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When to go · September

Wellness retreats in September

In September, 10 of our 15 wellness destinations are in their preferred season — Kerala, Rishikesh, Bhutan and Ubud and more — and 2 more are good alternatives.

AugustOctober
A houseboat moving through palm-lined Kerala backwaters

At their best

10 places in season in September

  1. A houseboat moving through palm-lined Kerala backwaters

    01 India · Asia

    Kerala

    • About 29°C by day
    • Ayurveda, Yoga
    • US$2,060per person

    For treatment the monsoon is the season — not despite the rain but because of it. Humidity keeps the skin and channels receptive to oil, the air is cool, and Keralans have taken their own annual course in this month for centuries. March to May is the part to avoid: 35 °C and humid is a poor climate for daily oil therapy. The brochures sell January because January photographs better, and it costs a great deal more for a less effective fortnight.

    Kerala in full
  2. Snow-covered Himalayan peaks above a wooded valley

    02 India · Asia

    Rishikesh

    • About 30°C by day
    • Yoga, Ayurveda
    • US$3,440per person

    February to April and late September to November: warm days, cold clear nights, and a river that is green rather than brown and in spate. July and August are landslide season in the hills. May and June are simply too hot for a full practice schedule, and December to January is cold enough that an unheated ashram room becomes a test of commitment.

    Rishikesh in full
  3. A walker on a high ridge in the Bhutanese Himalaya

    03 Bhutan · Asia

    Bhutan

    • About 23°C by day
    • Sowa Rigpa

    Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the only two settled-weather windows and they differ. Spring gives rhododendron across the hillsides and warming valleys; autumn gives the clearest skies of the year and the festivals. The monsoon closes the passes in July and August, and January is beautiful and extremely cold.

    Bhutan in full
  4. A temple standing on water in Bali

    04 Indonesia · Asia

    Ubud

    • About 29°C by day
    • Yoga
    • US$1,200per person

    April to September is the dry season and the only period we quote for. Ubud sits inland at elevation in jungle and catches noticeably more rain than the coast; December to February is the wettest stretch, and mould is a genuine consideration in an open-sided hall over a month-long stay.

    Ubud in full
  5. Sunlight through the trees of the Black Forest

    05 Germany · Europe

    Baden-Baden

    • About 20°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    Late spring and early autumn give the Lichtentaler Allee gardens, the Festspielhaus season and mild walking weather without August heat or the deep grey of a Rhine-valley winter. The baths themselves are indoors and open all year, so a January cure is perfectly possible — it is the walking half of the prescription that suffers.

    Baden-Baden in full
  6. Rooftops and towers of a Bohemian spa town

    06 Czechia · Europe

    Karlovy Vary

    • About 18°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    The cure is a walking cure — colonnade to colonnade, six to eight glasses a day — so it wants dry, mild weather. May, June, September and October are the window. Avoid early July for the film festival, and November to February for a cold valley and a walk that becomes an endurance test.

    Karlovy Vary in full
  7. An Alpine meadow below high peaks in Austria

    07 Austria · Europe

    Bad Gastein

    • About 17°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    Gastein is a genuine two-season alpine resort. Deep winter pairs the thermal baths with the Ski amadé area; high summer opens the Hohe Tauern hiking that the doctors prescribe as the other half of the cure. April to May and November are the classic Alpine Zwischensaison, when half the valley closes.

    Bad Gastein in full
  8. Atlantic surf running onto a wide Breton beach

    08 France · Europe

    Quiberon

    • About 19°C by day
    • Thalassotherapy

    April to June and September to October: the Côte Sauvage walking, the sea light and the best programme availability all fall then. August is French national-holiday saturation on a peninsula with one road. Bretons themselves often take a cure in November, when the sea is grey and the point is the water rather than the view — and it is a third cheaper.

    Quiberon in full
  9. An Alpine lake below mountains on the Swiss shore

    09 Switzerland · Europe

    Montreux

    • About 20°C by day
    • Longevity

    Late spring and early autumn give the lakeside walking and the Lavaux vineyards at their best, which matters because the programmes leave a lot of free afternoons. July is the Jazz Festival and the town is full. January is quiet and heavily discounted if a grey lake does not bother you.

    Montreux in full
  10. An Alpine meadow above the Inn valley

    10 Austria · Europe

    Tyrol

    • About 20°C by day
    • The Mayr cure, The thermal kur
    • US$5,350per person

    May to September is the window, because the graded walking that the doctors prescribe needs open paths and long light. November is the Alpine Zwischensaison and much of the valley closes. Winter courses run and work perfectly well — you simply do the walking on cleared paths in the cold.

    Tyrol in full
Travelling in September?

Tell us your dates and what you need — we will shortlist the right place and programme for September, free.

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September, answered

Questions about travelling in September

Where is best for Ayurveda in September?
Kerala (India) and Rishikesh (India) are in their preferred season for Ayurveda in September.
Where is best for The Mayr cure in September?
Tyrol (Austria) is in its preferred season for The Mayr cure in September.
Where is best for Onsen in September?
None of our Onsen destinations is at its best in September, but Beppu (Japan) is a good alternative.
Where is best for Yoga in September?
Kerala (India), Rishikesh (India) and Ubud (Indonesia) are in their preferred season for Yoga in September.
Where is best for The thermal kur in September?
Baden-Baden (Germany), Karlovy Vary (Czechia), Bad Gastein (Austria) and Tyrol (Austria) are in their preferred season for The thermal kur in September.
Where should I avoid in September?
We would suggest another month for The Ayurveda coast, Okinawa and The Nicoya peninsula — the season there is less suited to a wellness stay in September. Each destination page explains why.