Look, the calendar doesn’t forgive. Summer is gone, the office crowd has already pulled out the knitwear and started drinking teas with weird names. But you look in the mirror, see yourself pale as chalk and your soul cries out for a few more days of flip-flops on, beer in hand and salt in your hair.
The first thing you think is: “Right, if I want a beach now, I have to spend a thousand euros and sit 10 hours stuck on a plane to Brazil or the Caribbean.”
Wrong! You don’t need to cross the Atlantic Ocean or empty your savings account. Southern Europe (and around it) has fantastic corners where the sun is still beating down in October and the sea is still “a warm broth”.
Martin has put together the list of 4 autumn destinations where you can keep wearing your swimwear:
1. Cyprus: The Mediterranean “Oven” 🇨🇾
While you’re getting hammered by rain in Porto or Lisbon, in Cyprus folks are still sweating. It’s one of the warmest countries in Europe and in October temperatures comfortably sit at 28°C. The sea has held all of summer’s heat and feels like soup. Bet on cities like Ayia Napa (if you want white-sand beaches and lots of buzz) or Paphos (to mix beach with stunning archaeological ruins).
2. Canary Islands (Tenerife or Fuerteventura) 🇮🇨
It’s the great classic and never disappoints. The Canaries are Spanish but they sit just off the African coast, which means they enjoy that “eternal spring/summer” climate. Flying to Tenerife or Fuerteventura in October is the smartest play ever: flight and hotel prices drop sharply because August is over, there’s no scrum to lay down your towel and the sun burns away beautifully.
3. Malta: History, Pastizzi and Turquoise Water 🇲🇹
Malta is a tiny island right in the middle of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily. In the heart of October you can stroll in shorts through the historic streets of Valletta without melting (as you would in August), and spend the rest of the day at the beach. Catch the boat to the island of Comino and dive into the famous Blue Lagoon. The water is so blue it looks like someone tipped bleach into the pool, and you’ll still get plenty of heat to tan.
4. Crete, Greece: The Advantage of Being Down South 🇬🇷
Many Greek islands start cooling off and closing restaurants in autumn, but Crete doesn’t. Being the largest Greek island and the southernmost, summer stretches out far longer there. You’ll get to eat real feta cheese, drink Ouzo at sunset and explore epic beaches like Elafonissi (the famous pink-sand beach) without having to elbow through crowds.
It’ll Be Hot Out There… But Your Flight Is at Dawn in the Cold!
You’ve already bought the plane ticket. Your bag has only shorts, T-shirts and sunscreen. You’re mentally tuned for summer.
But there’s a small problem: your flight leaves Lisbon or Porto at 6 in the morning on a Tuesday in October. Outside, in the street, it’s a freezing 12°C and drizzling.
Are you going to leave home with a winter coat over your beachwear to drag your bag on the cobblestones to catch the metro? Or wait on the street for an Uber while you shiver? Don’t let the Portuguese weather wreck your holiday vibe right at the start!
Make the transition in VIP mode. Get in your own car, crank the heating to maximum and play a summer track on the way to the airport. You drive to Departures and a Multipark driver will be there waiting. You just hand over the key and take a few steps into the terminal (no rain on you!).
Our Valet Parking service keeps your car in a secure, monitored car park.
A few days later, when you land back into the sad reality of Portuguese autumn, freezing and missing the heat of Malta or Cyprus, we deliver your car right at the airport door, warm and ready to take you home.
Escape the cold in style! Run a simulation and book your Valet Parking on the Multipark website and stretch your summer.
