Travel guides · November 2026
Where to Go in November
Ten places that are at their best this month, picked from where our explorers actually go, and one to plan around.
Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto, in November: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0
November is the month of two very different trips. Head south and east and you get the best weather of the year in places that are far too hot in summer. Head north and you get the dark, the lights in the sky and the first Christmas markets. These are the ten places we would send a friend this month.
1Japan Peak autumn colour
The maples turn red from north to south through November, and Kyoto usually peaks in the second half of the month, at around 17°C with dry, clear days.
Tip: Go to the famous temples at opening time: by mid-morning the best-known gardens are packed.
58 of our explorers have beenRead the Japan guide →Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0
2Egypt The heat finally breaks
Cairo drops to around 24°C and Luxor and Aswan to around 29°C, so the temples, tombs and a Nile cruise are comfortable again. This is the start of Egypt's best season.
Tip: Give the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza a full day: Tutankhamun's whole collection is finally shown together there.
45 of our explorers have beenRead the Egypt guide →Photo: Ricardo Liberato, CC BY-SA 2.0
3Morocco Medinas and desert at their best
Marrakech sits around 22°C, ideal for the souks and the Atlas, and the Sahara has cool, clear days. The nights in the desert are cold, which makes the stars and the campfire better.
Tip: Bring a real warm layer for Merzouga or Zagora: nights in the dunes can drop to around 5°C.
41 of our explorers have beenRead the Morocco guide →Photo: Fbrandao.1963, CC BY-SA 4.0
4South Korea Seoul's turn for the leaves
The colour reaches Seoul's palaces and Bukhansan in late October and early November, at around 12°C. It's also kimjang season, when families make the winter's kimchi.
Tip: Deoksugung's stone-wall path and Changdeokgung's Secret Garden are at their best in the first week of November.
35 of our explorers have beenRead the South Korea guide →Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
5Portugal Chestnuts and new wine
Lisbon is still around 18°C, and on 11 November the whole country celebrates São Martinho with roasted chestnuts and the year's first young wine. The coast is quiet and the light is beautiful.
Tip: Our Portugal food guide covers what to eat in autumn, from north to south.
94 of our explorers have beenRead the Portugal food guide →Photo: Joaomartinho63, CC BY-SA 3.0
6Thailand The dry season starts
The rains end in Bangkok and the north, Chiang Mai has warm days and cool nights, and the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi) opens its dry season. On 25 November the country floats its krathongs for Loi Krathong.
Tip: Chiang Mai's Yi Peng lanterns are on 24-25 November in 2026: releasing lanterns in the city is banned, so book a ticketed event outside it early.
56 of our explorers have beenRead the Thailand guide →Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
7Norway Northern lights and orcas
Long nights mean real aurora chances in Tromsø, and from November orcas and humpbacks usually follow the herring into the fjords around Skjervøy. It's around 0°C on the coast, milder than you would think.
Tip: The polar night starts around 27 November in Tromsø: come earlier in the month if you want a few hours of blue daylight.
45 of our explorers have beenRead the Norway guide →Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0
8Vietnam North and south, both good
Hanoi and Hạ Long Bay are dry and around 26°C, and the south dries out through the month. Only the centre is the exception: November is the wettest month around Huế and Hội An.
Tip: Start in the north or the south and keep the central coast for a dry season, from about February.
44 of our explorers have beenRead the Vietnam guide →Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0
9Austria Christmas markets open
Vienna's main Christmas market on Rathausplatz opens on 13 November in 2026, and the city's other markets follow through the month. Around 8°C, mulled wine and coffee houses do the rest.
Tip: Go on a weekday evening: weekends at Rathausplatz are very crowded, and the smaller Spittelberg and Karlsplatz markets are calmer.
95 of our explorers have beenSee Austria on the map →Photo: Bybbisch94, CC BY 4.0
10Malta The last swim of the year
Days are still around 21°C and the sea around 21°C, warm enough for a proper swim, and Valletta and Gozo are calm after the season.
Tip: Swim at Gozo's Ramla Bay on a calm day and walk up to Calypso Cave above it.
40 of our explorers have beenRead the Malta guide →Photo: Anton Zelenov, CC BY-SA 4.0
⚠️ Plan around: Thailand's Gulf islands
Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are the exception to Thailand's dry season: November is usually their wettest month. For beaches this month, pick the Andaman side, Phuket, Krabi or Koh Lanta.
Read the Thailand guide →How we picked: places where this month is genuinely one of the best of the year, weighted towards countries our own explorers keep going to and that we have written full guides for. Temperatures are rounded climate averages for the month, not a forecast. All travel guides →
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