Mexico in November

November is one of the best months of the year for Mexico. The rains are over in the highlands and on the Pacific, beach hotels are still at shoulder-season prices until Thanksgiving week, and you can catch the end of Día de Muertos on November 1 and 2 and the first monarch butterflies later in the month.

The trade-offs are small: the Caribbean coast is still drying out (Cancún averages about nine days with some rain), a late storm is possible until hurricane season closes on November 30, and prices jump from about November 20. Whale season has not started yet. If whales are the point, look at December or January instead.

Weather by region

Dry and mild almost everywhere, warm at sea level, cool at night in the highlands. Averages are long-term normals; see when to go for the full year.

Caribbean coast

Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cozumel are in transition. November is the wettest of the "dry" months there, with about 4.4 inches (112 mm) of rain, mostly in short showers. Cold fronts called nortes start to arrive: a day or two of wind, choppy water and evenings around 65°F (18°C), sometimes enough to cancel boat trips. The sea stays close to 80°F (27°C).

Pacific coast

Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and the Oaxaca coast turn reliably dry in November, with the jungle still green from the rains. This fall was rough on Banderas Bay: Hurricanes Polo, Rachel and Simon passed in quick succession from late September, and Trudy and Vance followed in October. If you are going early in the month, ask your hotel whether storm repairs are finished and check that your beach is open. See Puerto Vallarta.

Los Cabos and Baja Sur

Still summery, with almost no rain and the sea still warm. Nights call for a light layer by late November.

Mexico City and the highlands

Mexico City, Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato are sunny and dry, with chilly mornings. Many small hotels have no heating, so the cold you notice is indoors at night.

What's on in November 2026

Dates below were current in late October 2026. For the full year, see the festivals calendar.

Book festival tickets only through official sellers: Formula 1 for the race and Corona Capital for the festival. Resale sites and street sellers are where fakes turn up. Guadalajara's huge International Book Fair (FIL) also opens in late November and runs into early December; see Guadalajara.

The last days of Día de Muertos

Land by November 1 for the heart of the Day of the Dead. Families welcome the souls of children (angelitos) on November 1 and adults on November 2, often with an all-night cemetery vigil. By November 3, altars come down.

• Oaxaca: candlelit cemetery vigils such as Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, costumed comparsas in the valley villages, and markets full of marigolds. If the city is full, look in Tule or the Etla valley. See Oaxaca.
• Mexico City: the monumental ofrenda (altar) in the Zócalo stands until November 2, the UNAM's Megaofrenda runs into early November, and Mixquic's cemetery glows with candles on the night of November 2 (allow two hours each way). The city's program is on its official tourism site.
• Mérida: the Maya version, Hanal Pixán, with the big baked tamal called mucbipollo. Yucatán is Level 1, the advisory's lowest.
• Pátzcuaro and Janitzio: the famous candlelit lake images come from Michoacán, which the State Department rates Level 4, Do Not Travel. US government employees may not visit the Pátzcuaro area.

Holidays and closures

Two days off for banks and many offices this month, and both make long weekends.

• Monday, November 2 (Día de Muertos): not an official federal holiday, but banks close, and many government offices do too. Shops, restaurants and tourist sites stay open.
• Monday, November 16 (Revolution Day): the official holiday for the anniversary of the 1910 revolution, observed on the third Monday of November. Banks, government offices and schools close. The actual anniversary, Friday, November 20, is a normal working day for most people.

Neither day closes much that visitors need: ATMs, cards, museums and archaeological sites work as usual (many Mexico City museums close every Monday regardless). Withdraw cash before a long weekend in a small town. See Money.

Seasonal openings and gaps

• Whales: not yet. For 2025–26 the official whale-watching seasons opened December 8 in Banderas Bay and December 15 in Los Cabos and the Baja gray whale lagoons. Expect similar dates this winter.
• Whale sharks: the Cancún and Isla Mujeres season ended in September. In La Paz, juvenile whale sharks usually return from about October or November, but swims are suspended when too few are present.
• Monarchs: the first butterflies reach the fir forests in early November, and the sanctuaries usually open in the second half of the month. Colonies are thin at first; they are densest from late December. See Outdoors.

Hurricanes and sargassum in November

Both hurricane seasons, Atlantic and eastern Pacific, end on November 30, and November is a low-risk month on every coast. In 2026, an El Niño year, the Atlantic was very quiet and the eastern Pacific busy. A November storm is unlikely, so buy travel insurance when you book and check the National Hurricane Center the week before you fly.

