Kashmir
September is Kashmir's finest month - the saffron fields haven't bloomed yet but Dal Lake's chinar trees turn gold, house boats are warm, and the valley is crystal clear.
Japan (Tokyo)
Autumn food culture peaks in Japan - matsutake mushroom kaiseki dining, sake brewery season begins, and the Equinox week brings spectacular cemetery flower rituals.
Italy (Tuscany)
Tuscan grape harvest season - Chianti wine estates open for tastings, white truffle season begins in Alba, and the golden olive groves are being prepared for pressing.
Greece
Best time for the Greek islands - warm sea, dramatically thinner crowds, lower prices, and September light that makes every whitewashed wall glow like honey.
Kenya (Masai Mara)
The Great Migration is winding down but September sees massive concentrations still on the Mara. The last dramatic river crossings before the herds return south.
France (Bordeaux)
Bordeaux wine harvest - the Médoc Marathon runs through Pauillac and Saint-Julien vineyards with wine at every kilometer marker. The Dune du Pilat sand dune at golden hour.
Vietnam
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in Hoi An - thousands of lanterns launched on the Thu Bon River create a magical tableau. The north has cleared and Ha Long Bay is pristine.
Portugal (Douro Valley)
Douro Valley wine harvest - terraced vineyards turning gold and purple, harvesting parties in quintas, and river cruises past harvest workers in a scene unchanged for centuries.
Bhutan
Thimphu Tsechu festival - the largest in the country. Monks in silk robes perform masked dances in the dzong courtyard as the valleys begin their autumn flush.
Spain (San Sebastián)
San Sebastián International Film Festival and the world's highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita. Pintxos bar crawls in the Parte Vieja old town are an art form.
USA (New England)
Early autumn foliage begins in Vermont and New Hampshire. Country roads through covered bridges with maples turning red and orange - the most quintessentially American landscape.
Croatia
September is Croatia's best kept secret - all the Mediterranean warmth but half the tourist traffic. The sea is perfectly warm, truffle hunting season opens in Istria.
Switzerland
Alpine cow descent (Alpabzug) festivals bring garlanded, bell-wearing cows down from summer pastures in charming processions. The valleys turn golden between snow peaks.
Morocco (Atlas)
September is ideal for Atlas Mountain trekking - conditions are perfect, saffron harvest begins, and Erg Chebbi desert nights are warm but no longer sweltering.
Austria (Vienna)
Vienna Philharmonic season begins, the Wiener Wiesn-Fest (Vienna's Oktoberfest), and the Prater's chestnut trees turning golden along the famous Hauptallee.
Ladakh
Ladakh Festival in September brings archery, polo matches, and traditional costumes. All high passes still open, Nubra Valley at its most colourful, and clear mountain skies.
South Korea
Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) in September transforms Seoul with traditional food, family rituals, and Korean Confucian culture on vivid display. Seoraksan mountain foliage begins.
Turkey (Istanbul)
Istanbul Biennial and perfect Bosphorus weather. September is the city's finest month - the summer heat gone, the fish are running, and rooftop terrace dining under stars.
Georgia (Wine Country)
Georgia's Rtveli grape harvest festival in the Kakheti wine region. The world's oldest wine culture (8,000 years) celebrated with qvevri clay-pot wine, feasts, and polyphonic singing.
Peru
Machu Picchu in clearest skies of the year with purple orchids blooming on the terraces. The Inca Trail in dry season is at its most vivid and the ruins the most crowd-free.