Me and a friend are looking for a place with a good beach and access to more if we want it. We wondered if anyone has a recommendation and info on weather during that time? Any other recommendations, including hotels, food, etc. would be welcomed. Thanks

I've been in the Aeolian Islands (Italian, near Sicily) in October. Good beaches, wonderful food, great weather - I spent at least part of every day on the beach while I was there. Here are some photos, if you're interested: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/c1461898.html

Thanks for the link-your pictures are great. Was this from 2005? So it was warm enough to lay out? Was the water warm? Where is the closest airport and where do you have to be to get to the islands? Is it easy to go from island to island that time of year? Also, did you find that there were enough rest. and places open in Oct. or was most of the it shut down? Was Lipari the best of the islands? It looks great! Any suggestions on a central location/area to stay close to the beach and town would be most appreciated. Makes me want to go!

Southern Spain should be warm enough for beaches then.

I live in Southern Greece & was on the beach & going swimming in November last year, the sea was really warm!
October does see the start of more unpredictable weather throughout southern Europe though, you could have glorious weather all through, with cool evenings, or you could get rain! The most likely is a mix, with some opportunities for sunbathing, but no guarantees at that time of year. Out of the last 4-5 yrs here we've had one October with above average rain (one full week almost non-stop), 3 yrs of nice warm sunny weather, but clouding over most days mid to late afternoon & one year of warmer than usual temperatures!
So, a fair chance of good weather, but it is a gamble.

October is great month for swimming in mediterranean part of Turkey and it is really pleasent.....

Murat

Were it me, I would avoid islands where you could find transportation delayed due to unpredictable weather. Sicily can be a very windy place.

My first choice would be southern Spain, flying into Girona or Barcelona.

PS: There is a huge difference between the beginning of October and the end of October when it comes to beach weather on the Med.

Yep...Lisbon coast is grate also when in other places in Europe the summer is other.
The sun is still pretty hot, beachesn with less people are even more special, and cause Lisbon City is so close, lot of "lisboetas" use to spend the weekend on the beach untill the early winter.
Just bring something more than bikini and berbudas ;-)



----
some more tips to enjoy Lisbon
http://www.tipsguidelisboa.com

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am thinking early October,too. Any special Greek Island you would recommend, Yiassis? Or specific places in turkey, Propertravel? Both were on our list of places to try. We will follow your links, too!

Crete. In October you need to be as far south as you can. I highly recommend Paleochora

I agree with going south, so Crete or Rhodes, both have beaches & sights. Don't think that it must be an island though, the Peloponnese is huge, with some lovely beaches & tons of sites/sights!
Crete & Rhodes are featured in all guide books, but the Peloponnese is not usually very well covered, if at all.
Here's some sites to help you,
http://www.touristorama.com/region.p...nguage=english
http://www.visitmessinia.com/ (I know this area well, I live here!)also one of the beautiful beaches & nature reserve/wetland in the region,
http://www.messinia-guide.gr/item.as...9&category=207
If you wanted to venture inland to explore, this area is amazing & very picturesque,
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greece/Regions/LousiosGorge.html
That's just a taste of your options, happy research & planning!

Yes, thank yo all for the suggestions. Keep them coming. I will have homework to do now, but at least fee like we can find what we want. Greece is sounding REALLY good! Any one beach that comes to mind?