November is the quietest month in Spain and, for cities and food, one of the most rewarding. The clocks have gone back, the light is low and golden, Madrid runs at around 15°C and Seville near 21°C, and prices fall to their lowest since February. It opens with Todos los Santos on Monday 1 November, and it is the start of the best eating season in the Spanish year.
Todos los Santos – 1 November
All Saints’ Day, a national public holiday on Monday 1 November 2027, is when Spanish families visit cemeteries to clean graves and lay chrysanthemums. It is quiet and domestic rather than festive.
The food is the visible part: huesos de santo (marzipan “saint’s bones” filled with egg yolk), buñuelos de viento and, in Catalonia, the Castañada – roast chestnuts, sweet potatoes and panellets. Roast-chestnut braziers appear on street corners across the country in the first week of November and stay until Christmas.
In Alcalá de Henares and several other towns, Don Juan Tenorio – the play traditionally performed around All Saints – is staged outdoors.
Weather: low light, mild south
- Madrid and the interior – around 15°C by day and 7°C at night, with roughly 52 mm of rain. Cold mornings, bright afternoons, and the first frosts on the meseta.
- Barcelona and the Mediterranean – about 18°C and pleasant, with roughly 48 mm.
- Andalucía – Seville and Málaga near 21°C by day; one of the best months of the year to walk Andalusian cities.
- The Atlantic north – mild, green and wet; November is one of the rainiest months in Galicia and the Basque Country.
- The Canary Islands – around 24°C, dry and moving into their winter high season. The one place in Spain where beach weather continues.
The clocks went back on the last Sunday of October, so Spanish evenings are dark from about 18:00 – which, given that dinner is at 21:30, changes the feel of the day more than the temperature does.
The best eating month
If you come to Spain for food, November is the month:
- Mushrooms – níscalos, boletus and setas de cardo on every menu in Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre and Castile.
- Game – partridge, venison and wild boar, particularly in Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha.
- New olive oil – the aceite nuevo from the Jaén and Córdoba harvest, green, peppery and only available now.
- Calçots – the Catalan grilled spring onions begin towards the end of the month and run to March.
- Citrus – the Valencian orange season starts.
Restaurant tables that are impossible in spring are available at a day’s notice, and the cultural season – opera, theatre, exhibitions – is in full flow in Madrid and Barcelona.
What November is good for
- The great monuments without queues. The Alhambra, the Mezquita, the Prado and the Sagrada Família are at their easiest after January and February.
- Andalucía. Warm enough for long days outside, cool enough to enjoy them.
- Price. The lowest rates since February, outside the 6–8 December bridge weekend at the very end.
- The Canaries, entering their season.
What November is not good for
The mainland coast – the Mediterranean sea is cooling fast and most resort towns are shutting for the winter. Ski resorts have generally not opened, though some Pyrenean areas start at the very end of the month. And the Atlantic north is genuinely wet.
Prices and crowds
Low throughout, with a single spike at the very end: the 6–8 December puente, one of the busiest domestic travel weekends of the Spanish year, which starts filling accommodation from late November. Book any early-December travel by mid-month.
See what a trip to Spain costs.
What to pack
Layers and a waterproof. Madrid mornings are cold and afternoons warm; the north is wet; Andalucía is mild but its buildings are unheated. Add an umbrella for Galicia and the Basque Country. See what to pack for Spain.
The November 2027 calendar
- Monday 1 November – Todos los Santos, a national public holiday; cemeteries, huesos de santo and the Catalan Castañada.
- First week – roast-chestnut braziers appear on streets nationwide.
- Through November – mushroom, game and new-olive-oil season; the best eating month of the year.
- Mid November – the cultural season in full flow in Madrid and Barcelona; monuments at their quietest.
- Late November – Christmas lights switch on in the major cities; the 6–8 December puente starts booking out.
- Late November – the first Pyrenean ski resorts may open, snow permitting.
- All year – Xacobeo 2027; the Holy Door in Santiago is open until 31 December.
Read alongside
- Spain in October – autumn light and the last warm sea.
- Spain in December – the puente, the markets and Christmas.
- Best time to visit Spain – all twelve months compared.
- Best food in Spain – and why November is its month.
- Spain trip cost – low-season daily numbers.
- Spain travel guide – regions, routes and how to combine them.
- What to pack for Spain – the autumn list.
Frequently asked
Is November a good time to visit Spain?
For cities, food and Andalucía, yes – it is the quietest month, the monuments have no queues, and prices are the lowest since February. For the mainland coast it is the wrong month; most of it is closing for winter.
How warm is Spain in November?
Madrid averages about 15°C by day and 7°C at night, Barcelona around 18°C, Seville and Málaga near 21°C, and the Canary Islands about 24°C.
What is Todos los Santos?
All Saints’ Day on 1 November, a national public holiday, when families visit cemeteries. It is quiet rather than festive, and the associated foods – huesos de santo, buñuelos and the Catalan Castañada – are its most visible part.
Is November a good month for food in Spain?
It is the best. Mushrooms, game, the new olive oil from the Jaén harvest, the start of calçots and the Valencian orange season all land now, and restaurant tables that are impossible in spring are available at a day’s notice.
Can you swim in Spain in November?
Only in the Canary Islands, where the sea stays around 23°C. The Mediterranean cools quickly through the month and most mainland resort towns are shutting.
Is Spain cheap in November?
Yes – the lowest rates since February, right up until the end of the month when the 6–8 December bridge weekend starts filling accommodation.
Can you ski in Spain in November?
Usually not. Some Pyrenean resorts open at the very end of the month if snow allows, but the Spanish season really begins in December.
When do the Christmas lights go on in Spain?
Late November in the major cities, with Madrid, Barcelona, Vigo and Málaga all switching on before the end of the month. Málaga’s Calle Larios display is the most famous.
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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.
