Need suggestions for places to visit in October

Spain, Portual, maybe Sicily (if you are willing to drive), maybe Greece (in October tourist areas may be winding down though) or the south of Italy.

I'm thinking south because it is likely to be warm and sunny. Northern areas could be cold and rainy. Last October I was watching the daily weather in Poland and Budapest - lots of rain, highs in the 50s already at the beginning of the month . . . so this year, I'm going there in September.

I really liked northern Italy in October. It seems like the perfect time to be there, (somewhat) less crowded, less expensive and less hot.

I don't really want to be in Rome until late October/early November when the weather cools.

Madeira ? Part of Portugal, but only you can decide if you consider it part of Europe.

Thank you all for the suggestions!
@ronfer46: Own preferences is perfectly fine. I realize that anything north would probably have more unpredictable/uncomfortable weather, which is why I'd love to learn of places that other people enjoyed during the month of October and why they enjoyed them.
I loved the culture/food/people watching in Rome. My husband loves hiking and he loved what the Berner Oberland region had to offer with respect to that.

October is the perfect time to be in Andalusia, Spain.
Fly into Malaga, and take accommodation for a week near El Chorro/Alora. Hike the caminito del Rey, or other suggestions here...
https://www.spain-holiday.com/Andalusia/articles/a-weekend-trip-hiking-the-best-trails-in-andalusia
You will need a car, but that will also allow you to visit Ronda, Granada, Nerja.
Follow on with time in Sevilla, and even Madrid if you have 2 weeks for the trip.

If you liked Rome and you want nice weather in October go to Greece! It's rich in culture, full of friendly people, great food... We ourselves will be doing a little trip to Greece in late October: Fly to Athens, visit the main sites for a day, then take Blue Star overnight ferry from Pireus to Rhodes, stay 2 days, then ferry to Kos, stay 2 days and overnight ferry back to Athens. Of course there is even more to explore and see on Crete, but we've been there a couple of times already. Yet, you can do it by ferry from Pireus and many other places as well.

We take the ferries as they save us one hotel night and sailing the Aegean sea is just beautiful anyway. Also we don't enjoy tight aircraft seats, airport security checks etc etc.

Hi,

Not to hijack this thread but my husband and I are also in search of a European destination to visit in October with another couple. We would be travelling approximately around October 14-22nd. Our friends who would be joining us recently moved to Rotterdam so we will arrive around October 12th to The Netherlands and explore for 2 days before moving on to a destination together. We are struggling with where to go because we are worried about cold weather which may limit us from fully experiencing the destination. Places of interest to us (somewhat in order of favorite) are Greece, Croatia, Switzerland, Scotland, Budapest, Germany. Are any of these places better than others to visit during the October time frame mentioned, maybe a combination of a few places (open to other options that what is listed above)? My concern with Greece is that it sounds like the islands begin to shut down after the middle of October though it sounds like the weather may be nice. We are from Texas so 60's is starting to get pretty cold for us. Warmer destinations are a plus!

I have to take issue with the idea that October is so late in the year that one must take refuge below the Alps. Maybe north of the Baltic Sea that is true (I don't know) but certainly France is fair game. Much of Italy will probably still be pretty warm.

I would suggest some combination of Lyon, the French Alps, and Provence--perhaps 2 out of 3 if you want to take things slow. Lyon and Provence have strong Roman roots and Lyon shows influences from the Italian renaissance & is generally delightful.

October weather in "northern" Europe is a crapshoot in October. You could have mild, sunny days and beautiful foliage, or you could have clouds, rain, daytime highs in the 50s (or lower although that's unlikely). If you do chose someplace north of the alps, I'd recommend a city with indoor things to do, adjacent to beautiful nature areas for hiking. Actually this makes Bavaria with Munich as a base an appealing option.

That said, October is perfect for visiting those countries too hot to visit in the Summer. I'm doing Spain/Portugal this October for this reason (after a late September trip to Greece).