the second-largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world, and from October 16 to 25, it celebrates this honor with the Jasper Dark Sky Festival, focused on the marvel of a star-speckled, inky-black sky.
The festival events range from nighttime concerts and telescope viewings to Indigenous celebrations; check the events page for the full listing. Highlights include stargazing sessions with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada; night-photography workshops; science and space talks; a guided visit to the Jasper Planetarium, home of the most powerful mobile telescope in the Canadian Rockies; and a drone show on October 24, dubbed Love Letter from the Moon, which uses hundreds of the gizmos to dramatize the moon’s long relationship to Earth.
The park sits on part of the First Nation Cree ancestral territory, and if you’d like to learn more about that culture and its history here, Matricia Bauer of Warrior Women will host fireside chats as part of the festival on October 16, 17, and 23, when she’ll play the drums and share stories and songs.
Where to stay: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
This grande dame Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was originally built in the 1920s as part of the network of European-style railway hotels in Canada, shadowing the train’s expansion across the country. Today, it retains a reassuring grandeur, set on 700 acres on the shores of Lac Beauvert.
Related: 4 Days in Alberta: Dogsledding, Cave Tours, and Indigenous Campfire Stories
2. Halkidiki, Greece, for olive oil
This easily overlooked corner of mainland Greece is a three-fingered peninsula reaching out like a claw into the Aegean, and it’s lovely in the summer with its spectacular, pine tree–rimmed beaches. Yet Halkidiki really shines in the fall during the olive harvest, when the huge, juicy variety known as Hondrolia is picked and pressed; this region is one of the largest oil producers in the country, since that variety has a flesh-to-pit ratio that’s roughly double the typical oil cultivar.
Come here before October 15, and you can catch the production of Agoureleo, the green, peppery unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil made with unripe olives harvested and pressed here (the EU recognized its protected status six years ago and legalized the rule that it must be made from olives harvested by that October date). Pour it generously on any salad you can: It’s packed with extra polyphenols, the healthful compounds that underpin the Mediterranean diet.
Where to stay: The Danai
Kimon Riefenstahl runs the hotel his mom, its namesake, first founded as a four-room guesthouse 50 years ago. After a recent renovation, The Danai is now a 56-room hotel with snazzier pool suites and a main pool rebuilt from scratch with custom, basket-inspired mosaic tiles.
3. Dominica for Caribbean music
The World Creole Music Festival will be hosted in Roseau, Dominica’s capital.
Photo by Nancy Pauwels/Shutterstock
Bring some attitude (and something airy to wear) when you head to this verdant Caribbean island nation for a raucous, celebratory music event over the weekend of October 23 to 25. The World Creole Music Festival, hosted at Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica’s capital of Roseau, is intended to champion music Indigenous to this island, which was influenced by both Great Britain and France. The festival caps off Creole Heritage Month and draws more than 10,000 visitors from around the globe to hear music such as bouyon, which emerged on the island during the 1980s and has become popular across the entire Caribbean.
This year’s headliners include Trinidadian soca legend Michael Montano and Haitian American R&B singer Fridayy; Swazi DJ Uncle Waffles is an intriguing addition, too, synonymous with the deep house–nodding African fusion genre known as amapiano (a nod to the IsiZulu word for “pianos”).
Where to stay: Fort Young Hotel & Dive Resort
You may shudder at the mention of an all-inclusive, but don’t be so rash to judge: Fort Young Hotel & Dive Resort is an unusual option among its ilk, as its rates bundle more than meals. Activities like catching lionfish and hiking to Trafalgar Falls and Titou Gorge are also gratis.
Related: Why All-Inclusive Resorts Are Better than Ever
4. Malta for a candlelit vigil
Near Malta’s capital of Valletta, the ancient streets of Citta Vittoriosa glow with candles during Birgufest.
Photo by Anja Lee Ming Becker/Unsplash (L); photo by Oksana Yermoshenko (R)
Sneak in a quick trip to this buzzy island nation off the coast of Sicily before Delta’s direct nonstop service from John F. Kennedy International Airport—a first—concludes for the season, on October 23. The capital, Valletta, is a gorgeous, honey-colored historic fortress town, but this month, attention switches to the so-called Three Cities right across the main harbor. They’re equally historic hubs in this island’s history: Cospicua, Senglea, and Birgu.
