Early October 1 October
74°F
Typical afternoon high
16% historical wet-day frequency
France · Beach
French Riviera & Provence
in October.
Is October a good time?
Mild days.
Fewer overnight stays than September.
October averages 71°F afternoons and 68°F seas, with about 7 rain days. Later October is typically cooler.
- Afternoons
- 71°F
- Sea
- 68°F
- Visitor demand
- 32%of August peak
Historical Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Nice, Marseille, Cannes, Avignon and Saint-Tropez; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.3/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather7.4/10Very good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; France-wide price level
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your October
What to expect.
What should I pack?
Afternoons around 71°F (21°C): T-shirt weather; nights around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 11 hours of daylight. About 7 rain days in a typical October.
Can I swim in October?
The sea averages 68°F. Our swimming guide: fresh: fine once you are in. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 11 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 07:49 and sets about 18:54 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 54°F (12°C); afternoons reach about 71°F (21°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical October.
Typical afternoon
71°F (21°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Octobers
Night low
54°F (12°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
68°F (20°C)
fresh; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
11h 05m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late October?
Early October is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 74°F on the 1st, versus 66°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 16% to 30% between those dates.
Mid October 15 October
71°F
Typical afternoon high
21% historical wet-day frequency
Late October 31 October
66°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Daily calendar & holiday datesOctober 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar
October 2026 calendar
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 174° | 274° | 374° | 474° | |||
| 573° | 673° | 773° | 872° | 972° | 1072° | 1171° |
| 1271° | 1371° | 1471° | 1571° | 1671° | 1770° | 1870° |
| 1970° | 2070° | 2170° | 2269° | 2369° | 2469° | 2569° |
| 2669° | 2768° | 2868° | 2967° | 3067° | 3166° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons cool from about 74°F (23°C) in the first week to 68°F (20°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 16–30%. Local schools are out 18–31 October 2026.
Schools here are off 18–31 October 2026 (All Saints holidays). Elsewhere in October 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 33%, Netherlands 39%, Switzerland 32%, Belgium 15%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Low season. October averages 32% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than September.
Overnight stays across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
A little above usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK and Philadelphia; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
Year-to-year variation
How much does October vary?
Across the recorded years
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 67°F (19°C) and 74°F (24°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 71°F (21°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 11; half the years had 5–8.
Rain days in each October
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no October in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
20 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded OctoberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 71°F | 4 |
| 2012 | 69°F | 8 |
| 2013 | 71°F | 8 |
| 2014 | 72°F | 7 |
| 2015 | 67°F | 8 |
| 2016 | 69°F | 7 |
| 2017 | 72°F | 0 |
| 2018 | 71°F | 11 |
| 2019 | 72°F | 8 |
| 2020 | 67°F | 7 |
| 2021 | 69°F | 5 |
| 2022 | 74°F | 4 |
| 2023 | 74°F | 7 |
| 2024 | 71°F | 11 |
| 2025 | 70°F | 5 |
Checked against 151 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
September, October
or November?
| Typical conditions | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 79°F | 71°F | 61°F |
| Sea | 72°F | 68°F | 64°F |
| Rain days | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 53% | 32% | 15% |
September: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and fewer rain days than October. More overnight demand. September guide →
November: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than October. Less overnight demand. November guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with October Show comparisonHide comparison
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. October stays as your reference.
June to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than October, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
October or September?
Overnight stays are 53% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the September guide →| Typical conditions | October | September |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 71°F | 79°F |
| Nights | 54°F | 60°F |
| Sea | 68°F | 72°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 4 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.3 | 7.9 |
| Month rank | #5 | #2 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.2 | #12 | 54°F | 40°F | 57°F | 5 | 3.2 | Low season |
| February | 5.8 | #10 | 56°F | 40°F | 56°F | 6 | 3.8 | Low season |
| March | 6.6 | #8 | 61°F | 44°F | 57°F | 5 | 5.1 | Low season |
| April | 7.0 | #7 | 67°F | 48°F | 59°F | 5 | 6.7 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.6 | #3 | 73°F | 54°F | 63°F | 6 | 8.3 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.9 | #1 | 83°F | 62°F | 70°F | 3 | 9.7 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.5 | #4 | 88°F | 66°F | 74°F | 1 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| August | 7.2 | #6 | 87°F | 65°F | 75°F | 2 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| September | 7.9 | #2 | 79°F | 60°F | 72°F | 4 | 9.5 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.3 | #5 | 71°F | 54°F | 68°F | 7 | 7.4 | Low season |
| November | 6.5 | #9 | 61°F | 47°F | 64°F | 8 | 4.6 | Low season |
| December | 5.8 | #11 | 56°F | 41°F | 60°F | 7 | 3.8 | Low season |
Near here
Nearby places in October
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Lyon & the French AlpsRhône-Alpes · France · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.9 · Very good weather, 65°F (19°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
PiedmontItaly · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 7.8 · Very good weather, 65°F (19°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Liguria & the Cinque TerreItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 7.0 · Good weather, 69°F (21°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Languedoc-RoussillonFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Very good weather, 71°F (22°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Lake Geneva & ValaisSwitzerland · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 6.4 · Very good weather, 63°F (17°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
Elsewhere in Europe
Better October weather than French Riviera & Provence
French Riviera & Provence's weather ranks 33 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with French Riviera & Provence.
SardiniaItaly · about 310 miles
Excellent weather (9.0): 5°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
Mallorca & the BalearicsSpain · about 340 miles
Excellent weather (9.4): 5°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Valencia & the Costa BlancaSpain · about 460 miles
Excellent weather (9.1): 7°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
MurciaSpain · about 570 miles
Excellent weather (9.5): 8°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
PugliaItaly · about 580 miles
Very good weather (8.6): 3°F warmer afternoons
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 32% of the busiest month and 24% below its average month. That means about 118,000 overnight visitors on a typical October night across the region, 65% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 61,000 more: 51 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 72 |
| How our weather was checked | 151 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 22 |
| Busiest month here | August · 70 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 78th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 65% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 51 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 3.3% |
| National hotel-price season | France historical 2024–2025 index: A little above usual (+5% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 5.3 million |
| Statistical region | FRL0 · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.