The city break comes into its own in autumn. Crowds thin and prices fall yet the season’s backdrop of warm blush colours make everything look like it’s been baked in gold. True, the days are short. But with a line-up of cities that boast some of the best bistros and boutiques in the world, you won’t have time to complain. Swap beaches for bars in Lisbon, bikinis for blankets in Copenhagen and sun loungers for strolls along the Seine in Paris. But autumn city breaks don’t have to signal the start of cooler climes if you don’t want them to. In Venice and San Sebastian, temperatures don’t drop below 20°C until the end of October, meaning plenty of time to enjoy romantic gondola rides and lavish spreads of cicheti and pintxos under honey- hued parasols.
Paris
Autumn city breaks should always start with Paris. Just a hop skip and a jump from London, you’ll find yourself chomping on croissants by mid-morning, browsing bohemian bookshops and independent galleries come early afternoon and cruising along the Seine at twilight. Take a trip to the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont for a dose of photogenic foliage and snag a table on enticing outdoor terraces (which always come with inviting blankets and heaters). And if you have the time, head to Versailles. Free of summer sightseers come October, its gardens now resemble an autumnal watercolour painting that bring leaf peeping to a whole new level.
Nuria Val & Coke Bartrina
New York
It’s like a switch is flicked in New York come autumn. Rockefeller rolls out its legendary ice- skating rink, restaurants and cafes in Greenwich Village dial up the cosy vibes and Central Park gets the memo to turn into a leaf peeping paradise. But the best reason to cross the pond for an autumn city break? The activities. Because nowhere does fall fun quite like New York. From the Village’s Halloween and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades to its Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze and apple picking sites pockmarked up state, New York City is awash with autumnal activities. One watch of You’ve Got Mail or Autumn in New York – naturally – and you’ll be pining for a bite of the Big Apple.
San Sebastian
Swap apple picking for cider drinking in San Sebastian. While the city is known for its pintxos bars and sprinkling of Michelin stars, it’s the pucker-dry cider – or sagardoa – that’ll make this autumn city break taste so good. After a day’s shopping at La Bretxa market, strolling along the near empty Zurriola beach and eating your body weight in pint-sized plates of pintxos in Parte Vieja, nothing sounds more tempting than an evening at a sidrería (cider house) surrounded strictly by locals, learning how to pour the perfect pint. And if the weather dips (which it shouldn’t since temperatures tend to hover around 16°C in autumn) you can slip into one of its museums like the Museo San Telmo.
Olivier Romano
Copenhagen
Come autumn, orange becomes Copenhagen’s new green. Grand 17th century castles glow in golden hues, Nyhavn starts to look even more vibrant – if that’s even possible – and the Tivoli Gardens turn into a charmingly chilling Halloween haven. If tricking isn’t your thing though, treat yourself to a dose of hygge at one of the city’s many hearty bakeries. People watch as you tuck into frothy coffees and Danish pastries – naturally. And, for ultimate indulgence, stop for lunch at the fabulously fresh and chic Gemyse, an organic greenhouse-turned-restaurant located right in the centre of Tivoli Gardens. If Nordic air calls too, head to Dryehaven. Just a short drive out of the city, it is renowned for its lush forests, picturesque lakes and 2,000 deer – so much so that UNESCO snapped it up as a world heritage site in 2015.
Reykjavik
From its strikingly cosmopolitan centre, filled with comforting cafes and chic bars, to the elusive Northern Lights, which begin their annual show come September and October, Reykjavik is the epitome of cool. Get down with the locals at the electric Icelandic Airwaves festival, rub shoulders with filmmakers at its international film festival and lose all sense of time in its world-renowned hot springs – which you may just have all to yourself. Chuck in its surrounding pastures’ transformation from a verdant wonderland to an auburn oasis, sprinkled with berries and mushrooms ripe for foraging, and you have all the ingredients for one of the most attractive autumn city breaks.
Venice
Home to 150 canals, 400 bridges and more magnificent 16th and 17th-century piazzas and palaces than you can to count, Venice never goes out of style. Its magical natural light and ability to make time stand still makes sure of it. Come autumn and the influx of fashion and film illuminati for various festivals though, the city sinks into a new groove. Gondola rides along the Grand Canal are as enticing as ever and thanks to its mild autumnal temperatures, sun-drenched lunches of lavish cicheti and prosecco (the city’s signature tipple) in San Marco remain still very much on the cards. What makes Venice one of the best autumn city breaks though is how many cultural attractions it fits onto its lagoon, from the Guggenheim Museum and the Prada Foundation to the bustling Rialto Bridge and Market. Even if the weather does let you down, Venice won’t.