Autumn colours walking holidays: The Independent's travel team select the best, from France and New England to Japan

Three ways to embrace the season, and some epic scenery, on a hiking break

Embrace autumn in the Japan Alps (Shutterstock)

Each week, The Independent’s travel team go head to head to see who can come up with the best version of a particular trip. Today we’re tackling a US road trip this autumn.

Simon’s choice: the French Pyrenees
Cost of flights and accommodation for two: £418

South-west France is never mentioned in the same breath as the north-east US among “leaf-peepers”, but I nominate the pretty town of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port as the ideal base for some September and October walking through wooded hills as autumn takes hold. Two notable long-distance trails converge here: the pilgrimage route to Santiago, and the GR10 path, which runs along the line of the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Right now you can climb towards the jagged mountain ridge to the south, through beech forests that are turning from red to copper to gold; later, you could stay in the foothills, amid gentle hills cloaked in meadows and forests. And at the end of each day, return to a town filled with convivial restaurants serving local cuisine and the indigenous Irouléguy red wine.

Fly to Biarritz on easyJet from Gatwick; departing on 24 September, returning 27 September, the fare is £104. Catch the local bus from the airport to Bayonne station, and an onward train to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The comfortable, unpretentious Hotel Ramuntcho has double rooms for €246 for the three-night stay, excluding breakfast.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent

The town of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Shutterstock)

Nicola’s choice: the Appalachian Trail, USA
Cost of flights and accommodation for two: £1,509

Towards the top of my long-term to-do list is hiking the Appalachian Trail, the 2,190-mile walking route that takes in 14 US states, from Maine down to Georgia. A hardcore elite, called “through-hikers” attempt to complete the whole trail, but most people take on just a section – and where better in autumn than New England?

Fly from Heathrow to Boston on 1 October with Delta for £512 (booked through KLM), returning a week later. From there you can arrange a transfer to the Appalachia Trailhead in the White Mountains, two and a half hours away in New Hampshire. From here, the trail is your oyster. The autumn reds and oranges should be kicking in at this time of year, and there are waterfalls and peaks to admire along the way too.

Take a tent (and plenty of supplies) and pitch up at campsites along the way, where rates average around $30 (£23) per person. After three or so days’ hiking, catch your pre-booked transfer back to Boston. Spend a night in the city either side of your trip in the city; I’d recommend the Envoy hotel in the Seaport District, which has room-only doubles from $275 (£208).

Nicola Trup, head of travel

Fall foliage in the White Mountains (Shutterstock)

Laura’s choice: Karasawa Valley, Japan
Cost of flights and accommodation for two: £1,255

Usually I like to recommend dirt-cheap little diamonds for this weekly feature, but this theme has inspired me to go for a pricier option that’s well worth the extra spend. Most people associate Japan with spring and cherry blossom, but I had the fortune of experiencing the vivid autumn colours in the Japan Alps.

Masses of tourists descend on Japan’s spectacular Alpine mountain resort of Kamikochi in Nagano prefecture, but fewer international visitors make the hike from here to Karasawa Valley, where in September and October the peaks and slopes are blanketed in bright oranges, yellows and reds.

There is a simple (and scenic) day’s hike upwards to Karasawa-goya mountain hut, where you can lodge for the night, or push on to Hotaka-dake-sanso hut if you’re feeling adventurous. Next morning, either retrace your steps down to Kamikochi from Karasawa-goya, or knacker your knees on a seriously steep descent back to town from Hotaka-dake-sanso.

This trip fits into a two-week itinerary in Japan, and is well worth it, particularly for the excellent hospitality at Karasawa-goya (simple sleeping arrangements, but they’ll stuff you with food and there’s plenty of beer – JPY 9,500/£70 per night half board, best to reserve ahead), and the bliss of checking into a ryokan (Japanese inn) in one of the nearby spa towns at the end.

Take the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya, then the fabulous regular train from Nagoya to Takayama – carriage windows are huge so you can appreciate the gorges and jade-green rivers passing by. A two-week Japan Rail Pass, which must be bought outside of Japan, provides unlimited train travel for JPY 29,110/£213. Then it’s a bus ride to Kamikochi, including a quick change at Hirayu Onsen (JPY 5,190/£38 total for a round trip).

To really treat yourself, the Imperial Hotel here is a luxurious lodge ideal for resting up in before you embark (from JPY 35,640/£261); indulge in the heavenly Yumoto Choza (from JPY 21,000/£154), an onsen (hot spring) ryokan in tiny neighbouring spa town Fukuchi Onsen, at the end.

Both Air India and Turkish Airlines are offering return flights to Tokyo from Heathrow for as little as £385 in October. The long layovers in Delhi and Istanbul (around 22 hours apiece) are best regarded as an opportunity for some extra sightseeing.

Laura Chubb, deputy head of travel