Yes, we’ve been going on about the renaissance of Europe’s cultural capitals for a while
– but it’s with good reason. Our coos over Paris’ rash of new stays had barely ceased when
Italy’s grande dame city got in on the competition. New hotels in
the Eternal City are becoming as ubiquitous as sexy priest
calendars, with indie openings such as Palazzo
Ripetta and Maalot Roma joining the mighty Six
Senses Rome and Bulgari Hotel Roma – now all open, autumn is
the perfect time to try them out for size. There’s also a hot new
exhibition in town: head over to Palazzo
Esposizioni Roma to catch the retrospective of famed
photographer Don McCullin, which brings together over 200
photographs from his life’s work. At this time of year, Rome’s
stifling summer heat relents, giving way to milder temperatures
more suited to outdoor explorations, too. October, in particular,
promises crisp blue skies as the “Ottobrate Romane” arrives – a
stretch of good weather Romans make use of by heading out on
weekend trips to the surrounding countryside. Join them with a hike
to Cerveteri Falls, just an hour outside the city.

Spain’s northeastern Teruel province is known for its autumn
mushroom offering: join a foraging tour on a damp autumn day, and
you’ll be skirting waterfalls, forests and jagged rocky hills in
search of some 20-odd varieties of edible fungi. The region is an
autonomous community in Aradon, and one of Spain’s wettest areas –
but don’t let that put you off a pre-winter adventure. There’s
something pleasingly seasonal about its auburn hillsides. Base
yourself in Albarracín, a red-stone fortress town of crumbling old
alleyways guarded by snoozing elders. At this time of year, the
town’s restaurants throw themselves into the season with
mushroom-dotted menus; you’ll find ceps in garlicky soups, and
forest finds incorporated into rich wild boar stews. It’s hearty
country cuisine that will warm you up after days spent striding in
the hills. Hotels can be a little basic: try
Casa de Santiago for cosy set-ups with views across the town’s
terracotta rooftops.

Not heard of this cosy, cobbled Flanders city? Just 30 minutes
from Brussels, Belgium’s historic university town is like a
Dutch-inflected Oxford, with better beers. The city houses both one
of Europe’s oldest educational institutions and the headquarters of
Stella Artois, making it an unlikely mecca for books and brews.
Dodge bumbling, scarf-wrapped students on sit-up-and-beg bikes as
you wander the compact centre between Renaissance-era shop fronts,
red-brick townhouses and the elegant spires of the gothic town
hall. Students constitute a third of Leuven’s population, so,
despite its ancient exterior, you’ll find it a young-at-heart city,
with bustling, affordable restaurants and bars around every corner.
Try the relaxed Bistro Tribunal or casual wine spot Bar Jerome for dinner,
before heading over to Café Belge to sample over 100 different local brews.
The café is on Oude Market, a terrace-filled square that has become
known as “Europe’s longest bar”, thanks to its ample alcohol
dispensaries.

When the summer holiday crowds have gone home, Greece’s islands
transform into tranquil, unhurried idylls. Case in point? Spetses,
a pine-scented rock situated a two-hour ferry ride from Athens in
the Attica region of Greece. Just 27km in length, with one road
encircling the entire island, this dinky destination has a sleepy
countenance that belies its fiery history. Spetses was the first
island to raise a revolutionary flag in 1821, declaring
independence from the Ottoman Empire. Today, you can spot cannons
ringing the old harbour and, in the largest town, Dapia, a statue
to the revolutionary woman sea captain Laskarina Bouboulina stands
proudly. Start your day with a coffee opposite her on the terrace
at Poseidonion Grand Hotel, before heading to the
Bouboulina Museum to find out more. Then, hire a bike
and explore the island on two wheels, in search of secluded pebbled
coves and aquarium-clear seas. Note that off-season, you’ll have to
contend with odd opening hours at island restaurants.

Autumn in Stavanger might not be warm enough for you to wear
your Tevas, but we’re confident this historic spot’s picture-book
looks are enough to entice even the most reluctant traveller from
bedding down for hibernation at the city’s elegant Eilert Smith
Hotel. One of Norway’s oldest settlements, with its roots
stretching back to the Viking era, Stavanger is a harbourfront city
in the country’s south-west. Spend days strolling the streets of
the old town, Gamle Stavanger, where clapboard fishermen’s houses
are still necklaced by late-flowering roses in autumn, and all
roads lead to the 12th-century cathedral, or take boat trips over
Lysefjorden to gaze up in adoration at the famous Preikestolen
(Pulpit Rock) formation. Unexpectedly, Stavanger’s restaurant scene
is pretty starry. RE-NAA is the city’s hot (and hard to get) booking –
something like a Norwegian-style Noma – but the autumn offering is
equally impressive at sustainability-focused K2, more casual
Bravo and
vegan Bellies,
with seasonal, local, and often foraged, produce filling menus.

What is it about Transylvania right now? These days, you’re less
likely to find gothic bloodsuckers stalking its rugged ridges and
more likely to intercept the likes of Angelina Jolie, Elon Musk or
King Charles on a trip to Transylvania. All three are known to
frequent Romania’s unspoilt landscapes. Where once we headed out to
Albania in search of the sublime, the cool kids (excluding Musk)
are now making tracks to the central Romanian region, in search of
misty vistas, late-summer wildflower meadows and slow-paced
adventures tracking lynx, wolves and bears. In autumn, the place to
be is the Mociar Forest, the country’s oldest woodland, which
covers some 567 hectares. As the season arrives, this vast arboreal
stretch turns out a mesmeric leaf display in furious, fiery hues.
Make your base Bethlen Estates in the step-back-in-time Transylvanian
village of Cris. The guesthouses are located in the restored ruins
of historic Saxon properties, awash with rustic furnishings and
reclaimed features.