Best Honeymoon Destinations in September

September is the month Greece is at its best for a couple. The sea is at its warmest after a full summer of heating, the August crowds and prices have dropped away, and the ferries, island hotels and tavernas are all still open. By late October many of them shut for the winter. The Santorini caldera walk is comfortable again, and Naxos, Milos and Paros are quiet.

Italy in September gives couples the version of the country everyone hopes for. The Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre are still warm enough to swim, the queues at the Uffizi and the Vatican have thinned, and Como and Garda are mild rather than hot. Tuscany moves into harvest, so a stay on a wine estate comes with something happening.

Turkey suits a September honeymoon because both halves of the trip work at once. The Aegean and Mediterranean coast around Bodrum, Fethiye and Antalya still has warm sea and emptier beaches, while Istanbul has cooled to walking weather. Cappadocia's balloon flights are more reliable in the settled air of September than in winter. A weak lira keeps food and travel inside the country cheap.

The Adriatic is at its warmest of the year in September, which is the main reason Croatia belongs high on a September list. Dubrovnik's walls and Split's old town are walkable again once the August coach traffic leaves, ferries to Hvar and Korcula are still on the full summer timetable, and a sailing week costs less than it did in August.

Known For : Seven Coloured Earth of Chamarel Le Morne Brabant Underwater Waterfall

Mauritius is in its cooler dry season in September, which suits a couple who mainly want to stay put. The lagoon inside the reef is calm, the evenings are comfortable and most resorts have their own stretch of beach. The east coast is windier at this time of year, so the north around Grand Baie and the west near Flic en Flac are the safer booking.

Best Time: April to December

147 Mauritius Attractions

Known For : Tanah Lot Uluwatu Bali Swing

Bali is at the end of its dry season in September, which makes it the most dependable pick in Southeast Asia this month. Ubud sits inland and green, with rice terraces, waterfalls and villas that have their own pool, while Seminyak and Nusa Dua bring beach clubs and seafood grills on the sand. Nusa Penida is an easy day trip for the cliffs. Packages average around Rs 64,000 per person.

Best Time: April to October

302 Bali Attractions

Known For : Anse Lazio Snorkeling in Seychelles Sunbathing in Seychelles

The Seychelles is in the drier, cooler half of its year in September, with comfortable evenings and less rain than the first months. Mahe, Praslin and La Digue are close enough to combine in ten days, and the ferry across to Anse Source d'Argent is the one trip worth planning around. The southeast breeze keeps some east-facing beaches choppy.

Best Time: April to May, September to October

96 Seychelles Attractions

Portugal suits couples who want a beach and a city in the same trip. The Atlantic off the Algarve reaches its warmest in September after a summer of heating, and Lisbon and Porto are mild enough to walk all day. Sintra's palaces thin out once the school holidays end, and the Douro valley moves into its grape harvest.

Spain in September lets a couple pair the coast with the inland cities without the August heat. Andalusia becomes bearable again, so Seville, Granada and Cordoba are worth real time, and the sea off the Costa Brava and the Balearics stays warm well into October. Barcelona is busy year round but easier now.

France in September is quieter than its summer reputation suggests. Paris empties of August tour groups, so the walks along the Seine, the Musee d'Orsay and a table outside are all easier, and the sea near Nice and Antibes is still warm. Bordeaux and Burgundy are in harvest, which is the best time for a couple to visit a vineyard.

Known For : Valetta Upper Barrakka Gardens Triton Fountain

Malta works well for a short September honeymoon. The sea around the islands is at its warmest, so the Blue Lagoon off Comino and the swimming spots along the Gozo coast are the main draw, and Valletta is small enough to cover in two days. Nothing is far from anything else, so little of the trip is spent in transit.

Best Time: April to June

38 Malta Attractions

Known For : Dal Lake Gulmarg Gondola Houseboat Stay

Kashmir is the one Indian option at its best in September. The monsoon barely reaches the valley, the days are clear and mild, and the rice fields around Srinagar are turning gold. A houseboat on Dal Lake with shikara rides costs far less than a comparable stay abroad, and Pahalgam and Gulmarg are easy two-night additions.

Best Time: March - June; September - November

45 Kashmir Attractions

Norway is a better honeymoon in September than in deep winter. The aurora becomes visible again from late in the month once the nights are properly dark, and unlike December the mountain roads, fjord ferries and the Flam railway are all still running. Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Lofoten fit into one trip. Nothing is cheap once you land, so book the trains and fjord ferries before you travel.

