Top 10 fall destinations

By Editorial Staff

Mesmerizing colors, mild temperatures, and fewer crowds are but some of autumn's travel bounty. Our 10 favorite fall destinations will help you make the most of this vibrant season, whether you're a leaf-peeper, a wine-taster, or a city lover, with two premier wine regions to sample; a national park to explore; a trio of states loaded with apple orchards and sublime autumnal scenery; and no fewer than six of the world's most fascinating urban centers. Indeed, it's not all about fall foliage and hay rides at this time of year, though they do figure prominently. With summer highs (and prices) coming down, the season is equally tailor-made for a big-city visit, at home and abroad.

Florence
The center of the Italian Renaissance art movement, Michelangelo's adopted hometown, the birthplace of modern politics, the source of modern-day credit . . . . Florence is all of these and more. Enjoy it come September and October, when the crowds diverge, the days are wonderfully mild and sunny, and the gems of Florence are left to be discovered by in-the-know travelers.

Great Smoky Mountains
Cloaked in a shroud of blue mist, the Great Smoky Mountains are a breathtaking sight all year round, but really come into their own in autumn, when the mountainsides are covered with brilliant crimsons, oranges, and purples, for a sight that’s nothing short of spectacular.

Marrakesh
Exotic, enticing, red-washed Marrakesh is spectacular come fall, when the red-hot summer heat dissipates and the markets overflow with fresh produce grown on the slopes of the snowcapped Atlas Mountains that loom in the distance.

Slide show Autumn’s awesome rainbow Across the nation and the world, fall repaints landscapes with a palette of vivid hues. more photos

Munich
Pilsner, Dopplebock, Munich Helles – beer-lovers, take your pick! These lagers and more are on tap and up for pints every fall at Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest – Germany’s hallmark brew festival (which, surprisingly, starts in September).

Napa Valley
You heard it through the grapevine: a tasty trip to Napa Valley is best in fall. Autumn is harvest season in Northern California wine country (the biggest wine-producing region in the US) and connoisseurs flock to the vineyards to sample forthcoming vintages.

New England
Nowhere is more synonymous with fall than New England, where picture-postcard images of whitewashed steeples set against flame-red leaves epitomize the very essence of the season.

New York
Autumn in New York has been heralded in song lyrics and movie titles for good reason – ask any New Yorker, and chances are the season is their favorite time of year in the Big Apple.

Provence
After the hordes of tourists leave the Provençal region of Southern France every summer, a wonderful thing happens – the charming, rustic French villages remain drenched in warm Mediterranean sun and its lavender fields, world-class vineyards, and country roads are left to the whims of off-season travelers.

San Francisco
Autumn is your best bet for a trek to San Francisco, as this northern California city’s warm weather and sunny skies only officially debut in September, at the start of what locals call their “Indian summer,” a delightful season that unfolds through early November each year.

Shanghai
China’s largest city can be oppressively hot and crowded in summer, but simply wonderful in late October and early November, when the weather becomes agreeably mild at the same time as the last of the crowds disappear.

ShermansTravel is a guide to top travel deals and destinations. Sign up for Sherman's Top 25 e-newsletter which features the best editor-screened deals from hundreds of travel providers and is delivered to over 2.5 million subscribers, free, each week. ShermansTravel also publishes trip ideas and travel features to inspire, guide, and go.

Copyright © 2005 ShermansTravel

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