Autumn is a great time to visit Europe. The crowds of summer have returned home. The air is cool and crisp, and restaurants, museums, and attractions are back open again after the summer hiatus. The European countryside is especially lovely this time of year as residents harvest grapes, apples, lavender, and other crops, and the waning sunlight plays on churches, castles, and other structures.
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There are scores of beautiful places to visit in Europe this fall. However, we think these five are among the most interesting and enticing:
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Provence in France
There’s no bad time to visit Provence, in the heart of the south of France. There’s a good reason this region has inspired writers, painters, and poets for more than a century. Just a few of the many attractions here are the fields of lavender and other herbs used to make perfume, the perfumeries in Grasse, the delicious dry rose wines crafted here, and the picturesque villages and stone farmhouses that dot the landscape. You’ll also be able to see the landscapes that inspired Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Gauguin.
Bavaria in Germany
The southern part of Germany, the former Duchy of Bavaria, is best known for its rolling hills that gradually ascend into the Alps, its romantic castles (including Neuschwanstein that inspired Cinderella’s Castle in Disneyland), and the fall Oktoberfest in Munich that draws around six million revelers from around the globe to sample local brews, sausages, and music. Other attractions in this bucolic part of the world include the Richard Wagner festival in Bayreuth, the Imperial Castle in Nuremburg, and the picturesque ski resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Tuscany in Italy
Located in west-central Italy, Tuscany is Chianti country. This is the land where the sangiovese grapes thrive and are blended into the wine people most often associate with Italy. However, wineries and vineyards aren’t the only things to see in Tuscany. Here, you’ll find the historic city of Siena, the many towers of San Gimignano, the (leaning) Tower of Pisa, and, of course, the diverse collection of art and architecture in Florence.
The Cotswolds in England
Located just west of London, the Cotswolds region of England is what many people see when they think of the English countryside. Named for the rolling hills that rise from the River Thames as it flows out from London, this region is home to Windsor Castle, one of the homes of the British royal family and the final resting place for a number of English kings and queens, including King Henry VIII. This region is also noted for its stone cottages with thatched roofs and Tudor-style storefronts with their plaster walls and exposed, wooden beams. The Cotswolds region is also home to the City of Bath, with its Roman baths and its elegant Georgian Royal Crescent Townhouses, as well as Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare and home to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
The Ring of Kerry in Ireland
The Ring of Kerry, in Ireland, takes visitors in a 179-kilometer circle from Killarney in the southwestern part of the country. This scenic route takes you through the towns of Kenmare, Glenbeigh, and Waterville. The region is noted for its craggy coastline, its many castles and ruins, and its verdant pastures. Back in Killarney, you’ll find a clean, vibrant town with ruins of a 15th-century abbey, one of the best golf courses in Ireland, and horse-drawn carts that ferry visitors around to the various attractions.