November may be the single best month to visit Mexico. It opens with Día de Muertos on 1 and 2 November, the rains have stopped, the landscape is still green, the Caribbean water has cleared of sargassum, the monarch butterflies arrive in Michoacán, and hurricane season closes on the 30th. Mexico City sits at a near-perfect 24°C by day with about 15 mm of rain for the whole month.
Día de Muertos, 1–2 November 2027
The Day of the Dead is not Mexican Halloween. It is a warm, domestic, deeply serious observance in which families build ofrendas – altars with photographs, marigolds, candles, water, salt, pan de muerto and the food and drink the dead liked – and then spend a night in the cemetery with them.
- Monday 1 November – Día de Todos los Santos, traditionally for children who have died (angelitos). Not a public holiday.
- Tuesday 2 November – Día de Muertos proper, for adults. This is the official public holiday.
Where to see it. Oaxaca is the best known: cemetery vigils at Xoxocotlán and San Felipe del Agua, comparsas through the streets, and markets that run all night. Pátzcuaro and the island of Janitzio in Michoacán are the other great centre, and arguably the more traditional. Both sell out months ahead at several times normal rates.
If you missed the booking window, almost any Mexican town – Mixquic on the edge of Mexico City, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, Mérida’s Hanal Pixan – holds a genuine and far less crowded version. Wherever you go: cemeteries are not attractions. Ask before photographing, buy from the local stalls, and behave as you would at any family occasion.
Weather: close to ideal
- Mexico City and the central highlands – about 24°C by day and 10°C at night, with roughly 15 mm of rain in the entire month. Bright, dry and clear, with genuinely cold evenings by the end.
- Oaxaca – dry, warm and still green. Excellent.
- The Yucatán and Caribbean – around 28°C, humidity dropping, water clearing, and the start of the best beach season.
- The Pacific coast – the dry season begins; Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo and the Oaxacan beaches move into their high season.
- Baja California – warm days, cool nights, and the beginning of the winter whale season in the Pacific lagoons.
Monarch butterflies
The monarchs complete their migration from Canada and the United States into the oyamel fir forests of Michoacán and the State of Mexico from late October, and the sanctuaries – El Rosario, Sierra Chincua, Piedra Herrada, Cerro Pelón – generally open to visitors in November and stay open to around March.
Two practical notes: the colonies sit at 3,000 m or higher, so the walk up is harder than it looks and the air is thin and cold; and the butterflies are most active on warm sunny days, which means arriving late morning rather than at dawn.
Whales return to Baja
Gray whales begin arriving in the Baja California lagoons – Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio, Magdalena Bay – from around December, with February and March the peak. November is the start of the humpback season around Los Cabos and Banderas Bay.
Prices and crowds
A tale of two halves. The first week carries Day of the Dead pricing in Oaxaca, Pátzcuaro and Mexico City. From about 6 November the rates fall back, and the middle of the month is one of the best value-for-weather windows of the entire Mexican year – before the North American winter season and the Christmas peak arrive in December.
Note that US Thanksgiving week – the fourth Thursday of November – lifts prices sharply in Los Cabos, Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
See how much a trip to Mexico costs.
What to pack
Layers, properly. Mexico City and the highlands are warm at midday and around 10°C after dark, and the monarch sanctuaries at 3,000 m are cold. Add walking shoes with grip for the sanctuary trails, sun protection, and beachwear for the coasts. See the Mexico packing list.
The November 2027 calendar
- Monday 1 November – Día de Todos los Santos; the night of the angelitos.
- Tuesday 2 November – Día de Muertos, the public holiday; cemetery vigils in Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro.
- From about 6 November – prices fall back; the best value-for-weather window of the year opens.
- Through November – the monarch butterfly sanctuaries open in Michoacán and the State of Mexico.
- Monday 15 November – Día de la Revolución observed, a public holiday (the third Monday, commemorating 20 November).
- Late November – US Thanksgiving week lifts resort prices in Los Cabos, Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
- Tuesday 30 November – hurricane season officially ends on both coasts.
Read alongside
- Mexico in October – the rains ending and the Day of the Dead build-up.
- Mexico in December – the posadas and the Christmas peak.
- Best time to visit Mexico – all twelve months compared.
- Oaxaca travel guide – the city at the centre of Día de Muertos.
- How much a trip to Mexico costs – shoulder-season numbers.
- Best beaches in Mexico – now that the water has cleared.
- Mexico packing list – the dry-season version.
Frequently asked
Is November a good time to visit Mexico?
It is arguably the best month. The rains have stopped, the landscape is still green, the Caribbean has cleared, the monarchs arrive, hurricane season ends, and Mexico City sits at about 24°C with almost no rain.
When is Day of the Dead in 2027?
1 and 2 November, with Tuesday 2 November the public holiday. 1 November is traditionally for children who have died and 2 November for adults.
Where is the best place for Day of the Dead?
Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro with the island of Janitzio are the two great centres, and both sell out months ahead at several times normal rates. Mixquic, Mérida, Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosí hold genuine and far quieter versions.
When can you see the monarch butterflies in Mexico?
The sanctuaries in Michoacán and the State of Mexico generally open in November and stay open to around March. They sit above 3,000 m, so the walk is harder than it looks, and the butterflies are most active on warm sunny days.
Is there sargassum in November?
Very little. The season closes in October, and November to February is the reliably clear window on the Mexican Caribbean.
How cold is Mexico in November?
Mexico City averages about 24°C by day but drops to around 10°C at night, which is genuinely cold at 2,240 m. The coasts stay warm at 28°C or above.
Is hurricane season over in November?
It officially ends on 30 November on both coasts, and November activity is low. By the middle of the month the practical risk is minimal.
Is Mexico expensive in November?
Only in two windows: the Day of the Dead first week in Oaxaca, Pátzcuaro and Mexico City, and US Thanksgiving week in the resorts. The middle of the month is excellent value for the quality of the weather.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
