Before you book that autumn escape to New England or the Colorado Rockies, consider peeping the leaves in Europe instead.
Spend a few extra airline miles and you’ll bear witness to an incredible landscape of fiery reds, luminous oranges, and delightful yellows that make even the browning surroundings harmonize in jubilation.
Forget winter—autumn is coming and it’ll convince you to fall in love with Europe all over again.
Image Credit: Getty Images, diegograndi. Image Location: Interlaken, Switzerland.
Blois | Loire Valley’s leaves
Closest station: Gare de Blois - Chambord
Anywhere in the Loire Valley is ideal for frockling in fall foliage, but we’re a little biased to Blois. A great day trip from Paris, the narrow streets surround you with 12th to 16th-century architecture, including lovely castles and gardens. The forests and vineyards encircling this riverside town are ablaze with color in the fall.
Plitvice Lakes | Croatia’s colorful National Park
Closest station: Ličko Petrovo Selo
Plitvice Lakes National Park extends its brown and yellow wherever it can, reaching in every direction save for the unwavering evergreens that refuse to let their colors. Set in Croatia though hugging the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Plitvice Lakes National Park is a wonderful way to escape the city crowds and get in touch with the country’s quiet, natural side.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Plitvice Lakes National Park. Image Location: Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.
Ordino | Andorra in autumn
Closest station: L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre
Country counters, this one’s for you. Ascend into the high-altitude area between France and Spain for a mesmerizing glimpse at the animated autumn hillsides. The village of Ordino’s slate roofs and stone walls are the perfect contrast to the stimulated fall trees. Hike through the micronation’s many trails for dramatic fall foliage views.
Arnhem | Netherlands’ herfst hues
Closest station: Arnhem Centraal
Although the tulip fields draw visitors in the spring, the Netherlands is an underrated best place to see fall foliage in Europe. Look to none other than Arnhem to give you an outdoor introduction to autumn. Not far from Amsterdam, Arnhem has loads of outdoor attractions including the Netherlands Open Air Museum and Burgers’ Zoo, allowing families, history buffs, and culture-seekers to experience as much as possible while still enjoying the fall colors.
Read more: the best day trips from Amsterdam by train
Image Credit: Getty Images, ahavelaar. Image Location: Arnhem, Netherlands.
Switzerland’s GoldenPass route
Closest station: Luzern | Montreux
Here’s where your keen knowledge of Switzerland’s most scenic train rides comes in: while others appreciate the short sights from the even shorter train rides between their hotel and the airport, you’ll have the golden opportunity to see jaw-dropping panoramic views on the GoldenPass route.
Baden-Baden | The Black Forest in color
Closest station: Baden-Baden
The enhancement of Germany’s Black Forest runs wild with fantastical colors in the fall. Base yourself in Baden-Baden, spending your days leaping into piles of leaves like a child in a fairytale. When the chill of autumn cuts through your clothes, thermal baths and seasonal foods like pumpkin soup, roast goose, and German caramel apple cake will keep you cozy.
Image Credit: Getty Images, g215. Image Location: Baden-Baden, Germany.
Fall festival season
International Alba White Truffle Fair, Italy
A celebration of the community, soil, and gastronomy grown from a fascination with truffles, there are few better ways to collect fallen leaves in Italy’s Piedmont region than on a truffle hunt.
Oktoberfest, Germany
Unpopular opinion: head to Bavaria at the end of Oktoberfest. You may miss some of the festivities, but there’s still plenty of time to fill your stein with pilsners and lagers mimicking the colors of the changing leaves.
Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, Spain
If you can’t visit Europe in the fall without indulging in a little Halloween hoopla, San Sebastián will get you feeling spooky. This long-running film festival takes place across Halloween and the Basque Country gets into the holiday spirit by carpeting its landscape with deep orange leaves.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Piedmont, Italy. Image Location: Piedmont, Italy.
Our #1 tip for finding the best fall colors in Europe
Go by train!
There are countless benefits to traveling Europe in fall, with fewer crowds and cheaper prices granting you access to the most picturesque of places without the influx of influencers hogging the backdrop. Come leaf peepin’ with us. Download the Trainline app, snag yourself a cheap window seat, and watch Mother Nature paint her soul across Europe’s countryside.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, leonid_tit. Image Location: Dolomites, Italy, Europe.