In September, October and November the climate is warm, the days get shorter and the air is more frizzy, but, mainly, the colours of Nature make Autum the most magical season in the year.
The red, orange and yellow trees spread all around us and become the magical framework for the week-end getaway or outdoor activities we can plan in this period.
We selected 10 Fall adventures you can enjoy with your family or friends:

 

1. SALMON RUN IN ONTARIO 

  

Location: Canada, Ontario

The vibrant colours that autumn offers in the cities and countryside across the province of Ontario, make it a stunning destination to explore both by visitors and locals. By hiking around in this area, you can enjoy the colorful landscape and the Canadian forests, flora and fauna from different scenic lookouts.

From late September to early October, as the temperature cools, you can admire the famous Canadian falls and see the final run of the Pacific Salmon migrate upstream from Ontario’s Great Lakes to lay their eggs in the shallows before winter settles in.

Curiosity: In fall season also birds start to migrate south to escape Canadian winters and you can spot their flies in many of Ontario’s parks, such as the famous Point Pelee National Park.

 

2. A DAY IN A PUMPKIN PATCH

  

Location: United States

One of the most enduring fall traditions in the U.S. – but it is also spreading in Europe in the last years – is going to a pumpkin patch to enjoy a family day out and choose your very own pumpkins for the household decorations or carve for the jack-o-lanterns for Halloween celebrations.

Kids will love wandering around the patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin, but they can also enjoy – and the adults as well – with some different activities which lots of pumpkin patches offer, such as hop on a hayride, tour a spooky barn, taste pumpkin-flavored goodies and get lost into a corn maze.

Curiosity: Even if not all the pumpkins you will find are usable for food, remind to roast the seeds in your oven with a sprinkling of tasty spices to use to make pumpkin pies.

 

3. AUTUMN IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

  

Location: United Kingdom, Lake District

Even if New England, in the northeast America, can feel like the undisputed king of Autumn, hiking in the English countryside in fall months allow you to come amid and enjoy a riot of color, with crimson and gold trees and amber and bronze brackens in the hillsides.

Follow the footsteps of Wordsworth and take to the pristine fells of the Lake District, which are famous for its rugged mountains, small villages — and, of course, countless lakes. You can explore these landscapes with gentle ambles or more challenging hikes, also thanks to climate which is kind in this period yet.

Curiosity: You might even have a chance of securing a fireside seat in one of the English cottages or pubs where you can stop off after a long hike.

 

4. DISCOVER ASIAN TRADITIONS

  

Location: Japan
Autumn is a wonderful season to experience many different places in Asia because of the weather, colorful foliage and festive events. Kyoto, in Japan, is a wonderful place to visit in this period for the nature, the culture and the peaceful atmosphere you can breathe.

You cannot forget a visit to the Komyo-ji Temple, which is surrounded by lots of maple trees and where you can also learn about Buddhist traditions, while in the Daisetsuzan National Park, in Hokkaido, you can see the best fall spectacle, fully surrounded by Nature.

Curiosity: The autumn leaves of maple and gingko trees in Japan are to Fall as cherry blossom is to Spring; they have a specific name, as well, in Japanese they are called “koyo”.

 

5. APPLE PICKING WITH YOUR FAMILY

  

Location: United States

For an alternative morning or afternoon to spend with your family, you can decide to go apple picking in a farm in the countryside. The orchard fresh apples, picked straight from the tree during harvest season gives you the most crunchy, tangy, sweet apple flavor than in each different period of the year.

It is a funny activity, but it could become a learning actvities for children, as well, as they can be guided and accompained to discover where their food comes from. More, you can bring at home with you buckets of apples, which you can use for cooking homemade apple butter, apple pies, spiced apples and so on!

Curiosity: The apple picking activity became a real family tradition which is kept from year to year in the USA and for this reason you can now find a U-pick farm for harvest the apples all over in the country.

 

6. ADMIRE AUTUMN FROM THE TRAIN

  

Location: Italy & Switzerland

A train journey among the colours of the foliage is possible with the Train of the Foliage, which connects Domodossola, in Piedmont (Italy) to Locarno, in Switzerland, by crossing woods and landscapes which let you feel you into a postcard.

The Vigezzina-Centovalli railway is an historic line which links Italy and Switzerland since 1923 with the characteristic blue and white train that runs for 52 km in about 2 hours. You will pass through 83 bridges, 31 tunnels, valleys, woods and along the shore or the Lago Maggiore.
Curiosity: The ticket include also the possibility to visit one of the towns where the train stops; more, products locals will be available with special promotions by showing the ticket of the journey.

 

7. GHOST TOURS IN NEW YORK

  

Location: USA, New York

If you decide to visit a city thanks to the Autumn comfortable temperatures, New York could be a great destination for you; if you arrive there in the Halloween period, you can also experience the city by joining the famous and frightfull guided Ghost Tours.

Expert paranormal guides could show you the city and its most haunted places telling you tales of murder and mysterious occurrences, while walking and discovering the history of specific neighborhoods: a spirited stroll in the Lower Manhattan or a history of madness in Roosevelt Island are just two examples.

Curiosity: From a family-friendly stroll through Colonial Williamsburg's buried secrets to an utterly terrifying descent into Salem’s horrific history, you can enjoy these Ghost Tours in many other American cities as well.

 

8. DRACULA CASTLES IN TRANSYLVANIA

  

Location: Romania, Transilvania

Mystery and horror lover? The best way to spend your Halloween is a trip in the Transylvania region, Romania, to discover the real facts about Vlad Dracula’s life and legend and explore this so-called “country beyond the forest”: a land of medieval charm, old town and castles.

A visit to the famous Dracula’s castle in the Carpathian Mountains, Bran castle, is a must, but for a full visit of all Dracula history related places, you can include in the trip Poenari Castle in Bucharest – the actual castle of Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Dracula character – and Sighișoara Fortress, which is Dracula’s birthplace.

Curiosity: Special Halloween Tours in Romania are organized every year and they may include a great Halloween party at the medieval Corvin Castle and an amazing night tour and party at Bran castle.

 

9. MEDIEVAL SPAIN BY BIKE

  

Location: Spain, Girona

If you are looking for experiencing a cycling holiday, Autumn with its cooler temperatures is a great time and Girona, in Spain, is the ideal destination. One of the four provinces of Catalogna region, it is surrounded by the coasts of northern Spain and the Spanish Pyrenes, offering stunning sceneries to explore.

From there you can actually explore the mountains before the winter creeps, the peaceful countryside with loop rides or the coastline of the famous Costa Brava. Then, you can also wander through the medieval Old Town of Girona for a post-ride stroll.

Curiosity: With summer tourist gone, Girona become the base of numerous triathletes and professional cyclists, who own a home and train theirselves there in winter months.

 

10. THE REAL NORWEGIAN NATURE

  

Location: Norway

Autumn is the season to be preferred to better visit Norway; of the main suggesting activity you could do are hiking in the mountains, from where you can admire the spectacle of the moor and the landscapes which take on the intense shades of red, yellow and orange.

Storms are very frequent occurrence in this ,but they are an experience not to be missed: you can witness the powerful spectacle of Nature from a specifically designed chalet overlooking the ocean, from a lighthouse or from a typical Norwegian fisherman’s cottage in seashore.

Curiosity: You will experience the so-called feeling of “kos” – instant happiness when you feel safe, secure and in good company – by chilling in the dark nights in front of a hot chocolate and lighted candles.