September is the month that separates the experienced, off-the-beaten-track traveller from the crowd-follower. The summer hordes and holidays are over, the weather remains excellent across most of the Northern Hemisphere, and cities that can sometimes feel overwhelmed and crowded in August suddenly feel accessible. Here are five cities that are especially well-suited to September, with The Hotel Guru's selection of the best places to stay.

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento is wonderful from April through to the end of October; however, in September, the Amalfi Coast is at its most manageable: the August crowds have dispersed, the sea is still warm, and the town's clifftop position above the Bay of Naples — with Vesuvius visible across the water on clear mornings — is best enjoyed without the peak-summer density. Sorrento is the best base for exploring both the Amalfi Coast to the south (Positano, Ravello, Amalfi itself) and the archaeological sites to the north (Pompeii and Herculaneum are each 30 minutes away). The local cuisine — fresh pasta, wood-fired fish, Limoncello made from the clifftop lemon groves — and the town's Belle Époque character make it one of the most pleasant bases on the Italian coast.

• Bellevue Syrene is Sorrento's most historic grand hotel, a palazzo dating from 1820 perched on the cliff above the Bay of Naples. The 50 rooms are individually decorated, and the best have a balcony with views over the water to Vesuvius, which is extraordinary at dusk. The hotel's position (giving access to a private terrace and swimming platform on the sea by lift down through the cliff) is singular.
• Maison La Minervetta is a clifftop design hotel in the centre of Sorrento with just 12 rooms, inspired by the 1960s Amalfi Coast; think bold colours, vintage pieces, and a playful mix of international design and local artisanship. The views from the rooms and terrace over the bay are exceptional; breakfast is served with a direct view of the water, and the hotel has the personality of a place that has been put together by someone who genuinely loves its setting. One of our favourites.
• Relais Regina Giovanna is a smaller boutique hotel just out of town with individually designed rooms, a warm, personal atmosphere, and a location that makes the town's historic centre and the cliff walks immediately accessible. The service is notably attentive, and the hotel's connections to local guides and experiences make it a genuinely useful base for exploring the wider coast.
• Relais Correale Rooms and Garden is a beautifully maintained guesthouse in Sorrento's Correale neighbourhood, set in private gardens with a pool, individually decorated rooms, and the kind of service only a small, owner-operated property can offer. The gardens and the neighbourhood's quiet provide a welcome contrast to Sorrento's busier centre.

Krakow, Poland

Krakow in September is one of Central Europe's most rewarding city breaks: the light is warm and golden, the summer's tourist peak has passed, and the city's extraordinary concentration of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture (including the Royal Castle, the Wawel Cathedral, the Cloth Hall on the Main Market Square and the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter) can be appreciated with room to breathe. Krakow's food and drink scene has developed considerably over the past decade, and the Kazimierz neighbourhood now has some of Poland's most interesting restaurants and bars. The salt mines at Wieliczka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site a short drive south, are among Central Europe's most remarkable sights.

• Stradom House is a Michelin Key-awarded Autograph Collection hotel by Marriott in a 14th-century building on Stradomska Street, between the Royal Castle and the Kazimierz district. The building's history (it's a former church and monastery) saturates the interiors: guests can drink cocktails in Hedwig's Bar inside the original church chapel, with its soaring curved walls, while over 70 contemporary artworks by Polish and international artists line the corridors. The Sól Spa, designed by cosmetics authority Alexandra Soveral, is exceptional, and the two restaurants — Stradomska 12 for modern Polish cuisine and Gaia for Mediterranean — are among the city's best hotel kitchens.
• Bachleda Luxury Hotel is a five-star MGallery property in a historic tenement house in the heart of Krakow, with classic interiors touched by Art Deco refinement, an indoor swimming pool, a wellness area with saunas, and the GAVI restaurant serving refined cuisine. The rooms are beautifully appointed with antique wooden furniture and marble bathrooms, and the hotel's location near the Main Market Square makes it a convenient central base.
• Warszauer Hotel is a four-star boutique property in the Kazimierz (Jewish Quarter) neighbourhood, where Krakow's most interesting contemporary life now takes place. The design reflects the both neighbourhood's history and creative present, and its location on a characterful Kazimierz street puts the quarter's best restaurants, bars, and cultural spaces within easy walking distance.
• Puro Krakow Kazimierz is a design hotel in Kazimierz that represents the Puro brand's characteristic approach: sophisticated Scandinavian-influenced interiors, strong technology, good food, and an aesthetic that is confident without being showy. Its location in the city's most dynamic neighbourhood, near the Vistula River, makes it a well-placed base for both the Jewish Quarter and the historic centre.

Essaouira, Morocco

In September, Essaouira sits at the tail end of summer, when the Atlantic breezes that make the town famous for windsurfing and kitesurfing are still blowing, but the temperatures are very pleasant, the equivalent of a European summer's day. The walled medina — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Portuguese and Moroccan architecture — is one of Morocco's most relaxed: no motorbikes in the streets, no aggressive commerce, and an easygoing creative atmosphere that has attracted artists, musicians, and writers for decades. Jimi Hendrix stayed here, Cat Stevens found his faith here, and Orson Welles filmed part of Othello in the ramparts. The fresh seafood at the port, the argan oil cooperatives in the surrounding hills, and the wind-scoured beach that stretches for miles south of the city all warrant time.

