We love autumn at The Hotel Guru! It's a month that transforms countries with extraordinary light, fewer crowds, and a particular atmosphere of a season in transition. Colours change, days become shorter, and before you know it, Christmas has arrived! These five countries are at their best from September through to November, whether that's because of their fabulous Autumn foliage, still-warm weather or wealth of cultural activities that can be enjoyed without the summer hordes.

Japan

Japan in autumn (as well as the spring) is one of the world's great seasonal experiences: the koyo (autumn foliage) season transforms the country's forests, temple gardens, and mountain landscapes into extraordinary compositions of red, orange, and gold from late October through November. Kyoto's Arashiyama bamboo grove and the garden at Eikan-do, Tokyo's parks and the maple forests of Yamadera and Nikko are all extraordinary. Japan's food culture — one of the finest in the world at any time of year — takes on an autumnal character with matsutake mushrooms, Pacific saury, and the new season's sake all coming into their own.

• Kyoto Karasuma Rokkaku is a small boutique inn in central Kyoto with Japanese aesthetics and a personal atmosphere that gives guests a more immersive experience of the city than the larger hotels. Its location in the heart of Kyoto's historic centre puts autumn foliage temples within walking distance.
• Fufu Kawaguchiko is a traditional ryokan on Lake Kawaguchi, one of the Fuji Five Lakes, with views of Mount Fuji across the water and autumn foliage framing the mountain in October and November. The onsen baths, kaiseki meals, and the extraordinary Fuji view make it one of the finest ryokan experiences in central Japan.
• Trunk Hotel is a design hotel in Tokyo's Shibuya neighbourhood with a strong creative identity and a commitment to sustainability. The rooms are thoughtfully conceived, the restaurant and bar draw a local crowd, and the Shibuya location gives access to the best of Tokyo's autumn programming.
• Hakone Retreat Villa is a luxury hotel in the Hakone National Park with private villas, open-air onsen baths, and the extraordinary volcanic landscape of the Owakudani crater and Lake Ashi as backdrop. Hakone in autumn, with Mount Fuji occasionally visible and the surrounding forests in colour, is one of Japan's finest seasonal destinations.

Cyprus

Cyprus in autumn is the Mediterranean at its most inviting: the summer's intense heat has broken by October, the sea is still warm from three months of sun, and the island's extraordinary concentration of Venetian, Byzantine, Crusader, and ancient Greek heritage can be explored in comfortable temperatures. The Troodos Mountains, with their Byzantine fresco churches (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Paphos archaeological park, the old city of Nicosia (the last divided capital in Europe), and the wine villages of Commandaria — home to one of the world's oldest wine traditions — all deserve time.

• Columbia Beach Resort is a five-star resort in Pissouri Bay, on the unspoiled southern coast of Cyprus, with suites designed to reflect the island's Mediterranean vernacular architecture. The private beach, the spa, and the position at the edge of a traditional Cypriot village all contribute to an experience that feels genuinely embedded in the island.
• Amyth of Nicosia is a boutique hotel in the historic centre of Nicosia, the Cypriot capital, with intimate design and warm service that reflect the property's personal character. The old city of Nicosia — the walled quarter, the Green Line, the extraordinary Selimiye Mosque (formerly a Gothic cathedral) — is immediately accessible.
• Casale Panayiotis is a village-hotel development in the Troodos mountains, where an entire historic village has been restored into a retreat of traditional stone houses, a hammam, and a restaurant focusing on Cypriot village cuisine. The autumn light in the Troodos and the coloured forests of the mountain slopes make October an especially rewarding time to visit.
• Apokryfo is a small collection of traditional stone houses in the village of Lazanias in the Troodos, converted into luxury boutique accommodation. The village setting, mountain views, and extraordinary tranquillity of the Cypriot mountains in autumn make it a compelling retreat.

United Kingdom

The UK in autumn is at its most romantically beautiful: the colours of the New Forest, the Scottish Highlands, the Cotswolds, and the Lake District from October through November are extraordinary, and the country's country house hotel culture — one of the finest in the world — comes into its own when there are fires lit in the grates and the light through the windows has the quality of a Constable painting.

