bigfootwanders
Where to go in October / France in October / Loire Valley & Centre / October

France · Countryside

Loire Valley & Centre
in October.

Illustration of Château de Chenonceau over the River Cher
Château de Chenonceau over the CherDestination view, not month-specific.

Is October a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
Fewer overnight stays than September.

October averages 65°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days. Later October is typically cooler.

Afternoons
65°F
Rain days
10
Visitor demand
39%of August peak

Historical Centre — Val de Loire regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Loire châteaux, Tours and Orléans; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.4/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#3 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather7.6/10Very good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for 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 65°F (18°C): light layers; nights around 48°F (9°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 11 hours of daylight.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 11 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:10Sunset 19:0848°F65°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:10 and sets about 19:08 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 48°F (9°C); afternoons reach about 65°F (18°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical October.

Typical afternoon
65°F (18°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Octobers
Night low
48°F (9°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
10h 58m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late October?

Early October is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 68°F on the 1st, versus 60°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 32% to 39% between those dates.

Early October 1 October

68°F

Typical afternoon high

32% historical wet-day frequency

Mid October 15 October

65°F

Typical afternoon high

34% historical wet-day frequency

Late October 31 October

60°F

Typical afternoon high

39% 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.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
168°268°368°468°
567°667°767°866°966°1066°1166°
1266°1366°1466°1565°1665°1765°1865°
1965°2064°2164°2264°2364°2464°2563°
2663°2762°2862°2961°3061°3160°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 68°F (20°C) in the first week to 62°F (17°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 30–40%. 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 and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. October averages 39% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than September.

Overnight stays across Centre — Val de Loire do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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.

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 61°F (16°C) and 70°F (21°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 65°F (18°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 18; half the years had 6–14.

Rain days in each October

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 14 rain days142013: 14 rain days142014: 9 rain days92015: 6 rain days62016: 5 rain days52017: 6 rain days62018: 7 rain days72019: 18 rain days182020: 16 rain days162021: 10 rain days102022: 12 rain days122023: 12 rain days122024: 13 rain days132025: 9 rain days92025
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 15 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
21 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded OctoberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201166°F6
201263°F14
201365°F14
201467°F9
201561°F6
201662°F5
201766°F6
201868°F7
201964°F18
202061°F16
202164°F10
202270°F12
202369°F12
202465°F13
202563°F9

Checked against 143 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

September, October
or November?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsSepOctNov
Afternoons74°F65°F54°F
Rain days71010
Overnight demand54%39%26%

September: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than October. More overnight demand. September guide →

November: Cooler afternoons than October. Less overnight demand. November guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

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 54% 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 →
October compared with another month
Typical conditionsOctoberSeptember
Afternoons65°F74°F
Nights48°F52°F
Rain days107
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 107.47.9
Month rank#3#1
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1247°F35°F134.6Low season
February6.8#1050°F35°F115.3Low season
March7.2#657°F38°F106.3Low season
April7.3#563°F42°F77.6Moderate season
May7.4#269°F48°F98.3Moderate season
June7.3#476°F55°F88.7Busy season
July7.0#780°F58°F79.0Peak season
August6.8#980°F57°F59.0Peak season
September7.9#174°F52°F79.1Moderate season
October7.4#365°F48°F107.6Moderate season
November6.9#854°F41°F105.7Low season
December6.5#1150°F38°F124.8Low 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.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better October weather than Loire Valley & Centre

Loire Valley & Centre's weather ranks 36 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Loire Valley & Centre.

All of France in October · Everywhere in October

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 39% of the busiest month and 19% below its average month. That means about 23,000 overnight visitors on a typical October night across the region, 84% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 13,000 more: 57 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)73
How our weather was checked143 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day9
Busiest month hereAugust · 22
Visitors as share of people present0.9%
Rank among Europe's regions this month34th percentile
Domestic share of nights84%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights57
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.4%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little above usual (+5% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used2.6 million
Statistical regionFRB0 · Centre — Val de Loire

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.