Good evening

“It’s autumn and Madrid is breathing a collective sigh of relief. Everything is open again and the intense heat, which seems to ooze out of the walls and up from the pavements in summer, has mellowed to pleasantly warm.” For writer Annie Bennett, long-time resident of Spain, autumn is the perfect time to embrace the cultural and gastronomic delights of the capital.

Many Madrileños flee the punishing heat of the city during July and August, but as the days shorten, locals are returning to the bars, cafes, theatres and galleries and “noise levels are back to normal, which means cacophonous” and the “dazzling light and clear blue skies lift your mood as soon as you arrive”.

This scene is not unique to Madrid. It’s being played out in cities across Europe, from Athens to Zurich, as they shake off the torpor of summer and embrace a new season of cultural activity, festivals and “white night” museum and gallery openings. We asked six writers to celebrate autumn in their favourite city. Liz Boulter plumps for Palermo and the simple joys of wandering the crowd-free plazas and queuing at back street kiosks for sfincione (the Sicilian answer to pizza) and panelle (chickpea fritters). In Vienna, meanwhile, Becki Enright enjoys strolling the many parks and tree-lined avenues soaking up the “rusty amber and ochre glow the Austrians call Goldener Herbst (golden autumn)”.

In more ways than one, October and November are the “golden” season for city breaks in Europe, before the Christmas markets set out their stalls and the streets are clogged with shoppers and hotel prices creep up again. So if you’d like some inspiration on where to visit, brought to you by writers who know these cities inside out, don’t miss our guide.