October’s arguably the best time for a family holiday. Less crowded (and expensive) than summer, but before festive madness begins, it’s the ideal time to flee the UK as temperatures drop and spend some quality time together. But where to go? We’ve hunted out all kinds of fun and fabulous things to do this October, from villa holidays in Mallorca to climbing volcanoes in Tenerife and seeing wolves in Hungary, from as little as £84 per night!

1. Go football crazy, Maldives

If it’s a case of eat, sleep, football, repeat in your house, you’ll be interested to hear Siyam World resort in the Maldives has teamed up with footie legend Rio Ferdinand to host an intimate football camp for kids aged 5-15 years this October half-term. Unexpectedly for what is essentially a desert island, there’s a beautiful grass pitch edged by a turquoise lagoon and, while the children learn to perfect their volleys and nutmeg’s, you can escape to the spa or relax in your over-water bungalow. Bliss.

Seven nights from £7,200 for a villa for a family of four, including seaplane transfers and stay on an all-inclusive basis. International flights not included. 

2. Join the circus, Dominican Republic

There’s a golden beach, swaying palms, turquoise ocean and gourmet restaurants at all-inclusive Club Med Punta Cana Resort, but when you’re a kid it’s all about the Circus School. From the flying trapeze and bungee jumps to tightropes, juggling and aerial silk ropes, they’re going to learn an awful lot of new skills under the watchful eye of the professional staff while you’re topping up your tan. But it’s not only circus skills your kids will return home with, there’s also the chance to try archery, sailing, tennis, Zumbatonic (dancing to hip hop, reggae and salsa), ninja bootcamp and being nature detectives. For a bit of down time, Zen Tales, combining yoga and stories, hits the spot.  

From £1586pp all-inclusive and including flights with Thomas Cook.

3. Hang out in a villa, Mallorca

It’s the dream, right? Gather extended fam for a multi-gen getaway to villa Les Roques de C’an Guixe near Alcudia in the north of the island. This gorgeous getaway, available through Vintage Travel, sleeps 10 in five bedrooms, has a heated pool (hooray), barbecue area, games, palm trees, log burner and lies close to stunning Tramunata Mountains where you can hike and bike. Worried about the weather? Autumn’s a particularly pleasant time to visit Mallorca – Oct still has plenty of days of sunshine and temperatures are in the early 20s, though there does tend to be little more rainfall this month.

Seven nights (from 17 Oct) £1824. 

4. Get sporty, Cyprus

If you’re a sporty family, you can’t do better than flying to gorgeous Columbia Beach Resort in sunny Cyprus, where you can hold your own mini Olympics. Compete at tennis, swimming, cycling, archery, basketball, watersports like SUP and kayaking, boules and, err, ping pong. There’s no way any kid could get bored on a beachside break here, but if they do mention the b word, there’s always an activity-filled kids’ club to keep them occupied.

From £312 per room (sleeps four), per night.

5. See wolves in Budapest, Hungary

Wolves in a city? Ok, the Budakeszi Vadaspark (wildlife park) is technically twenty minutes outside Budapest but it’s worth the drive because you and the kids can see more than 50 native species including wolves, jackals, brown beers, foxes, deer and, erm, hedgehogs (there’s a dinosaur park and zip-lines too). Back in the city, stay in a family room at The MEININGER Budapest Great Market Hall and spend the rest of the holiday riding trams, boating on the Danube and showing your kids the awesome Gothic and Baroque buildings.

Park entry from £8.90 for adults. Family rooms at The Meininger from £84 per night. 

6. Have a spooktacular Halloween, Algarve

There’s a scary amount of things on offer this half term if you check into the Magnolia Hotel at Quinta do Lago resort, including a Halloween and pirate adventure at party place The Shack (pictured), including entertainment, music and food (29 Oct)), Scary Run (28 Oct), costume parade (30 Oct), haunted dinner (30 Oct), ‘spooktakular brunch’ (27 Oct) and a Sunset Scary Party (31 Oct). The best bit? Kids eat and stay free for the week.

From £165 per night. 

