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When to go · October

Wellness retreats in October

In October, 8 of our 15 wellness destinations are in their preferred season — Rishikesh, Bhutan, Beppu and Okinawa and more — and 4 more are good alternatives.

SeptemberNovember
Snow-covered Himalayan peaks above a wooded valley

At their best

8 places in season in October

  1. Snow-covered Himalayan peaks above a wooded valley

    01 India · Asia

    Rishikesh

    • About 29°C by day
    • Yoga, Ayurveda
    • US$3,440per person

    February to April and late September to November: warm days, cold clear nights, and a river that is green rather than brown and in spate. July and August are landslide season in the hills. May and June are simply too hot for a full practice schedule, and December to January is cold enough that an unheated ashram room becomes a test of commitment.

    Rishikesh in full
  2. A walker on a high ridge in the Bhutanese Himalaya

    02 Bhutan · Asia

    Bhutan

    • About 21°C by day
    • Sowa Rigpa

    Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the only two settled-weather windows and they differ. Spring gives rhododendron across the hillsides and warming valleys; autumn gives the clearest skies of the year and the festivals. The monsoon closes the passes in July and August, and January is beautiful and extremely cold.

    Bhutan in full
  3. A wooden bathing room open to a garden

    03 Japan · Asia

    Beppu

    • About 23°C by day
    • Onsen

    Onsen is a cold-weather practice: much of the physiological point is the contrast between chilled air and 42 °C water, and the steam columns that make Beppu photogenic only show in cold air. Late October to early December is the best of it. June to August combines heat and humidity with very hot bathing, which is a poor combination — locals bathe less in summer for exactly that reason.

    Beppu in full
  4. A palm and parasol on white sand in subtropical Japan

    04 Japan · Asia

    Okinawa

    • About 27°C by day
    • Longevity, Onsen

    October to early November is the best window: the summer humidity has broken, the sea is still warm, and the major typhoon risk has largely passed. March to April is the second window. June to September combines heat, humidity and typhoon season, when flights are cancelled at a day’s notice — we do not sell it.

    Okinawa in full
  5. Sunlight through the trees of the Black Forest

    05 Germany · Europe

    Baden-Baden

    • About 14°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    Late spring and early autumn give the Lichtentaler Allee gardens, the Festspielhaus season and mild walking weather without August heat or the deep grey of a Rhine-valley winter. The baths themselves are indoors and open all year, so a January cure is perfectly possible — it is the walking half of the prescription that suffers.

    Baden-Baden in full
  6. Rooftops and towers of a Bohemian spa town

    06 Czechia · Europe

    Karlovy Vary

    • About 13°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    The cure is a walking cure — colonnade to colonnade, six to eight glasses a day — so it wants dry, mild weather. May, June, September and October are the window. Avoid early July for the film festival, and November to February for a cold valley and a walk that becomes an endurance test.

    Karlovy Vary in full
  7. Atlantic surf running onto a wide Breton beach

    07 France · Europe

    Quiberon

    • About 16°C by day
    • Thalassotherapy

    April to June and September to October: the Côte Sauvage walking, the sea light and the best programme availability all fall then. August is French national-holiday saturation on a peninsula with one road. Bretons themselves often take a cure in November, when the sea is grey and the point is the water rather than the view — and it is a third cheaper.

    Quiberon in full
  8. An Alpine lake below mountains on the Swiss shore

    08 Switzerland · Europe

    Montreux

    • About 15°C by day
    • Longevity

    Late spring and early autumn give the lakeside walking and the Lavaux vineyards at their best, which matters because the programmes leave a lot of free afternoons. July is the Jazz Festival and the town is full. January is quiet and heavily discounted if a grey lake does not bother you.

    Montreux in full
Travelling in October?

Tell us your dates and what you need — we will shortlist the right place and programme for October, free.

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October, answered

Questions about travelling in October

Where is best for Ayurveda in October?
Rishikesh (India) is in its preferred season for Ayurveda in October. Kerala (India) is a good alternative.
Where is best for The Mayr cure in October?
None of our The Mayr cure destinations is at its best in October, but Tyrol (Austria) is a good alternative.
Where is best for Onsen in October?
Beppu (Japan) and Okinawa (Japan) are in their preferred season for Onsen in October.
Where is best for Yoga in October?
Rishikesh (India) is in its preferred season for Yoga in October. Kerala (India) and Ubud (Indonesia) are good alternatives.
Where is best for The thermal kur in October?
Baden-Baden (Germany) and Karlovy Vary (Czechia) are in their preferred season for The thermal kur in October. Bad Gastein (Austria) and Tyrol (Austria) are good alternatives.
Where should I avoid in October?
We would suggest another month for The Ayurveda coast, Koh Samui and The Nicoya peninsula — the season there is less suited to a wellness stay in October. Each destination page explains why.