Heraklion from £48 one-way on easyJet from Gatwick in mid-September. Book the same route for the second week of August and you're looking at £110-£150. Same plane, same seats, same sunshine, less than half the money.
It's all down to school holidays. Airlines price for families in July and August, then drop fares hard the moment term starts. The drop usually lands in the first or second week of September, and it stays low through to the end of October half-term.
Split in Croatia from £44 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted follows the same pattern. August fares sit around £95-£130, September drops to £44-£70. Jet2 from Manchester to Split runs £52-£85 in September versus £120+ in peak summer.
The other trick is the day of the week. No school run means you can fly Tuesday or Wednesday, when fares are often another £15-£30 cheaper than a Friday or Sunday. Bag fees still bite on Ryanair and Wizz Air though, so factor in £25-£40 for a cabin bag upgrade.
London Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh
Cheap Autumn Flights from UK: Greece from £48, Lisbon from £39
Prices fall 30-50% after August and the sea is still warm. Here's where to go.
About these prices: All price ranges shown are indicative, based on typical fares seen on Aviasales for each route. Actual prices change daily depending on date, availability and how far ahead you book. Always search for live prices using the tool below — it pulls real-time data directly from Aviasales.
Why the prices fall off a cliff after August
Mediterranean routes that still deliver in September
Faro from £36 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted is the easy win. September in the Algarve sits at 26-28C with a sea temperature around 21C. August fares on the same route hit £85-£120, so you're saving at least £50 each way.
Corfu from £52 one-way on Jet2 from Manchester is another good one. The beaches are properly quiet by mid-September, the tavernas drop to normal prices, and the sea is at its warmest of the whole year because it's had all summer to heat up.
Malaga from £34 one-way on easyJet from Bristol works well too, with temperatures around 27C and none of the oven-like August heat. Seville gets cooler as well, which means you can actually walk around the Alcazar without wilting.
The downside is that the evenings get shorter and some beach clubs start closing by early October. If you're after a pure pool-and-cocktails week, go in the first half of September. For anything with sightseeing, late September works better.
Corfu from £52 one-way on Jet2 from Manchester is another good one. The beaches are properly quiet by mid-September, the tavernas drop to normal prices, and the sea is at its warmest of the whole year because it's had all summer to heat up.
Malaga from £34 one-way on easyJet from Bristol works well too, with temperatures around 27C and none of the oven-like August heat. Seville gets cooler as well, which means you can actually walk around the Alcazar without wilting.
The downside is that the evenings get shorter and some beach clubs start closing by early October. If you're after a pure pool-and-cocktails week, go in the first half of September. For anything with sightseeing, late September works better.
See live prices now — fares change daily. Search real-time results from Aviasales.
Search flightsThe cities that are better in autumn than summer
Rome from £29 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted in October is a completely different city. August hits 33C and the Colosseum queue snakes round the block. October sits at 22C, the crowds thin out, and you can actually enjoy a plate of cacio e pepe without sweating through your shirt.
Lisbon from £39 one-way on TAP Air Portugal from Gatwick is similar. Summer fares sit around £90-£130, autumn drops to £39-£65. October temperatures hover around 22C with golden light that makes the tiled streets look ridiculous. Pastel de nata queues at Manteigaria are also noticeably shorter.
Marrakech from £42 one-way on easyJet from Gatwick or Ryanair from Stansted from £38 is the one that surprises people. August in Marrakech is genuinely punishing at 40C. October drops to 28C, the souks are workable, and you can sit on a rooftop terrace in the evening without needing a lie down afterwards.
Three nights in any of these three cities costs roughly £220-£320 all-in including flights if you book an Airbnb and avoid weekends.
Lisbon from £39 one-way on TAP Air Portugal from Gatwick is similar. Summer fares sit around £90-£130, autumn drops to £39-£65. October temperatures hover around 22C with golden light that makes the tiled streets look ridiculous. Pastel de nata queues at Manteigaria are also noticeably shorter.
Marrakech from £42 one-way on easyJet from Gatwick or Ryanair from Stansted from £38 is the one that surprises people. August in Marrakech is genuinely punishing at 40C. October drops to 28C, the souks are workable, and you can sit on a rooftop terrace in the evening without needing a lie down afterwards.
Three nights in any of these three cities costs roughly £220-£320 all-in including flights if you book an Airbnb and avoid weekends.
The autumn trip that proved me wrong
I took the Istanbul trip in mid-October expecting a decent city break and came home slightly obsessed. Istanbul from £58 one-way on Pegasus from Gatwick, around £130 return when I booked six weeks out. Turkish Airlines from Heathrow runs £95-£140 return in the same window if you want a bit more legroom.
The weather was the thing. Twenty degrees, clear skies, a proper breeze off the Bosphorus. In August it's 35C and the humidity is brutal. In October you can walk from Sultanahmet to Galata and across the bridge without needing to stop every ten minutes for a cold drink.
The Hagia Sophia queue was about 20 minutes on a Tuesday morning. In peak summer people tell me it's 90. I took the ferry up the Bosphorus for the equivalent of about £1.50 and sat on the top deck in a jumper, eating simit and watching the light change. That was better than any summer trip I've done there.
Total spend for four nights including flights, a decent Airbnb in Karaköy, and eating out twice a day was around £420. Morocco and New York work the same way in October, with Marrakech from £38 on Ryanair from Stansted and New York from £310 return on Norse from Gatwick. Gutted I didn't go sooner.
The weather was the thing. Twenty degrees, clear skies, a proper breeze off the Bosphorus. In August it's 35C and the humidity is brutal. In October you can walk from Sultanahmet to Galata and across the bridge without needing to stop every ten minutes for a cold drink.
The Hagia Sophia queue was about 20 minutes on a Tuesday morning. In peak summer people tell me it's 90. I took the ferry up the Bosphorus for the equivalent of about £1.50 and sat on the top deck in a jumper, eating simit and watching the light change. That was better than any summer trip I've done there.
Total spend for four nights including flights, a decent Airbnb in Karaköy, and eating out twice a day was around £420. Morocco and New York work the same way in October, with Marrakech from £38 on Ryanair from Stansted and New York from £310 return on Norse from Gatwick. Gutted I didn't go sooner.
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