A new travel season means new trends, new openings and fresh festivals. So what’s literally hot for autumn 2026? From country house escapes, gourmet croissant hauls, sauna raves, and yes, chilli festivals, here are ten trends you can expect to feature on your staycation calendar.
Samhain season
You can’t talk about autumn in Ireland without showboating Halloween. And being the ancestral home of the ancient festival of Samhain, it’s great to see a celebratory renaissance of those traditional roots year on year. Discover Ireland have unveiled seven hubs for celebrations for 2026 with an eclectic line-up of atmospheric events around the country.
The City of Tribes will host Gaillimh Ah-Boo! (cliste!) featuring its annual Macnas parade and dark history tours, while in Ireland’s Ancient East the Púca Festival with headline happenings in the Boyne Valley while the Lú Festival of Light will illuminate the town of Drogheda. Nearby in Longford and Westmeath, the counties will be hosting the likes of the Fire & Shadows procession and An Tairseach Samhain, while in North County Dublin, the Fingal Festival of Fire will be setting the skies alight while Limerick’s Harvest Festival will be taking place at the popular Milk Market.
In The Kingdom, Samhain Ciarraí will mark a fortnight of colourful events while food lovers can make tracks for Savour Kilkenny, taking place at the city’s iconic castle. And don’t forget about Derry’s magical festival as an option too.
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Bakery tourism
Sweet treat craze, anyone? It doesn’t seem long ago that heading out for food on a weekend morning meant a fix of eggs Benny or avocado toast, but now there’s a growing rise (pun intended) in our grá for every baked good from almond croissants to chocolate cruffins. With that bakery tourism is emerging as a new travel mainstay where consumers can now experience accessible luxury produce in trendy, artisanal bakers rather than splashing out on an extravagant meal. There are a whole plethora of options to enjoy from The Grumpy Bakers in Cork to Scéal Bakery in Dublin. Perhaps we can look forward to some tasty seasonal specials too?
Slow birding
As wildlife tourism evolves like all niches, there’s a growing appreciation that you no longer need to embark on an epic safari to get a thrill from wildlife. A simple “twitch” will do the trick. Trending slow birding, for example, celebrates low-impact, low-mile wildlife watching closer to home and appreciating some of our lesser sung avian delights. Autumn is a great time to pull out the binoculars, with migrating visitors such as Brent geese on the island as well as the likes of skuas and shearwaters along the south coast. For a great day out, pay a visit to the RSPB centre in Belfast, North Bull Island in Dublin or Harper’s Island in Cork. To make a night of it, the family-run Castle Hotel in Macroom offers excellent dining breaks and sits just a kilometre, as the heron flies, from the tranquil Gearagh bird sanctuary. Keep an eye out for giant egrets!
Country house stays
Is there anything more inviting than a country house stay in autumn? Benefit from lower off-season rates and a wonderfully inviting atmosphere whether curling up alongside a roaring fire, or even retiring by the pool if we’re treated to an Indian summer this year. Ireland is blessed with a whole host of hideaways, with collections from Ireland’s Blue Book properties and Hidden Ireland to independent gems peppered across the countryside. Fancy a whole-house takeover for friends or family? The Irish Landmark Trust also offers characterful historic properties which make for excellent value, particularly when there’s a gang to divvy up the costs.
Glowcations
South Korea seems to be the new Japan when it comes to leading TikTok travel trends and now glowcations is just one of the latest. The trend, where consumers travel for skin care and wellness is on the rise, not only for women but also for males who previously may have given the cryotherapy a skip. You don’t need to travel to Seoul either … how about popping Tipp in your wellness diary. The Horse & Jockey Hotel in Thurles features a great spa and excellent value autumn wellness and dining breaks for anyone chasing a value wellness getaway. Pair a treatment with a walk along the Littleton Labyrinth which reaches the majestic ruins of Derrynaflan Church.
Sauna scene
Forget Finland, saunas have become such a mainstay feature of the Irish coastal experience, it’s hard to image sea swimming without them. But with their proliferation, how can they stand out from the crowd? A rave sauna, no less. Adding a new musical element is taking the experience next level, by providing outlets for those not wishing to spend their nights (or at least all of it) in a pub, and increasing wholesome community levels too. Coastal Cabins located on Garryvoe Beach in East Cork are one such operation, where you can sweat, plunge and throw shapes while overlooking Ballycotton Lighthouse in the bay. Keep an eye out for their popular full moon sauna sessions too.
Spice and chilli tourism
A literal hot trend alert. There’s been an exponential global rise in the appeal of chillies, hot sauce and spicy food in recent years, not least thanks to viral YouTube shows like Hot Ones, where celebrities are interviewed while tackling increasingly spicy rounds of chicken wings. That online obsession has spilled into real life, driving a surge of chilli festivals not only in prime Tex Mex country but in Ireland too. Marina Market in Cork just hosted a chilli festival while this September, head to Co Down for its family-friendly chilli festival on the grounds of Bangor Castle.
Off the beaten track
Ireland has become a nation obsessed with staycations, particularly since the post-Covid era, and as our familiarity with the island grows, so does the appetite to find somewhere at home which is just a little bit more undiscovered. With that, expect counties like Monaghan, Longford and Tyrone to grow in popularity as visitors trade well-trodden hotspots for quieter nooks, with the added bonus of far fewer tourists around. The new addition of Ómós is expected to see a lot of travellers heading to Co Laois too.
Cabins
Pining for a forest getaway? This year brings a whole new range of cabin breaks for those looking to reconnect with mother nature. Cabü in Co Cavan has launched a new collection of barn-style houses, with USPs of their own private deck hot tubs, while Glamping Under the Stars in Co Laois has added three new properties to its site this year. Meanwhile, Cape Clear Glamping in West Cork has unveiled a whole new fleet of designer cabins set against a spectacular coastal backdrop. For families, Killarney Glamping’s brand-new site at Killarney Racecourse offers a great all-weather base to nestle down in.
Northern Ireland
One thing that always strikes me as a travel writer and an Irishman is just how many people across the island have never actually travelled to the six counties. It’s always pretty much top of my list when it comes to a staycation tip with its energy, people and landscapes always guaranteeing a memorable trip. The Harrison in Belfast is a great pick for a stylish city break, while Co Armagh aka the Orchard County is the most idyllic spot to celebrate for autumn’s cider season, while for a unique self-catering break, the Old Kiln in charming Bushmills is one of my favourite finds of the year.
