Skulls, Sun, and Solitude: Unexpected Things to Do in Mexico in November

Essential Things to Do in Mexico in November Without Looking Like a Clueless Tourist

Finding things to do in Mexico in November isn’t the challenge—it’s choosing among the embarrassment of riches while everyone back home is fighting over the last turkey at the supermarket. The country transforms during this month, offering experiences impossible to replicate during high season when you’re sharing them with cruise ship battalions and resort package warriors.

Day of the Dead: Choose Your Adventure

The Day of the Dead celebration varies dramatically across Mexico, with each region adding its own flavor to the commemoration. In Oaxaca City, the celebration centers around elaborate all-night cemetery vigils where families decorate graves with thousands of flickering candles and golden marigolds. For $30-50, guided tours provide cultural context without intruding on family moments. Meanwhile, in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, the island of Janitzio becomes the stage for one of Mexico’s most hauntingly beautiful ceremonies, as fishermen in canoes illuminate the lake with torches while performing the Butterfly Dance, representing the souls of the dead.

Mexico City offers the most tourist-accessible experience with its relatively new grand parade—inspired, ironically, by the James Bond film “Spectre,” which invented a parade that didn’t exist until tourists started asking for it. The capital now embraces this Hollywood-influenced spectacle with giant skeletal puppets and elaborate floats. It costs nothing to watch but expect to pay $75-100 for prime viewing spots or guided experiences that explain the symbolism beyond the Instagram-worthy visuals.

For authentic participation in any Day of the Dead celebration, follow simple respect protocols: never touch offerings on altars, ask permission before photographing family memorials, and understand that despite the festive appearance, this is still fundamentally a religious observance. The skeletal figures aren’t meant to frighten but to remind the living that death is simply another state of being—a concept Americans generally address by building gated communities for their elderly and pretending mortality is optional.

Beach Paradise Without Human Obstacle Courses

November in Mexico’s beach destinations feels like someone accidentally left the VIP section open to the public. Puerto Vallarta basks in 85°F perfection, Playa del Carmen offers 82°F days with gentle breezes, and Los Cabos delivers 80°F sunshine while Miami struggles to maintain a respectable 75°F. The mathematical equation is simple: better weather plus fewer humans equals beach bliss without waiting in line for everything.

Accommodation prices drop dramatically in this shoulder season. Budget travelers can find clean, comfortable rooms for $40-60 per night in most beach areas. Mid-range options that would command $250+ in high season settle into the $80-150 range, while luxury experiences that might require a second mortgage in December become merely indulgent at $200-300 per night. In Puerto Vallarta’s charming Zona Romántica, oceanview boutique hotels that run $400+ in winter can be booked for under $150 in November.

November also marks the beginning of whale watching season in Baja California, with the first humpbacks and gray whales arriving mid-month. On the Pacific coast, turtle releases continue as the last of the season’s hatchlings make their dash to the sea. These natural spectacles come with a bonus: you might actually see the animals rather than the backs of other tourists’ heads.

Occasionally, norte cold fronts can sweep down the Gulf Coast, causing temperatures to plummet to what locals consider “freezing” but Americans would call “light jacket weather.” These brief cold snaps provoke unintentional comedy as Mexicans bundle up in parkas and scarves when the thermometer hits a bone-chilling 70°F, while American tourists continue swimming, blissfully unaware they’re supposed to be suffering.

Cultural Festivals That Aren’t Designed for Spring Breakers

The International Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato runs into early November, transforming this UNESCO World Heritage city into Mexico’s cultural epicenter. For performances ranging from $15-60, visitors can experience world-class theater, dance, and music in venues from grand colonial theaters to intimate plaza stages. The city itself, with its subterranean streets and colorful hillside homes, provides a dramatic backdrop that makes Lincoln Center look like an office park.