Sargassum, the brown seaweed that washes up on Caribbean beaches, usually tapers off by November, and November to February is normally the cleanest stretch of the year. 2026 was heavy: Quintana Roo collected more than 152,000 metric tons by mid-October, worst around Tulum and the southern coast, while Cancún rated moderate to low on October 10. Late strandings still happen.

• Check the daily NOAA and USF Sargassum Inundation Risk maps in the week before you go.
• Look at a live webcam for your hotel's beach.
• If the seaweed is heavy, Isla Mujeres' Playa Norte, Cozumel's west coast and Cancún's north-facing bay beaches are usually spared. See Beaches.

Crowds and prices

Time your trip around these dates.

The international resorts, many quoting in US dollars, swing the most. Fall 2026 has been slow for Cancún hotels, with US arrivals down, so through mid-December is your best shot at real discounts there. Los Cabos stays expensive even at shoulder rates.

Where to go this month, and where to skip

Think twice

• A whale-watching trip: too early. Wait until mid-December or later.
• Michoacán (Pátzcuaro, the El Rosario and Sierra Chincua sanctuaries): Level 4, Do Not Travel, and parts of the monarch reserve are off-limits to US government employees. Use the State of Mexico sanctuaries (Level 2) instead, such as Piedra Herrada near Valle de Bravo.
• Copper Canyon: November weather is ideal, but Chihuahua is Level 3 and US government employees may not visit the canyon. See Copper Canyon.

For every state, see Safety, and check the live advisory before you fly.

What to pack

• A warm layer (fleece or light down) for highland nights, when unheated rooms get cold.
• A light rain jacket for Caribbean showers and a windbreaker for norte days.
• Comfortable closed shoes for cobblestones and dark cemetery paths.
• Sunscreen and a hat; the sun is strong at altitude and on the coast.
• Small peso bills for markets, cemetery flower sellers and tips.

More on the packing list.

A sample week: Mexico City and the Pacific, November 15–21

It uses the long weekend and the cheap middle of the month, and gets you home before Thanksgiving fares.

1. Day 1

   Sunday, Nov 15 · Arrive

   Land in Mexico City while many residents are away for the long weekend. Dinner in Roma or Condesa.

2. Day 2

   Monday, Nov 16 · Teotihuacán

   Holiday Monday, when many city museums are closed anyway. Go early to Teotihuacán before the holiday crowds and midday sun. See Day trips.

3. Day 3

   Tuesday, Nov 17 · Centro Histórico

   The Zócalo, the Templo Mayor, the cathedral and the Palacio de Bellas Artes, with lunch at a fonda (a family-run lunch spot). See Mexico City sights.

4. Day 4

   Wednesday, Nov 18 · Chapultepec

   The National Museum of Anthropology in the morning, the park and Polanco in the afternoon, and a food crawl at night. See eating in CDMX.

5. Day 5

   Thursday, Nov 19 · Fly to the coast

   A short flight to Puerto Vallarta. Walk the Malecón at sunset, which comes around 6:20 p.m.

6. Day 6

   Friday, Nov 20 · Beach day

   A water taxi to a south-shore beach, or a snorkel trip to Los Arcos on a calm morning.

7. Day 7

   Saturday, Nov 21 · Home

   Fly out before Thanksgiving week pushes fares up.

Prefer the Caribbean? Swap days 5 to 7 for Cancún; see Cancún airport transportation.

Getting around this month

• The US clock change on Sunday, November 1: most of Mexico has no daylight saving time, so from November 1 Cancún matches New York, Mexico City matches Chicago and Los Cabos matches Denver. Tijuana changes with the US. Recheck tour pickup times.
• Long-weekend traffic: roads out of Mexico City jam on Friday afternoon, November 13, and again on Monday evening, November 16. Buses and domestic flights fill on those days.
• Pilgrims on the highways: from late November, groups walk and cycle toward Mexico City's Basilica of Guadalupe for December 12, often at night on unlit roads. Drive slowly, and follow the advisory's rule of no intercity driving after dark. See Driving.
• Winter flight schedules: many seasonal US nonstops to the beaches start in December. See Flights.
• Boats: a norte can close the port to small boats for a day or two on the Caribbean coast; keep island and snorkel days flexible.

Bottom line

Go in November if you want dry weather at shoulder prices, Mexico City and Oaxaca at their most comfortable, or the end of Día de Muertos. The middle two weeks are the sweet spot, and the week after Thanksgiving is another good one.

Pick another month if whales are your priority (go in January or February), if you want guaranteed calm, clear Caribbean water (late December to April is more reliable), or if you can only travel Thanksgiving week. For the festive, pricier side of the season, see Mexico in December, and for the whole year, when to go.