Mexico, North America

Mexico City in November

Dia de Muertos opens the month at full intensity, then the city settles into crisp, golden dry-season days. Book early for the first week.

BestDry and sunny, highs near 71F (22C), cool nights

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City — Mexico CityPhoto: Xavier Quetzalcoatl Contreras Castillo, CC BY-SA 3.0

The straight answer

November is one of the best months of the year to visit Mexico City. Dia de Muertos opens the month at full intensity, then the city settles into crisp, golden dry-season days. Book early for the first week.

Weather: Dry and sunny, highs near 71F (22C), cool nights
Crowds: 4 of 5
Prices: 3 of 5

What November is like in Mexico City

November opens with Dia de Muertos at full intensity, with ofrendas everywhere and the celebration peaking on November 1 and 2. After that, the city settles into crisp, golden dry-season days. Highs sit near 71F (22C), nights are cool, and skies are clear. The first week is busy and pricey; the rest of the month is calm.

November is one of the best months for nearly everyone. Come for the first days if you want Dia de Muertos, or mid to late month for quiet museums and perfect walking weather. Late November also marks the start of monarch butterfly season west of the city.

Make the most of November

What is especially good about Mexico City this month.

Dia de Muertos on November 1 and 2

Ofrendas fill plazas, homes and markets, and the whole city honors its dead with flowers, candles and food.

Clear dry-season days

After the holiday, the sky clears and the volcano views often come back.

Monarchs start arriving

From late November, butterflies begin gathering in the sanctuaries a few hours west.

What to pack for November

A warm jacket for cool nights
Layers for sunny afternoons
Comfortable walking shoes
Sunscreen and sunglasses

Our timing tip

If Dia de Muertos is not the goal, travel after the first week of November for lower prices and calmer streets.

Book Mexico City for November.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Mexico City
Opens a hotel search for Mexico City in November, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for November
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Vacation rentals in Mexico City
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
Rentals on Vrbo
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in Mexico City
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Mexico City for November. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in November

Day of the Dead in Mexico City

November 1 and 2 every year, with parades, altars, and events building through the second half of October

Marigold altars, a giant parade down Reforma, and candlelit cemetery vigils in one of the world's great cities.

Dia de Muertos season

Late October through November 2

Ofrendas in every plaza, marigold markets, and a huge downtown parade in the days before November 2. Book hotels well ahead for the final week.

Monarch butterfly season

Late November through early March, in sanctuaries a few hours west of the city

Millions of monarchs winter in the mountain fir forests, reachable as a long day trip or an overnight. Mid-winter visits catch the densest clusters.

Things to do in Mexico City

Full guide

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

The Aztec Sun Stone, the Maya rooms, and hall after hall of the pre-Hispanic Americas. Give it a full morning; it is closed Mondays like most museums here.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Centro Historico and the Zocalo

The cathedral, the Templo Mayor excavation, and Diego Rivera's murals at the Palacio Nacional and San Ildefonso, all within a few blocks of one of the world's largest city squares.

Tickets and tours →

Teotihuacan

The immense pyramid city about an hour northeast. Arrive at opening ahead of the heat and the buses, or splurge on a dawn hot-air balloon flight over the site.

Tickets and tours →

Chapultepec Park and Castle

Twice the size of Central Park, with the castle's hilltop views, museums, and boating lakes. Sundays are joyful, family-packed chaos.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Coyoacan and the Frida Kahlo Museum

The Casa Azul sells out days or weeks ahead; buy timed tickets online early, then give the rest of the day to Coyoacan's plazas and markets.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Xochimilco

Float the canals of the old lake system on a painted trajinera with mariachis rowing past. Go with a group, go at midday, and negotiate the boat price before boarding.

Tickets and tours →

Beat the crowds

Do the Centro Historico early on a weekday morning: by afternoon, and especially on weekends, the pedestrian streets around the Zocalo run at carnival density.
Book the two sellout tickets first, the Casa Azul and any famous tasting-menu restaurant; everything else in this city can be decided the same day.
Reach Teotihuacan at opening. The site is vast enough to absorb crowds, but shade is scarce and tour buses stack up from mid morning.
Use rainy-season afternoons on purpose: the 4pm downpour is the best museum ticket in town, and the streets after rain are the clearest-aired, prettiest version of the city.

Know before you go

Mexico City has no off season: museums, restaurants, and sights run all year. The planning facts are weekly and holiday rhythms, not seasonal shutdowns.
Most museums, including Anthropology and the Casa Azul, close on Mondays. Teotihuacan is open daily, which makes Monday the natural pyramid day.
Semana Santa, the week before Easter, and the December 12 to January 6 holiday corridor send locals out of town: traffic lightens, big sights stay open, but a noticeable share of small restaurants and shops takes the week off.
Around Dia de Muertos and Independence Day, downtown streets close for parades and the Zocalo hosts massive events: thrilling to join, worth routing around if crowds are not your thing.

Mexico City in November, quick answers

Is November a good time to visit Mexico City?

What is the weather like in Mexico City in November?

Dry and sunny, highs near 71F (22C), cool nights.

Is Mexico City crowded in November?

Mexico City is busy in November, though mornings and late afternoons stay workable.

What is happening in Mexico City in November?

Dia de Muertos season (late october through november 2); Monarch butterfly season (late november through early march, in sanctuaries a few hours west of the city).