Autumn leaves and harvest festivals: The ultimate autumn train journey

When the weather turns colder, I'm often left craving a visit to a place that makes me feel cosy. With this in mind, Copenhagen — famous as the epicentre of hygge, a Danish word that conveys the feeling of quiet warmth — is the perfect place to begin an autumn train adventure. 

• Take a baking class and learn the art of Danish pastry-making from a professional chef. 

• Explore the city by renting a bike and heading down the Harbour Circle, a 13-kilometre cycle path through the city. 

• Meet locals at Absalon, a former church-turned-community house, where you may get the chance to meet and enjoy dinner with nearly 200 other people. 

From Copenhagen, travel north and immerse yourself in Danish history at Hillerød, a favourite royal holiday destination for over four centuries. 

• Spend a day exploring Frederiksborg Castle, the largest Renaissance castle in the Nordics.
• Experience more royal history at the Par Force Hunting Landscape, an ideal place for a quiet walk after a train ride. 
• If you’re feeling adventurous, start your day by hiking or cycling through Gribskov, one of Denmark’s largest forests, filled with giant trees and abundant wildlife. 

Gilleleje’s harbour, one of the largest industrial ports in North Zealand, is an active commercial and cultural centre. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a meal near the water and experience a taste of local life. 

• Take a brisk walk along the Gilleleje Veststrand, a beach located just a short walk from the train station
• Visit to Kulturhavn Gilleleje, a community space that is home to a library, restaurant, exhibition area, and more. 
• Dine at a restaurant on the busy Gilleleje Harbour — or buy seafood directly from a fishmonger to make your own delicious meal.

Hamburg is home to one of the busiest ports in Europe, but there are no shortage of ways to slow down and relax on a visit to Germany’s second-biggest city.

• Farmers have tended fruit orchards in the fertile Altes Land region outside Hamburg for hundreds of years. Take part in this age-old autumn tradition by visiting a farm for an afternoon of apple picking. 
• Pick up a secondhand souvenir (maybe a vinyl record or vintage jacket?) during a visit to the Flohschanze flea market, held every Saturday. 
• Seek out the quiet side of big city Hamburg by renting a canoe or kayak and exploring the city’s Alster Lakes. 

Munich's famous Oktoberfest is far from the only celebration worth visiting on an autumn trip to Bavaria.

• Light festival 
• Different side of Bavaria (use for intro)
• Romanic road
• Take in a sunset at the Brückenschoppen 

Many smaller cities and towns in Germany host their own versions of Oktoberfest – minus the crowds of Munich’s mega-celebration. But nowhere else pulls off an autumn festival quite like Ludwigsburg, located just above Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg. 

• The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival, said to be the “world's largest pumpkin exhibition," is held every autumn. Past festivities have included a pumpkin weighing competition, giant pumpkin carving events, and even a “pumpkin regatta,” where paddlers use hollowed-out pumpkins as canoes. 
• Called the “Versailles of Swabia", Ludwigsburg Palace offers travellers an eye-popping glimpse of Baroque extravagance and history – with a fraction of the crowds that flock to the French destination.  
• The castle views continue at Domäne Monrepos – but this time, you’ll admire the castle’s rococo architecture from the water. From mid-March through mid-October, visitors can rent boats to explore the waters around the 18th-century wonder.

Though famous for its Christmas market, Colmar is a pleasure to visit at any time of year — especially during autumn. This small riverside city near the French-German border is a perfect jumping off point for anyone hoping to explore the region's wine country and taste Alsatian cuisine. 

• Autumn is grape-harvesting season in the vineyards outside Colmar. Rent a bike and explore the Alsace vineyard route for an up-close look at the region’s villages, castles and beyond.   
• Learn the art of Alsatian cuisine by booking a cooking class with a local chef. Chez Mémé offers a four-hour culinary workshop that uses local, organic ingredients. 
• Linger in front of world-class artistic treasures, such as the Isenheim Altarpiece at the Unterlinden Museum, partially located in a former convent built in the thirteenth century.

Art and culture are everywhere you look in Basel, situated near the border of Switzerland, Germany, and France. After a few days in Basel — if your schedule allows it — continue deeper into Switzerland, experiencing the beauty of the Alps as the trees change colour in the autumn. 

• Did you know that Basel’s beloved Herbstmesse – a two-week-long autumn fair – dates all the way back to the 1400s? Visitors have the chance to ride the Ferris wheel alongside lifelong fairgoers and sample specialities such as the chäsbängel (a cheese-filled baguette) and magenbrot (sweet glazed biscuits). 
• Immerse yourself in Basel’s rich creative culture with a walk or bike ride on the Rehberger-Weg, a five-kilometre art path linking Germany and Switzerland. 
• While in Basel, take time to savour Swiss chocolate. Sign up for a chocolate tour to learn more about its production and history, or simply stop at a few local chocolatiers to do your own tasting and discover your favorite type of Swiss chocolate.