The latter is the focus of BirguFest (October 10–11). Electric lights are switched off, and instead the winding streets are lit solely by thousands of candles. Churches and museums offer discounted entry, and historic reenactments nod to the siege of Malta, which saw the island fend off the Ottomans in 1565. There’s plenty more to do, from checking out Caravaggio’s career masterpiece in the main cathedral to hopping a gondola-like luzzu to cross the harbor.
Where to stay: Casa Bonavita
Arguably Europe’s most exciting new opening this year among indie, upscale hotels, Casa Bonavita is a passion project from Maltese designer Suzanne Sharp, who cofounded the Rug Company with her husband, Christopher. They bought this 18th-century estate for themselves before pivoting and opening it as a 17-room boutique hotel.
5. Nassau, Bahamas, for a food fest
Come hungry to the major hub of the Bahamas for the Culinary & Arts Festival at the Baha Mar resort complex, which runs October 21 to 25 this year. The five-day fiesta is a who’s who of high-profile chefs: Besides Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud, both of whom have relationships with the resort (Samuelsson hosts his own day party on Saturday), TV staples such as Dario Cecchini and Scott Conant appear. There’s a strong regional presence, too, including Bahamian chef Simeon Hall Jr. and St. Lucia–born Nina Compton.
While you’re here, consider a detour beyond Nassau as part of the trip: There are, after all, more than 700 islands and thousands of cays to explore in the Bahamas. Go bonefishing and birding in Andros, or see the flamingos flocking to Inagua. Cat Island’s Healing Hole is the closest you’ll come to floating in the Dead Sea without a long-haul flight, thanks to its exceedingly salty water reputedly therapeutic for everything from arthritis to skin conditions.
Where to stay: The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort
Opened in the 1960s by American socialite Huntington Hartford, the Ocean Club on Paradise Island was intended to be a luxury playground. It remains just as indulgent now, after a recent renovation under the auspices of the Four Seasons, which upgraded and updated the 35-acre complex.
6. Johannesburg, South Africa, for Pride
Pride festivities in Johannesburg begin October 3 this year.
Photo by BornMedia/Shutterstock
Rainbow nation, indeed. Postapartheid South Africa was the first nation in the world to explicitly outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation via its 1996 constitution. Since then, it’s been a pioneering force in equal rights, whether becoming the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage 20 years ago or recognizing the rights of intersex and transgender people to change their sex markers, a law introduced in 2003.
Where better, then, to come and celebrate Pride—especially when this year’s celebration lands on Halloween Saturday, giving an even bigger excuse to party? The bash unspools along the bars and lounges of Katherine Street in the Sandton area; this year’s lineup hasn’t yet been finalized, so check Pride Africa for updates. There are events all month, from a drag kick-off brunch on October 3 hosted by local performer Adam the Drag Diva, to a Queer Met Gala on October 24, a rainbow-spiked riff on Anna Wintour’s OG event in NYC. The Pride parade caps off the festivities on October 31.
Where to stay: The Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa
The onetime private home of tycoon Douw Steyn was reborn as the city’s swankiest hotel 26 years ago. The 53-room Saxon has a spectacular pool set amid its lush gardens. Have a sundowner while overlooking it, and don’t miss the slightly off-kilter sketches of past guests, including Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, that line the walls.
7. Chicago for record-breaking running
The Chicago Marathon is one of the world’s foremost races, known for a flat course that allows all entrants to more easily run their personal best.
Photo by John Gress Media Inc/Shutterstock
On October 11, Chicago’s marathon commandeers major stretches of the city for an urban adventure through almost 30 neighborhoods, be it LGBTQ+ hub Boystown or Pilsen, where Mexican culture has long held sway. Peak viewing spots include the South Loop, close to the finish line. It’s a runner-friendly course: mostly flat, with broad streets and a cool climate at low altitude.
No wonder, then, that the thrillingly nail-biting Chicago course has seen not one, but two world records broken here: In 2024, Kenyan champ Ruth Chepng’etich finished at not quite two hours 10 minutes, while her compatriot Kelvin Kiptum took the men’s record a year earlier, finishing at 35 seconds over two hours. Last year’s champs didn’t quite elbow them aside, despite their impressive performances, but keep an eye on the elite runners this year, who’ll be hoping to break records again.
Where to stay: The LondonHouse
The views from the rooftop bar of the river-adjacent LondonHouse hotel are among the best in the city. It’s worth splurging on an upgrade to the Vista Rooms, which have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river.
