While summer is prime vacation time, don’t overlook fall as a truly fantastic travel season. Smaller crowds, milder temperatures, and uniquely beautiful scenery define the season’s delights—and certain destinations offer it all in abundance.
The best fall travel destinations—including our eight recommendations below—are enticing year-round. But, they become especially glorious when the leaves change color, the air feels crisp, and age-old harvest festivals abound.
Plan for fall travel asap, and know that you’ll return home with a photo reel full of autumnal gems. When you’re ready to capture those memories in a special travel photo book, Mixbook has ideal offerings for each of these amazing destinations.
New England, USA
In fall, New England is the quintessential destination for leaf-peeping. Starting in September, the vast deciduous forests that blanket the six-state expanse put on their annual color-changing show, which typically peaks sometime in October. The season is perfect for nature photography, scenic drives, and romantic getaways.
Be sure to also embrace New England’s other attractions. These include rugged and unspoiled coastlines, richly historic cities like Boston, Providence, and New Haven, and signature culinary treats such as lobster rolls, clam chowder, and maple syrup. A road trip is the ideal way to see as much of New England as you can. Plus, our East Coast Road Trip by bobo design studio photo book is designed for just such an adventure!
Napa Valley, CA
Ignore anyone who says California doesn’t have seasons—it totally does. They’re just different in every region. For example, fall in Napa Valley, one of the world’s finest wine regions, is harvest season for wine grapes, aka “crush” season. From late August to October, the vineyards are abuzz with activity, and many wineries host special harvest parties, festivals, dinners, and tours. You might even be able to join a grape-stomping session.
Tip: Harvest season is the busiest time of year in Napa Valley, so make reservations in advance.
Balmy weather and the chance to enjoy wine tasting, harvest events, luxury spas, and fine cuisine all make Napa a fabulous fall destination for a girls’ trip. When you return, create gifts for your BFFs using our Girls Trip travel photo book, which offers a charming wine country-inspired aesthetic.
Germany Country Travel Collection Theme
Bavaria, Germany
Are you planning a fall vacation in Europe? Do you enjoy drinking beer? Then join millions of other visitors in heading to the world-famous Oktoberfest in Bavaria, Germany. One of the largest festivals in the world, Oktoberfest runs from mid-September to the first Sunday in October. Along with beer tents, it features amusement rides, games, and traditional Bavarian foods.
There’s so much more to Bavaria, a state in southeast Germany, than just Oktoberfest. How about driving the Romantic Road, a medieval trade route linking charming, traditional towns and castles? In fall, the color-changing foliage of the Bavarian and Bohemian forests is a spectacular backdrop.
Mixbook’s Germany Country Travel Collection theme is filled with fitting motifs such as pretzels, beer steins, mountain peaks, and timbered houses. Follow its prompts to create photo spreads for your top five memories, first- and last-day highlights, and best foods and drinks.
Kyoto, Japan
Take inspiration from the Japan Travel photo book theme and plan a fall vacation in Kyoto. The photo book’s soothing pastel color scheme, easily customized itinerary format, and charming illustrations of Japanese motifs await the best photos from your trip.
Kyoto is one of the oldest and best-preserved cities in Japan. Its cultural attractions include thousands of temples and shrines, gardens, traditional houses, and palaces, including Kyoto Imperial Palace. On October 22, during the still-warm and sunny fall season, the city celebrates its long heritage with the Judai Matsuri, the Festival of the Ages. The major event could be the highlight of your fall season.
Iceland
Fall is a serious contender for the best time to visit Iceland. While the northerly island destination is spectacular year-round, fall combines the best of its summer and winter activities. Bucket list-worthy aurora-viewing starts in September, while hiking is still a great way to see sights such as geysers, glaciers, lava fields, and fjords. You can soak in the Blue Lagoon and navigate the Golden Circle tourist route, all with smaller crowds and lower prices.
The Iceland Country Travel Collection will bring back memories of Iceland’s unique attractions, offering an ideal showcase for your memories. Accent your photo spreads with illustrations of Icelandic motifs such as colorful houses, woolen mittens, volcanoes, Icelandic sheep, puffins, and lighthouses.
Paris, France
Paris is a destination that’s so outstandingly popular that its peak summer tourist season (late-May to mid-September) can feel overwhelmingly crowded. So, plan a fall vacation to Paris and enjoy its remarkable sights among much smaller crowds.
According to Conde Nast Traveler, experts agree that the spring and fall shoulder seasons are in fact the best times to visit Paris. The days are still warm and bright, and top attractions like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre-Coeur, and Notre Dame never fail to impress. How about a breezy boat ride on the Seine?
The Paris Travel Photo Book by Martha Stewart captures the whimsical charm of the city in fall. It’s full of botanicals, bows, and wine bottles, with a romantic color scheme that will suit any Parisian photo collection.
Hudson Valley, NY
Mixbook’s Fall Memories theme is filled with wholesome autumnal accents like pine cones, colorful leaves, red apples, and pumpkins. Its earth tones are brightened by pops of gold and patterned backgrounds of woodprint and gingham. The photo book couldn’t be more fitting for memories from a fall vacation in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley.
Along with boasting superb fall foliage, Hudson Valley is historic, rustic, and dotted with storied estates. It’s a true four-season destination, but fall brings out the best in its hiking trails, harvest festivals, and Halloween spectacles. Be sure to check out the region’s art markets, farm-to-table eateries, and the perfectly spooky town of Sleepy Hollow.
Ireland
In any season, Ireland’s charms are endless. While it’s rare to rave about Ireland’s weather, the fall season tends to be pleasantly mild, with temperatures in the 50s to 60s F. Sure, there’s a good chance of rain all year around, but consider it part of the true Irish experience—and a good excuse to pop into the nearest pub for a pint.
Fall is primetime for festivals in Ireland. Among them are the Dublin Theater Festival, Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, and Halloween’s Bram Stoker Festival. Spend some time in the countryside for seasonal beauty. The woodlands of Killarney National Park are especially scenic, as are Giant’s Causeway, the Cliffs of Moher, and Blarney Castle.
Our Ireland Country Travel Collection features more of the Emerald Isle’s attractions, with customizable spreads for photos of Dublin and Galway as well. (This photo book theme is part of Mixbook’s cohesive Travel Collection.)
Plan ahead for fall travel and photography
Start picking a superb destination and planning ahead for fall travel experiences that you’ll treasure for a lifetime. When you get back home, browse Mixbook’s travel photo book themes and you’re sure to find the perfect match for your vacation memories.
Need some tips for making travel books? Check out our guide: How to Create the Perfect Travel Photo Book: 7 Must Haves