Iceland has a short window in late September that suits couples well. The nights are dark enough for the northern lights while the Ring Road and the highland tracks are still open, which they are not by November. The Blue Lagoon, the south coast waterfalls and a glacier lagoon fill ten days comfortably. Most couples build this one to order as a self-drive rather than buying a package.

September is the tail of the Great Migration in the Maasai Mara. The dramatic Mara river crossings are usually finished by now, but the herds are still on the Kenyan side and resident lion, elephant and cheetah viewing is as good as it gets all year. Four nights in the Mara pairs well with the beach at Diani. Packages average around Rs 237,000 per person.

Tanzania in September is dry and dusty, which is what makes the game viewing so good, with animals concentrated around the water that is left in the Serengeti. The usual honeymoon shape is a week on safari followed by four or five nights on Zanzibar, where September is one of the drier months.

Vietnam needs splitting by region in September. The north is coming out of its wet months, so Hanoi and a Halong Bay cruise are reasonable and Sapa is green after the rain. The centre is the problem: Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue are entering their wettest stretch and Hoi An floods in some years. Plan the north and save the centre for spring. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Thailand splits in two in September and the coast you pick decides the trip. The Andaman side, meaning Phuket and Krabi, is at the end of its southwest monsoon and still gets heavy rain and rough sea. The Gulf side is the September choice, so Koh Samui and Koh Tao, with a couple of nights in Bangkok. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person.

Sri Lanka tells the same story of two coasts. The southwest monsoon is only just ending, so Galle, Mirissa and Bentota stay unreliable through September, while the east around Trincomalee, Nilaveli and Pasikuda is dry and calm. Build the trip eastwards, with Ella and Kandy in the hills on the way. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

September is the cheapest month of the year in the Maldives and also the least reliable. It falls inside the southwest monsoon, which runs from June to November, so expect short heavy downpours, grey afternoons and the odd cancelled snorkelling trip. The low price reflects that weather risk rather than a bargain. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

Malaysia is a reasonable September choice if you pick the right coast. Langkawi on the west is in its wettest stretch through September and October, while the Perhentian and Redang islands on the east are at the end of their season and still calm. Kuala Lumpur and Penang work all year. Packages average around Rs 48,000 per person.

September is early spring in Australia, which puts it outside the northern cyclone season and before the summer heat. The Whitsundays and the reef off Cairns and Port Douglas are comfortable, Sydney is mild, and the wildflowers are out in Western Australia. Flights are long and this is the priciest trip on the list.

Himachal is worth booking for the second half of September rather than the first. The monsoon usually withdraws around the middle of the month, and until it does the roads to Manali and Dharamshala carry a real landslide risk. After that the air is clear, the hills are green, and Shimla, Bir and the Parvati valley are quiet before the October rush.

45 Himachal Pradesh Attractions

Known For : Sree Sidheswar Nath Temple Siva Linga Siikhe lake Meghna Cave Temple

Ziro is an unusual honeymoon and a good one for couples who would rather walk than shop. Apatani villages and terraced paddy fill a wide green valley, and the rice is close to harvest in September. The Ziro Festival of Music usually falls late in the month, so check the dates before fixing travel.

Best Time: September - November ; March - May

10 Ziro Attractions

Uttarakhand is a late-September trip for the same reason as Himachal. Once the monsoon clears, Nainital, Mussoorie and the Kumaon villages give clear Himalayan views without the summer crowds, and Rishikesh rafting reopens as the Ganga settles. Earlier in the month the hill roads can close after heavy rain.

58 Attractions

Canada is a late-September honeymoon rather than an early one. The larch turn in Banff and the first colour in Quebec arrive in the last week of the month, the Rockies are past their summer traffic and Vancouver is mild. It is a long way for a short window, so it suits couples with three weeks rather than ten days.

Japan is a weak month in September and worth being honest about. This is typhoon season, so flights and trains can be disrupted at short notice, and the humidity in Tokyo and Kyoto is still heavy. The autumn colour that couples book Japan for does not arrive until well into November. Packages average around Rs 141,000 per person.

Hawaii is a shoulder-season month in September, which means lower rates and quiet beaches on Maui and the Big Island. It is also the peak of the central Pacific hurricane season, so travel insurance matters more than usual here. From India it is two long flights, which makes it a stretch for anything under a fortnight.

4 Attractions