7. Play on the beach, St Lucia 

If you’ve cash to splash, how about flying to the Caribbean to stay at family-friendly Windjammer Landing? Spacious hillside villas, Jacquot Fun Club (it offers everything from free tennis lessons to arts and crafts), watersports and one of the best golden beaches on the island await.

Deluxe room (sleeps four) from £154 per night.

8. Kayak at Lake Skadar, Montenegro 

If you and the crew love to keep active while you’re away, this seven-day hols in a renovated farmhouse in Lake Skadar National Park is the perfect choice. Days are filled with kayak safaris, caving, wild swimming, biking, waterfall walks and wine-tasting (ok that bit’s just for the adults). Oh and every trip helps fund an on-going project to protect nesting sites of the rare Dalmatian Pelican – the symbol of Lake Skadar.

From £745 per person (minimum age 7; 10% discount for under 14s). 

9. Ride roller coasters at Efteling, Holland

Holland’s biggest theme park might not be on your radar, but it should be. Forget Disney, this is based on fairy tales, fables and legends, with a magical forest where you’ll find everyone from Cinderella to Pinocchio, and some awesome roller coasters including Baron 1898 which plunges 37 metres into a mineshaft. Gulp. At night, family fun includes the Aquanura, a light show with 200 fountains, fire and light, of a spectacular who at the Efteling Theatre. Accommodation-wise there’s a choice of hotel, holiday park or treetop cabin.

Six-person cabin from £908 for three nights including breakfast and three days’ unlimited access to the theme park. 

10. Visit a volcano, Tenerife

Wyndham Residences Golf del Sur on the Canary Island’s southern shore is a children’s paradise of splash pools, kids club and play areas, however it’s a family excursion to the peak of Tenerife’s Mount Teide that really sets it apart from other beach breaks. Riding a cable car to the highest volcanic peak in the Atlantic region? Now that’s got to be worth some bragging points back at school.

From £72 per night, and there’s currently 15% off all autumn bookings!

11. Mountain bike in Catalonia, Spain

Explore the Catalan countryside on a fabulous family biking holiday; think rides to lakes and alongside rivers, with picnics, adventure parks, archery and kayaking along the way. There’s also the chance to do some mountain hiking and horse riding and when you get back to your boutique hotel (a former stone-built country house) you can dive into the solar-heated swimming pool.

From £565 per person, based on a family of four sharing a family room. There’s a €50 discount if you arrive from the UK by train! 

12. Swim with dolphins, Azores

Portugal’s secret islands are scattered across the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and make a truly magical break for kids of all ages (and adults too). There’s a jaw-dropping amount of activities on offer – biking, canyoning, wild swimming, hiking, coasteering – but it’s the dolphin experiences in the beautiful blue waters around São Miguel island that’ll unite the whole family, and cause a flurry of camera phone action. You can spot pods from a boat, or swim alongside them in the wild (strictly no touching!), children must be aged six years and over.

From £7396pp based on a family of four, flights and activities included, with Sunvil. Dolphin experience, £113 per adult and £96 per child.

13. Forage in a forest, Tuscany 

Kids will love going feral in the forest that surrounds tranquil family-owned Oasyhotel, particularly getting their hands dirty on a foraging excursion with the hotel’s head chef. Autumn bounty includes chestnuts and porcini mushrooms and you might even spot some porcupines and wild boar along the way. The best bit? Getting to eat what you’ve foraged in a slap-up meal back at base followed by an evening campfire with storytelling and night-time nature walk.

From £463pn in a lodge sleeping four. 

14. Learn to dive, Turkey

Perfect for tots (think kids’ club, baby pools, child menus), but also for teens, as Mark Warner’s Phokaia Beach Resort has a fantastic choice of watersports, including windsurfing, wakeboarding, waterskiiing, kayaking and diving (if you’re aged ten-plus) with a PADI qualified team. And when they’re not splashing around in the big blue, there are kids’ clubs for various ages (1-17 years), meaning you get a chance to relax in the spa!

Seven nights from £1065pp including flights, full-board and £50 bar credit per adult, based on 22 Oct departure. Use Promo Code: Turkish Treat.