• Heure Bleue is a Relais & Châteaux riad in the heart of the medina, originally a 19th-century palace for Essaouira's governor. The 33 rooms and suites are individually decorated in African, Portuguese, colonial English, and Oriental styles; an extravagant variety that reflects the city's cosmopolitan history. A rooftop pool, a hammam, a billiard room, and a restaurant combining French and Moroccan cuisine make it a very complete property, and the service has the warmth of a place that considers itself a private house first.
• Rebali Riads is a villa-resort on the Atlantic coast at Sidi Kaouki, 25 minutes south of Essaouira, set around swimming pools and gardens 100 metres from a beautiful wild beach. Six riad-style villas, some with private pools, overlook the sea, and the facilities include a hammam, tennis, and excellent Moroccan cuisine served wherever guests prefer: by the pool, on the roof terrace, or in the private garden. The wind and the waves make it one of the best kitesurfing spots in Morocco, and the remoteness from the city is a considerable part of its appeal.
• Les Jardins de Villa Maroc is a peaceful retreat ten kilometres outside the medina in the countryside around Essaouira, surrounded by argan and thuja trees, with a heated swimming pool, a spa, and rooms and suites of varying sizes and configurations. The French-Moroccan restaurant uses produce from the gardens and the surrounding land, and the absence of city noise makes it a particularly restful choice.
• Dar Adul is a beautifully restored riad in the medina, with just a handful of rooms arranged around a central courtyard in the traditional style, rooftop views over the ramparts and the Atlantic, and the warm, personal service of a very small guesthouse. It is the most intimate of the four options and the one that places guests most directly inside the texture of medina life.

Nice, France

Nice in September is the Côte d'Azur at its absolute best: the summer's extraordinary intensity has eased, the sea is still warm from three months of sun, and the city's twin character — the grand Italianate old town on one side, the long Promenade des Anglais stretching west on the other — is best appreciated without August's crowds. The daily Cours Saleya market, the narrow streets of the old town, the Marc Chagall National Museum, the Matisse Museum, and the views from the Castle Hill over the Baie des Anges are all at their finest in the warm September light. Day trips to Monaco, Antibes, and the villages of the Alpes-Maritimes are easy to arrange.

• Le Grimaldi is a boutique hotel in the heart of Nice's residential district, on rue Grimaldi, with well-appointed rooms and a warm, personal atmosphere that distinguishes it from the larger hotels on the Promenade. Its residential location makes it a strong base for exploring Nice like a local rather than a tourist, and the staff's knowledge of the city's best restaurants and markets is consistently praised.
• Hotel Amour Nice is the Nice outpost of the Paris Amour brand, bringing the same cultured, slightly bohemian personality to a warm Mediterranean context. The rooms are individually designed with a mix of local artworks and vintage furniture; the bar is good, and the terrace is one of the more pleasant places to be in Nice on a September evening.
• Hotel du Couvent is a former convent in the old town, transformed into a boutique hotel with considerable character. The building's original features — stone arches, terracotta floors, a cloister garden — have been carefully preserved and combined with contemporary design and a rooftop pool with views over the old town's terracotta rooftops. Its location in the Vieille Ville puts guests in the heart of Nice's most atmospheric part.
• Negresco Hotel is Nice's legendary grand dame, the Belle Époque palace on the Promenade des Anglais that has been a fixture of the city since 1913 and remains one of the most extraordinary hotel buildings in France. The pink dome, the vast art collection (including works by Niki de Saint Phalle and Gustave Eiffel), the Chantecler restaurant's two Michelin stars, and the hotel's absolute commitment to being exactly what it has always been make it an experience unlike any other on the Riviera.

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Savannah in September is the American South at its most beguiling: the summer's worst heat is breaking, the Spanish moss is still in full drape on the ancient oaks of the twenty-two squares, and the city's extraordinary architectural preservation — it is one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the United States — is at its most atmospheric in the warm autumn light. The city's food scene has developed significantly and now includes some of the finest restaurants in the American Southeast. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Mercer-Williams House, the First African Baptist Church, and the waterfront along the Savannah River are all worth a look.

• Hamilton Turner Inn is a Second Empire mansion built in 1873 in Lafayette Square that is one of the most beautiful buildings in Savannah, let alone among the city's hotels. The 17 rooms and suites are individually decorated with period antiques and the grandeur of the original architecture, and the evening socials in the drawing rooms give the inn a convivial, house-party atmosphere. The book (and film) "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" — which brought Savannah to international attention — is set partly in this house.
• The Alida is Savannah's most design-forward boutique hotel. It opened in 2018 on the waterfront with a strong art programme, 173 rooms of contemporary elegance, and a rooftop bar and pool with views over the Savannah River. The hotel is named for Alida Harper Fowlkes, a pioneering preservationist who saved much of what makes the historic district remarkable, and the commitment to telling Savannah's story runs through the property.
• Catherine Ward House Inn is a Victorian guesthouse in the Victorian District, a quieter residential neighbourhood south of the historic squares, with nine rooms and the deeply personal atmosphere of a well-run inn. The innkeeper's warmth, the quality of the breakfasts, and the location's access to both the historic squares and the city's lesser-visited parts make it a distinctive choice.
• The Drayton Hotel is a boutique property in the historic district that opened in a beautifully restored Victorian building, with rooms that draw on Savannah's colour and pattern traditions in a contemporary way. The rooftop bar offers views over the city's famous oak canopy, and the hotel's commitment to Southern hospitality — generous, unhurried, genuinely warm — makes it a great base.

Still not sure? 

• Browse through our full list of accommodation options in Marrakech
• Refine your search to include our recommendations for hotels in Georgia or the Best Places to Stay on the Amalfi Coast
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.