While November can be a dreary time of year in the U.S., the weather in many other parts of the world is positively delightful. It’s also a smart time to travel—between the summer and holiday high seasons—and fall light and often-clear skies make it a great month for photography too.
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Northern Italy
November is truffle season in Piedmont.
In November head to Piedmont for truffle season (the White Truffle Fair in Alba runs the entire month). Try truffle hunting, taste the local Barolo wines, watch artisanal cheese makers, cycle among the vineyards (electric bikes are available!), hike the rolling hills beneath the crisp blue skies…or do it all with your family in a villa for Thanksgiving. This is also harvest time for olives and wine. Learn to cook al fresco in an olive grove, on a goat-cheese farm, or in a vineyard. November is when our editor Billie Cohen took her dream Italian cooking vacation.
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Provence, France
Provence and its pretty villages, like Gordes, are incredibly popular, so try to visit in shoulder season. Photo: Pixabay
The light in Provence in winter is why so many famous artists moved there, and the sunshine makes al fresco lunches possible well into November. Provencal markets bustle in the fall, and truffle hunting starts in November. Hike amid the glorious autumn landscapes and hilltop villages of the Luberon, and cycle through the wine country around Gigondas and Vacqueyras, where there are few cars and great eateries.
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Andalusia, Spain
In November, Seville is a city of locals, not tourists. Photo: Shutterstock
One highlight of this magical part of Spain is the culture—an aspect that can be very hard to experience during the summer high season, when the numbers of tourists and residents are imbalanced. In November, by contrast, most of the visitors are gone, making it much easier to interact with locals (and to enjoy some breathing room in the region’s UNESCO World Heritage sites). The weather is still quite pleasant, with temperatures near 70 degrees during the day.
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Portugal
The Azores combine European-inflected villages (like this one on São Miguel Island) with outstanding hiking and biking opportunities. Photo: Shutterstock
Temperatures remain in the 60s well into November, when it’s still warm enough for dinner outdoors at the many restaurants that now have significant sidewalk seating; heat lamps aren’t needed till late in the month. Private river boats—which are much better for sightseeing than your typical river cruises—sail the Douro through the end of the month too. And the weather is even more mild on the subtropical islands of Madeira—known for outstanding hiking opportunities—and the Azores, where you can also hike, bike, and off-road around the postcard-perfect lagoons.
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Greece: Crete, Corfu, or Rhodes
Corfu is one of a few Greek islands that stays open and lively through the winter months.
Many Greek islands shut down in late October or early November, but Crete, Corfu, and Rhodes operate year-round, offering traditional cultural and culinary experiences and festivities in the winter months. November is a great time for sheep farms, olive orchards, and the wine harvest.
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Sicily
Hike Sicily’s Mt. Etna in the fall. Photo: Shutterstock
If your goal is to combine culture and outdoor beauty, fall is this island’s best season. Autumn brings the olive, almond, and wine harvests, and sunny, mild weather. Outdoor activities include exploring Sicily’s Greek and Roman ruins, hiking Mt. Etna, and cycling though nature reserves and wine country.
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St. Barts
St. Barts’ hotels and resorts feel fresh and new in November, post-hurricane season. Photo: Le Guanahani
Come November, many resorts, boutiques, and restaurants that closed during the height of hurricane season have reopened, and everything feels fresh and new. The Saint Barth Gourmet Festival also takes place this month, attracting star chefs from France and elsewhere. Plus, hotel and villa rates don’t jump up until mid-December.
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Morocco
Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Morocco.
The weather is perfect at this time of year: sunny days and crisp, clear evenings that make for great star-gazing in the desert. It’s also ideal for hiking in the Atlas Mountains, as it’s starting to cool down and the peaks are often photogenically snowcapped. Plus, it’s harvest time: You can see saffron being picked, and olives turned to oil, right in front of your eyes.
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Patagonia: Argentina and Chile
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile. Photo: Luis Felipa, Southwind Adventures
Most of Argentina and Chile are great at this time of year (think Buenos Aires, the Atacama Desert, even Easter Island), but Patagonia is an especially smart move in November because the lodges have a quieter, more relaxed ambiance and there is less traffic on the roads than during the busiest weeks of December and January. November is also the best time to spot Patagonia’s elusive wildlife, such as nandu, guanaco, puma, huemul, and condor, as all of the animals are more active during their breeding time. The region has a reputation for changeable windy weather, but November feels like spring, with snows melting off the high peaks and flowers beginning to bloom. Rates are sometimes also a bit lower this early in the season.
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The Brazilian Amazon
White beaches form on the Rio Negro, in the Brazilian Amazon, in November. Photo: Shutterstock
River levels are lowest in November, so all of the beaches are out in their full splendor. (People are often shocked by the beauty of the white-sand beaches that form here, making a trip to Brazil’s region of the Amazon unique from the experiences one can have in Ecuador or Peru’s swaths of the same river system.) An ideal trip extends over five days, so it’s easy to fit into a Thanksgiving break. And the area around the Negro River, which is acidic, is not good for mosquito reproduction, so there is little chance of malaria or zika.
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Belize
Explore Belize on the water or in the jungle. Photo: Belize Sailing Vacations
Before Thanksgiving, hotel rates are at their lowest. The days are hot, but the humidity is dropping, and the evenings are cool and breezy. November 19 is Garifuna Settlement Day and is best spent in either Dangriga or Hopkins, where the Garifuna people celebrate—with drumming, dancing, and parades—the arrival of their Afro-indigenous ancestors more than 200 years ago.
