Desperate to escape the gloom? Spain is the perfect place

Our holiday favourite isn’t just for summer, offering reliably blue skies and low prices out of season

If the dull, grey days of autumn are already starting to get to you, a last-minute jaunt to Spain will cheer you up. It won’t be sweltering, which is something to be thankful for, and might be positively chilly in some parts, but there is a good chance the sky will be blue wherever you go.
To keep things simple, look out for bargain flights to Malaga, Alicante, Valencia or Murcia, where you can sit outside in the sunshine during the day while you think about whether you can muster the enthusiasm to see an exhibition or would rather just wander around the shops, vaguely looking for Christmas presents before the pressure sets in.
These cities by the sea are a good idea at any time of year, but this season is just right for walks along the promenade or even a quick dip – if you have been swimming in the UK over the summer, you’ll probably find the water temperature refreshingly cool rather than freezing. 
Hotel rates are often much more reasonable in November, so it’s worth looking again at places such as Seville, where stays are pricey for much of the year. Fewer tourists mean it is much easier to get a space at the bar in your favourite tapas bars too, as well as making visiting museums and monuments a much more pleasant and rewarding experience.
You could spend a week touring an area by car, train or bus. Andalucia is always a good choice at this time of year, taking in the mountains and the Mediterranean as well as the cities. If you don’t mind it being colder, choose a chunk of the vast region of Castilla-León, staying in historic Parador hotels along the way, perhaps embarking on a gastronomic extravaganza from Segovia to Ávila, Salamanca and Valladolid. 
As well as saving money by travelling outside peak season, this is the chance to discover new areas that are just as enjoyable, if not more so, at other times of the year. Here are five holiday suggestions:   
This is a brilliant time of year for a cultural long weekend in Madrid. It is tricky to pick just a few highlights from its bumper autumn exhibition schedule, but you could start with the spectacular Royal Collections Gallery, which opened last year. The exhibition Sorolla, 100 Years of Modernity, runs from October until February, 2025.
Madrid’s jazz festival is also on from October 8 to November 30. Corinne Bailey Rae is performing at the Teatro Pavón on October 31.
While half a dozen five-star hotels have opened around the central Puerta del Sol, giving the downtown area a glamorous boost, there are some great affordable places to stay too, such as the Chic & Basic Dot, just off the square and handy for shops, bars and restaurants (doubles from £110, room only). 
Plan the perfect visit to Madrid with our guide.
Cyclists in the know have been booking autumn breaks in Mallorca for a few years now, taking advantage of the cheaper prices and cooler temperatures. Hotels – of both the package and boutique varieties – were quick to cotton onto this trend, staying open later in the year and installing storage and workshop facilities.
While dedicated riders relish the challenges of the steep and winding hills of the Serra de Tramuntana, people who just want to enjoy the countryside choose the flatter terrain in the centre and east of the island, where paths flanked by orchards link villages of honey-coloured stone. You can be as sporty or slovenly as you like.
A four-night, self-guided trundle around the central and coastal plains with Inntravel starts at £975 per person, including bikes (e-bikes also available), accommodation in two agroturismos with breakfast and dinner and detailed notes. Book flights separately. 
The province of Almería in the southeastern corner of Spain is seriously hot in summer, when the resorts along its coast are packed with Spanish and international holidaymakers. If you are more comfortable in pleasantly warm temperatures – around 19C during the day – you might well prefer the area in autumn, when it is much quieter.
The pretty hilltop town of Mojácar is a total tourist magnet in peak season but at this time of year it’s a delight to wander the lanes, where brightly-painted pots of flowers adorn whitewashed houses. You can actually get a terrace table too, for a beer and a plate of the renowned prawns from neighbouring Garrucha.
The Parador, right by the beach, has availability in October and November for less than half the price you would pay in August (doubles from £100).
If you are in the mood to fully embrace the joys of autumn, then hiking through woodland might be more your thing. In Spain, it is the beech forests that win the prizes for gorgeous displays of russet and ochre hues. 
If you are in Madrid, it is well worth a day trip to the Hayedo de Montejo forest, north of the city. Perhaps the most spectacular, however, is the Selva de Irati in the Pyrenees, 50 miles north of Pamplona in the Navarre region, with a wealth of trails for walking, mountain biking or horse riding. The forest contains oaks, firs and birches too and you might see wild boar, deer, woodpeckers, bearded vultures or golden eagles. 
The seven-night Discover Navarra self-drive tour with Caminos, which takes in the Selva de Iratí, costs from £750 per person and includes accommodation in characterful small hotels with breakfast, car hire and restaurant guide. Book flights separately.  
Combine walking with visiting vineyards and olive oil mills in the slate hills of the Priorat, which is about 100 miles south of Barcelona in the province of Tarragona. The area spreads across the Serra de Montsant, a mountain range of dramatic ochre rock. You’ll be trying wines from both the Priorat and Montsant designations of origin, along with terrific food at restaurants in villages such as Falset, Gratallops and Porrera. 
Now one of the most exciting wine regions in Spain, the tradition began when monks planted vines at the Escaladei Carthusian monastery, which dates back to the 12th century. Weekends are busy with visitors in early autumn while the grapes are being harvested, but by November there are a lot fewer tourists, so you get much more of an idea of what everyday life is like in this bucolic corner of Catalonia. 
Stay at the Priorat Aparthotel in Falset, which is run by an Irish couple who fell in love with the area (studio apartments from £75, room only).
This piece was first published in October 2023 and has been revised and updated.