Where to go in Asia in October: Himalayan skies, Japan and Diwali

October at a glance

These six trips are the ones where October's weather or festivals work in your favour. The table compares them, with the mid-range cost of a day.

Every daily cost on this page is the mid-range figure from the country's trip-cost guide: its all-in total divided by its days, per person, for two people sharing a room. That covers rooms, every meal, local transport, sights, a SIM and a 10% buffer; only the international flight is extra. Each guide prices its own route in the season it names, so the figures show the level of a country, not a quote for your dates. Euro amounts use the rate each guide states.

Nepal and Bhutan after the monsoon

October is the start of the best season in the Himalaya. The Nepal Tourism Board names October and November as the months with the clearest post-monsoon skies, and Kathmandu's 1991-2020 October mean is 20.3°C; temperatures drop by about 6°C for every 1,000 m you climb. In Bhutan, Paro averages a high of 20.5°C, a low of 8.7°C and 46.6 mm of rain in October, and the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology dates the autumn season to October and November. See the best time to visit Bhutan guide.

Our Nepal in 10 days adds Nagarkot and Chitwan to Kathmandu and Pokhara. Bhutan in 7 days covers Thimphu, Punakha and Paro.

Nepal costs about EUR 105 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 75 on a budget, 180 in comfort), from our Nepal trip-cost guide. Bhutan costs about EUR 265 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 240 on a budget), from our Bhutan trip-cost guide, for a private week with a licensed operator. The Bhutan figure includes the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) at USD 100 per adult per night, a reduced rate the government has set until 31 August 2027 and may end after that date; a later trip pays the fee in force at the time.

Dashain, Nepal's longest festival, lasts about two weeks and ends at a full moon. Its dates follow the lunar calendar and usually fall in October, sometimes from late September. The Nepal Tourism Board notes that Kathmandu's population is greatly reduced as many people head home. Tihar, the five-day festival of lights, follows in October or November. In Bhutan, the Thimphu Tshechu, the country's biggest festival, brings three days of masked dances to Tashichho Dzong on auspicious dates in September or October; the Department of Tourism publishes them as tentative dates. See the Dashain and Tihar guide and the Bhutan festivals guide for the dates.

Japan: Kyoto, Takayama and Tokyo

October is mild across Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Kyoto a high of 23.4°C, a low of 14.4°C and 143.2 mm of rain, and Tokyo a high of 22.0°C, though Tokyo still averages 234.8 mm of rain. Hokkaido is cooling fast: Sapporo's October high is 16.4°C.

Our Japan in 14 days covers Tokyo, Hakone, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and Miyajima; Japan Alps in 6 days includes Takayama.

Japan costs about EUR 150 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 100 on a budget, 290 in comfort), from our Japan trip-cost guide.

The Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) is held every year on 9 and 10 October, and Nagasaki Kunchi every year from 7 to 9 October. Sports Day, the second Monday of October, makes a three-day weekend; when it falls next to either festival, book rooms early. Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri is held every year on 22 October. See the Japan festivals calendar.

South Korea: Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan

October is Korea's best month for weather. The Korea Meteorological Administration's 1991-2020 normals give Seoul a high of 20.2°C, a low of 10.6°C and only 52.2 mm of rain, and Busan a high of 22.5°C.

Our South Korea in 7 days runs Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan by KTX; for the mountains, Sokcho and Seoraksan is the national park on the east coast.

South Korea costs about EUR 160 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 95 on a budget, 300 in comfort), from our South Korea trip-cost guide.

National Foundation Day, 3 October, and Hangeul Day, 9 October, are public holidays; when one falls at a weekend, the following Monday is a substitute holiday, which makes a long weekend. In some years Chuseok, the three-day harvest holiday, also falls in early October. Book KTX seats for these weekends early. See the South Korea festivals calendar.

Beijing and Xi'an after Golden Week

Beijing's best months are April to May and mid-September to October. In October it averages a high of 19°C and a low of 7.3°C, with 19 mm of rain, in the 1961-1990 normals that Taiwan's Central Weather Administration publishes; Shanghai averages a high of 22.3°C.

