Following a scorching beginning to September, it’s looking as though autumn is finally upon us, but for those not quite ready to pack away their flip-flops you’re in luck.
The UK experienced a very mixed summer this year, leaving Brits longing to extend the last of the summer rays where possible. According to the Met Office, it was the eighth warmest summer on record by mean temperature, due to June’s heatwave, but equally the sixth wettest July on record.
At SIXT, we collated a list of the 50 most popular cities in Europe from Medium and ranked them based on average temperature, average days of rainfall, and average hours of daily sunshine, in the months of September, October and November.
In order to rank the destinations, we gave each city a score out of 10 on each metric mentioned above before calculating a total out of 30.
Chasing the sunshine has never been so simple, whether you’re looking for car hire for a long weekend, or an extended holiday, the below destinations should be plenty of inspiration for your upcoming European road trip.
Top 20 Cities for Autumn Sun in Europe
| # | City | Country | Avg Temperature | Avg Days of Rainfall | Avg Daily Sunlight Hours | Score out of 30 |
| 1 | Santorini | Greece | 20.7°C | 4.7 | 11.8 | 28.3 |
| 2 | Seville | Spain | 20°C | 5 | 11.5 | 27.4 |
| 3 | Athens | Greece | 19.7°C | 5.3 | 11.5 | 27 |
| 4 | Lisbon | Portugal | 18.7°C | 10.3 | 12.6 | 25.7 |
| 5 | Dubrovnik | Croatia | 18°C | 11.3 | 12.6 | 24.9 |
| 6 | Barcelona | Spain | 17.7°C | 5 | 10.3 | 24.3 |
| – | Valencia | Spain | 17.7°C | 7 | 11 | 24.3 |
| – | Rome | Italy | 17.7°C | 7.3 | 11.1 | 24.3 |
| 9 | Nice | France | 17.7°C | 9.3 | 11.8 | 24.4 |
| 10 | Split | Croatia | 16.7°C | 7.3 | 10.6 | 23 |
| 11 | Marseille | France | 16.3°C | 9.3 | 11.1 | 22.5 |
| 12 | Istanbul | Turkey | 16.3°C | 10.3 | 11.4 | 22.6 |
| 13 | Florence | Italy | 16°C | 11.7 | 11.7 | 22.1 |
| 14 | Porto | Portugal | 16°C | 13.3 | 12.2 | 22.2 |
| 15 | Madrid | Spain | 15.7°C | 8.3 | 10.4 | 21.6 |
| 16 | Granada | Spain | 15.3°C | 7.7 | 10 | 21.1 |
| 17 | Bordeaux | France | 14.7°C | 15.3 | 12.2 | 20.4 |
| 18 | Venice | Italy | 14°C | 10 | 10.1 | 19.4 |
| 19 | London | England | 13.3°C | 15.7 | 11.6 | 18.6 |
| 20 | Paris | France | 11.7°C | 13 | 9.9 | 16.3 |
- Santorini, Greece
With a high score of 28.3 out of 30 on our index, Santorini ranks as the best city in Europe to catch autumn rays. This beautiful island has the highest average autumn temperature than any other city we researched at 20.7°C, plus 11.8 hours of daily sunshine.
Opt for car hire in Santorini airport and experience breathtaking scenic drives. Those looking for a little romance can watch the sunset at Akrotiri lighthouse on the southwest corner of the island, whilst those looking for a spot of nature may fancy a drive to Perissa, located at the base of the mountain Mesa Vouno, before breaking for lunch.
- Seville, Spain
Coming second on our list is Seville with a score of 27.4 out of 30. The popular Spanish destination boasts charm and character, with iconic cathedrals and traditions such as flamenco dancing not to be missed.
Our study unveiled that Seville has a glorious average temperature of 20°C during the months of September to November, as well as an average of 11.5 hours of daily sunshine. Why not make the most of late sunshine with a car hire from Seville airport and take a trip to Playa de Matalascañas, a stunning 30km beach just 1 hour 15 minutes from the city centre?
- Athens, Greece
Following close behind is another Greek destination, Athens with a score of 27 out of 30. According to our findings, Athens has an average temperature of 19.7°C and 11.5 hours of daily sunshine during September-November.
Hire a car from Athens and embark on a road trip through this remarkable city as you conjure up images of myths and legends. Visit ancient Corinth for a taste of history, or journey to Mount Parnitha National Park to explore mysterious caves, mountain biking and try your luck at spotting the red deer.
Top 10 European Cities with the Least Rainfall in Autumn
When setting aside all other metrics, we were able to rank the European cities with the least average days of rainfall during September to November. Santorini once again tops the ranking with the least precipitation, however new cities enter the Top 10 list such as Bruges and Nuremberg.
- Santorini, Greece – 4.7 average days of rainfall
- Seville, Spain – 5 average days of rainfall
- Barcelona, Spain – 5 average days of rainfall
- Athens, Greece – 5.3 average days of rainfall
- Bruges, Belgium – 6 average days of rainfall
- Valencia, Spain – 7 average days of rainfall
- Rome, Italy – 7.3 average days of rainfall
- Split, Croatia – 7.3 average days of rainfall
- Granada, Spain – 7.7 average days of rainfall
- Nuremberg, Germany – 8 average days of rainfall
Methodology
We collated a list of the top 50 most popular European cities from Medium and gave them a score out of 30 based on several metrics.
Average temperature, level of rainfall, and daily hours of sunshine for all cities were sourced from Holiday Weather, except for Helsinki, Frankfurt, Tallinn, Nuremberg, Aarhus and Innsbruck that daily hours of sunshine were sourced from Climates to Travel due to lack of data.
Photocredits:
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/945285
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