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Mexico
Día de Muertos in Michoacan. Photo: Journey Mexico
Day of the Dead (celebrated on November 1 and 2), is a significant cultural holiday deeply ingrained in tradition, and a time when Mexican families and communities unite to pay tribute to and commemorate their departed loved ones. Celebrations vary across the country, ranging from grand public festivities to more intimate private gatherings. Our WOW Listers can arrange culturally sensitive experiences in Mexico City, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and the Yucatan Peninsula.
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London (for Thanksgiving break)
Christmas decorations appear in London by mid-November. Photo: visitlondon.com
November is a great month for museum lovers, as many of the blockbuster exhibitions open in the fall; there’s also the London Jazz Festival, where world-class stars and hot emerging artists share the bill. And the Christmas spirit is already in the air starting in mid-November, with holiday lights on all the shopping streets, a plethora of Christmas markets, high tea at gorgeous hotels, and holiday cheer everywhere. If you can’t wait until then, Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks on November 5.
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The Galapagos Islands
Predator-free Galapagos sea lions may come this close to you when you’re snorkeling.
The Galapagos is a magnet for families with kids during summer and other school vacations; if you’re looking for a quieter time, think November (except Thanksgiving week). Blue whales, humpback whales, and whale sharks—the largest fish in the sea, growing up to 40 feet in length and weighing as much as 40,000 pounds—are most likely to be spotted in the Galapagos from June through November.
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Guatemala
A handmade kite at Santiago Sacatepéquez’s Festival de Barriletes Gigantes. Photo: Shutterstock
Every November 1 in Sumpago (about 30 minutes north of Antigua), the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes—Festival of Giant Kites—merges a Catholic celebration with a 3,000-year-old Mayan tradition of communing with spirits of the deceased (one that is less morbid than most Mexican Day of the Dead customs). Today, the handmade kites address social themes and the festival features lots of special dishes sold in restaurants and around the square. There is a sister festival in Santiago Sacatepéquez on the same day, which is a bit harder to get to but draws smaller crowds. November is the finish of the wet season, so plan to visit the festival early in your trip and take advantage of drier weather in the following weeks.
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Nepal
Patan’s Durbar Square, Nepal. Photo: Shutterstock
November is the perfect time in Nepal, whether you’re a trekker or just want to explore a fascinating culture. And there’s more to tempt the latter crowd than ever before, with roads leading to villages once accessible only on foot. In November, the air is crisp and clear, without the pre-monsoon dust, so the mountain views are best. And festivals abound: Near Everest, Manu Rimdu is an exorcism festival designed to purge evil from the area, ensure a bountiful harvest, and confer blessings on the villagers and all sentient beings with dancing, prayers, and comic relief. Then there is the very important Festival of Lights, or Tihar, honoring the gods, humans, and animals, which falls each year in either November or late October.
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Thailand
From north (here, near Chiang Rai) to south, Thailand is at its best in November. Photo: Anantara
Much of Thailand is at its very best in November, when the mountains are lush and green from the recently receded monsoon, the mornings are diffused with a subtle mist suspended in the valleys, and the sun is gentler as the seasons ease into cooler weather. The rivers are deep and navigable, and the waterfalls are at optimum volume. All in all, it’s an ideal window to travel, before the crowds and costs rise in December.
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India
Drummers at the Kalpathi Festival in Kerala, India. Photo: Sanjay Saxena
November is an ideal time to visit almost all of India—except the Himalayas—thanks to the temperate weather. The just-passed monsoon season has given way to relatively clear skies in Delhi and Mumbai, and there are festivals throughout the country, from the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan to the grand Kalpathi Chariot Festival in Kerala.
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Norway
You have a good chance of spotting the northern lights in November. Photo: Gaute Bruvik – visitnorway.com
If you’re prepared for some unsettled weather, the benefits of visiting Norway in November include seeing the aurora borealis; trying out glass-blowing, ceramics, or knitting with local artists; and discovering the Norwegian art of “kos,” roughly translated as the practice of gratitude and of consciously appreciating one’s surroundings. During this quieter period locals have more time to share with visitors, now that the busy summer months have passed. There’s also plenty of hiking, kayaking, and even arctic surfing when the weather allows, and whales to be spotted along the country’s coast at this time of year. Here’s why Brook found Norway delightful in November.
Read reviews of WOW trips to Norway here and here. To get your own WOW trip and VIP treatment, use the black button below.
Australia and/or New Zealand
November sees calm water around the Great Barrier Reef. Photo: Tourism Whitsundays
November is one of the best months for a wide-ranging trip to several different parts of these countries: The water around the Great Barrier Reef is calm, making for good visibility; and the weather is spring-time pleasant in Auckland, Sydney, Kangaroo Island, and the outback; and the peaks on New Zealand’s South Island are still picturesquely snow-capped.
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Other Smart Options This Month
Click on any of the destinations below to find out why November is a good time to go.
North America
Florida: Disney World, Orlando
Hawaii: Maui and Oahu (for whale-watching)
South America
Colombia: Cartagena and Bogota
Europe
Greece: Athens
Asia
Africa
Australia and Pacific
Cruises
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