Related: These Are the 18 Best Luxury and Boutique Hotels in Chicago
8. Charleston, South Carolina, for a commemoration
This month, Charleston will unveil the Emmanuel Nine Memorial.
Courtesy of Explore Charleston
Eleven years ago, nine churchgoers were murdered at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church by a white supremacist; this month, the Emmanuel Nine Memorial to their memory will open to the public. It’s been designed by Michael Arad, the architect who also helped devise the contemplative, monumental September 11 Memorial in NYC. He was handed the grounds of that historic Black church to reimagine them for the future, helping people to remember the tragedy, but offering a glimpse of hope nonetheless.
The memorial aims to foster forgiveness and understanding, and it includes two curved marble benches, face-to-face, surrounding a fountain where water washes gently over the names of those killed. There’s an altar and a cross, too, set in a quiet nook, intended for reflection or prayer. Visit today and you can help reclaim the memory of that awful day in the Holy City.
Where to stay: The Cooper
Yes, you should flex on arrival here: Come by boat, and you’ll be able to moor at its private marina, the first at a hotel anywhere in Charleston. (If you don’t have your own boat, charter one from the Cooper, which has a few, including a 105-foot 1920s-era yacht.) The 191-room property is the city’s first luxury waterfront hotel, and it’s handily located even for landlubbers, as it’s a short walk to most of the city’s main attractions.
9. San Antonio, Texas, for Day of the Dead
In San Antonio, Día de los Muertos expands into a three-day festival.
Photo by Shelly Collins/Unsplash
Mexican heritage in this town is long-standing, and families here have always celebrated Día de los Muertos in private. It was only in the 1970s—when a Chicano activist and cultural organizer, Ramón Vásquez y Sánchez, strong-armed his community into creating a public display of altars—that it became a citywide event. Five decades later, it’s now the largest of its kind anywhere in the United States.
Muertos Fest at Hemisfair runs for three days, October 23 to 25, showcasing those altars, or ofrendas; last year, the community built eight offerings around the grounds downtown. Expect plenty of other entertainment, too, from live music and DJs to a craft market and kids workshops. It’s part of what the city calls Spirit Season, which runs throughout the month. Illuminated barges float on the River Walk that same weekend, and there’s an almost 40-foot-high skeletal La Catrina statue in Maverick Plaza.
Related: Remember the Alamo—but Don’t Sleep on These Underrated Things to Do in San Antonio
Where to stay: The Menger
Where better to stay this month than the ghost-riddled historic Menger Hotel, which has been operating since Teddy Roosevelt’s time? Book Captain Richard King’s suite, where he died in 1885, for the chance to hear footsteps and voices—supposedly his—or stay on the third floor with the hope of spotting Sallie White, a maid who was shot here by a jealous common-law husband in the 1800s, and reportedly won’t even clock out in the afterlife.
10. Santa Fe, New Mexico, for Indigenous People’s Day
Almost 1 in 10 New Mexicans identify as being of Indigenous heritage, so it’s an ideal destination this month—especially Santa Fe, which celebrates the state’s 23 Tribal Nations with particular gusto. From October 10 to 12, events are held at Santa Fe Plaza before culminating with a powwow on Indigenous People’s Day (see a video on etiquette tips from the Santa Fe Indigenous Center). This free-to-attend event also showcases craft stalls and food trucks, storytelling, and a Parade of Nations. It’s a relatively recent shindig, inaugurated via an ordinance passed three years ago, but it’s already a major highlight of the cultural calendar.
A few days later, the Santa Fe International Film Festival kicks off (October 14–19). Last year’s top prize winner was, fittingly, Nika and Madison, which focused on two Indigenous women on the run. One major highlight this year: the Lifetime Achievement Award event honoring actor Pam Grier and her contribution to film on October 17.
Where to stay: Hotel Santa Fe, The Hacienda & Spa
The city’s only Native American–owned hotel opened in 1991 as a partnership between local entrepreneurs and the Picuris Pueblo; the tribe took over full ownership of Hotel Santa Fe three years ago. Choose between a simple room in the original building or a fancy suite in the 35-room Hacienda addition. Wherever you stay, be sure to have dinner at Amaya, which serves cuisine inspired by Indigenous food across the Americas.
Related: Art, Adventure, Spas, and Chiles: The Best Things to Do in Santa Fe