Our China in 10 days covers Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai; China in 7 days keeps to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai.

China costs about EUR 135 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 100 on a budget, 210 in comfort), from our China trip-cost guide.

Golden Week, the National Day break, starts on 1 October. By law National Day has three days off (1 to 3 October), and the State Council's yearly holiday notice moves weekend working days to stretch the break to about a week. Treat the whole break as peak, and travel the week after it. See the best time to visit China guide.

Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan

October opens north India's travel season. The India Meteorological Department's 1991-2020 means give Delhi an October high of 33.0°C and a low of 19.5°C with 14.1 mm of rain, and Jaipur a high of 34.1°C: dry, with warm afternoons. The south-east is the exception: Tamil Nadu's north-east monsoon season runs from October to December.

Our Golden Triangle runs from Delhi to Agra and Jaipur in seven days; India in 14 days adds Udaipur and Varanasi.

India costs about EUR 100 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 65 on a budget, 215 in comfort), from our India trip-cost guide.

Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami) and Diwali (Deepavali), the festival of lights, follow the Hindu lunar calendar. Dussehra usually falls in October, and Diwali's main night comes about three weeks later, at the new moon of October or November; the festival unfolds over five days. See our Diwali guide and the India festivals calendar for the dates.

Uzbekistan's Silk Road cities

October is cool and dry on the Silk Road. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Samarkand an October mean of 14.4°C, Bukhara 14.7°C and Urgench, near Khiva, 12.1°C, with 3-17 mm of rain. Pack a layer for the evenings in Khiva.

Our Uzbekistan in 10 days covers Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Shahrisabz by train and plane.

Uzbekistan costs about EUR 95 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 75 on a budget, 135 in comfort), from our Uzbekistan trip-cost guide.

Teachers' and Mentors' Day, 1 October, is a public holiday, but it does not change a booking. Almaty, across the border, averages a high of 15.9°C; Astana's nights already fall below freezing. See the best time to visit Uzbekistan guide.

Also good in October

Three more places suit October, with conditions.

• Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Sa Pa: Vietnam's tourism authority says September to November brings sunny skies and around 25 degrees in Hanoi, and singles out early October in Sa Pa for the harvest. See Vietnam in 7 days.
• Hong Kong and Macau: Hong Kong averages 120.3 mm of rain in October and Macau 77.6 mm, and Macau's tourism office calls October and November ideal, though the typhoon season runs through November. National Day (1 October) and Chung Yeung, whose date follows the lunar calendar, are public holidays in both. See the best time to visit Hong Kong guide and the best time to visit Macau guide.
• Taiwan's west and south: Kaohsiung averages only 53.4 mm of rain in October, while the north-east coast stays wet. National Day is 10 October. See the best time to visit Taiwan guide.

Where not to go in October, and why

In these places October works against an ordinary trip.

• Thailand: the Tourism Authority of Thailand dates the south-west monsoon from May to October, and puts the Gulf islands' rains from October to December. Thailand's cool season starts in November; see the best time to visit Thailand guide.
• Malaysia's west coast and Sabah: MET Malaysia places the west coast's main rainfall peak in October and November, and north-west Sabah's peak in October.
• Vietnam's central coast: Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang are in the season when storms and floods are most likely, from September to November.
• The Philippines, Cambodia and Brunei: still wet; Baguio averages 477.3 mm of rain in October, Phnom Penh 260.2 mm and Brunei airport 330.9 mm.
• Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar's October averages a high of 7.7°C and a low of -4.8°C, and the Gobi ger camps are fully open only to 20 September.
• Sri Lanka's south-west coast and hills: the south-west rains last to October, and the botanic gardens at Hakgala describe mist and heavy afternoon rain from October to December.
• The Maldives: the south-west monsoon, which the Maldives Meteorological Service dates from mid-May to November.