• Linthwaite House Hotel is a Relais & Châteaux property situated just above Windermere, in the Lake District, with views across the lake to the surrounding fells and an atmosphere of quiet, well-appointed luxury that has made it one of England's most admired country house hotels. The Lake District's autumn colours are exceptional.
• The Meikleour Arms is a small hotel in the village of Meikleour in Perthshire, Scotland, adjacent to the famous Meikleour Beech Hedge (a hedge of over 100 beech trees, over 30 metres high, planted in 1745 and now the tallest in the world). The hotel is a beautifully restored coaching inn with a strong local food and drink programme, and the surrounding Perthshire countryside is among the finest in Scotland in October.
• The Howard Arms is a characterful inn in the Cotswold village of Ilmington, with rooms in a beautifully restored stone building, an excellent restaurant, and the rolling Cotswold landscape immediately outside. The autumn colours in this part of England — the beech and oak woodlands, the dry-stone walls, the golden stone villages — are particularly fine.
• Chewton Glen is one of England's finest country house hotels, in the New Forest on the Hampshire coast, with exceptional spa facilities, a cookery school, and the combination of New Forest heathland and coastal landscape that makes autumn here particularly beautiful. The treehouses in the grounds are among Britain's most distinctive accommodation options. Service is traditional and exceptional, making it a favourite of ours.

India

India in autumn — October and November, as the monsoon retreats from the south and the north enters its finest season — offers two of the country's greatest experiences: the festival of Diwali (usually October or November) and the finest weather for visiting Rajasthan, the Himalayas, and the royal palaces of the Gangetic plains. The light after the monsoon in Rajasthan is extraordinary, the tiger safari parks are at their best before the heat builds, and the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are at their most vivid.

• Narendra Bhawan is a boutique hotel in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in a beautifully converted royal residence with 59 rooms that reflect the personal aesthetic of Maharaja Narendra Singh, after whom the palace was named. The hotel's approach to Rajasthani heritage — intimate, personal, deeply immersive — makes it one of the finest small palace hotels in India.
• Taj Exotica Resort & Spa brings the Taj group's reliable luxury to Goa, where the autumn weather is perfect for the beach and the surrounding Old Goa's extraordinary Portuguese churches — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — reward exploration. The resort's combination of beach access, spa, and the quality of Taj service makes it a strong Goa option.
• Glenburn Tea Estate is a working tea estate in the Darjeeling hills with six cottages and bungalows in a spectacular position on the banks of the Rungeet and Relli rivers, surrounded by 1,600 acres of working tea garden. The autumn (second flush) harvest is complete by October, and the estate in November — clear skies, Kangchenjunga visible, the tea garden quiet — is at its most beautiful.
• Ananda in the Himalayas is one of the world's great wellness retreats, on a 100-acre estate in the foothills above Rishikesh, with the former Viceroy's Palace as its centrepiece. The Ayurveda, yoga, and wellness programmes are exceptional, and the autumn views of the Himalayan foothills from the estate's terraces are outstanding. One of the best yoga retreats in India.

Canada

Autumn in Canada is one of the best seasonal travel experiences: the maple forests of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia erupt in colour from late September through October in what Canadians call the fall foliage season. Quebec City's walled old city, the vineyards of the Niagara Peninsula, the fishing villages of the Gaspé Peninsula, and the wide-open spaces of Nova Scotia all have an autumn character unlike anywhere else. The Canadian food scene has developed considerably; the farm-to-table culture of rural Ontario and the seafood of the Maritime provinces are both at their best in autumn.

• Monastère des Augustines is a converted 17th-century Augustinian monastery in Old Quebec City, transformed into a hotel and wellness retreat that honours the building's contemplative past. The 65 rooms preserve the simplicity and spiritual character of the original monastery while offering genuine comfort, and the museum tracing the history of the Augustinian Sisters in New France is remarkable.
• Buffalo Mountain Lodge is a log cabin hotel in Banff National Park in Alberta, set above the town of Banff with views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The autumn colours in Banff, the larches turning gold, the aspens vivid against the mountain backdrop, draw photographers from around the world in late September and early October.
• Keltic Lodge is a long-established resort on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, on a promontory above the Cabot Trail coastal highway with views over the Atlantic. The autumn colours along the Cabot Trail are among the finest in Canada, and the lodge's warmth and the quality of Cape Breton's seafood make it an excellent base.
• Inn on the Twenty is a boutique inn in Jordan, Ontario, in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula wine country, adjacent to Cave Spring Cellars and the On the Twenty restaurant. The autumn harvest season brings the region to life, with harvest dinners, winery events, and the colours of the vine, and the inn's central location makes it the perfect base for Ontario wine country in October.

Still not sure? 

• Browse through our full list of accommodation options in or near Rishikesh or Jaipur.
• Refine your search to include our recommendations for the best hotels in Kyoto and Tokyo
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.