Revolution Day (November 20) commemorates the 1910 Mexican Revolution with parades, patriotic speeches, and regional celebrations. Unlike American patriotic holidays that have devolved into mattress sales and barbecues, Mexico’s Revolution Day retains genuine historical reflection alongside its festivities. In Mexico City, the military parade offers pageantry without the excessive jingoism or flyovers that characterize similar American events.

Food festivals achieve peak deliciousness in November. In Puebla, the Chile en Nogada Festival continues, celebrating Mexico’s most patriotic dish—a green poblano chile stuffed with fruit-studded meat, topped with white walnut sauce and red pomegranate seeds (representing the Mexican flag). In Oaxaca, post-Day of the Dead brings mole festivals where $5-10 buys tasting portions of seven different variations of this complex sauce. These aren’t tourist-trap food events with nachos and frozen margaritas but genuine culinary celebrations where grandmothers judge each other’s centuries-old recipes with the ruthlessness of Olympic referees.

Archaeological Wonders Without the Human Swarms

November creates the perfect archaeological storm: ideal temperatures for exploring ruins without melting, dramatically reduced crowds, and softer light that makes photography genuinely rewarding rather than an exercise in removing strangers from your shots. At Chichen Itza, temperatures range from 75-85°F—compared to the summer furnace of 95°F with 90% humidity. Teotihuacan outside Mexico City offers even more comfortable exploration at 65-75°F, perfect for climbing those massive pyramids without requiring paramedic assistance.

The statistics tell the story: visitor numbers at major archaeological sites drop by 40-60% from October to November. This doesn’t just mean shorter lines—it fundamentally transforms the experience. Suddenly, you can actually hear the acoustic marvel of a handclap at the base of El Castillo pyramid echoing like a quetzal bird call. You can photograph the Temple of the Warriors without photobombing tourists throwing peace signs. You can contemplate Mayan astronomical genius without someone asking you to take their picture.

The best strategy for major sites in November: arrive at opening (8am) or in late afternoon (after 3pm) when even the reduced tour buses have departed. At Chichen Itza, the less-visited Group of a Thousand Columns offers spectacular carvings with virtually no other visitors. At Teotihuacan, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the on-site museum see a fraction of the visitors who climb the Sun and Moon pyramids.

Mexico City’s Cultural Feast

November in Mexico City delivers the meteorological miracle residents wait for all year: daytime temperatures of 70-75°F, low humidity, reduced pollution thanks to seasonal winds, and cool evenings perfect for exploring outdoor cafés and plazas. The cultural calendar reaches peak density as museums unveil major exhibitions before year’s end.

The Museo Nacional de Antropología offers extended November hours for its special exhibitions (entrance $5), while the Palacio de Bellas Artes presents its most ambitious dance and music programs of the year ($15-40 for world-class performances in a setting that makes audiences gasp before the curtain even rises). Neighborhoods like Roma and Condesa achieve peak charm, their tree-lined streets carpeted with fallen jacaranda blossoms creating purple pathways between Art Deco buildings.

For accommodations, November’s sweet spot means boutique hotels in La Condesa or Roma Norte that command $200+ in high season can be booked for $100-130. The historic centro offers colonial-era buildings converted to hotels for $70-90, while luxury options in Polanco drop to the $180-250 range. The city’s extraordinary metro system—where rides cost about 25 cents—efficiently connects all these neighborhoods, though Ubers remain ridiculously affordable at $3-5 for most inner-city trips.

Culinary Delights That Require Stretchy Pants

November’s culinary calendar capitalizes on harvest seasons and festive traditions. Post-Day of the Dead, pan de muerto (bread of the dead) sells at half price but remains delicious—a sweet egg bread decorated with bone-shaped toppings and infused with orange blossom water. Seasonal specialties reach their apex as cooler weather welcomes heartier dishes like pozole (hominy stew), often available in three varieties: red, green, and white, reflecting the Mexican flag and regional preferences.

In coastal regions, November marks the beginning of the best seafood season as water temperatures cool. In Puerto Vallarta, restaurants like Mariscos Cisneros serve aguachile (Mexico’s answer to ceviche) for $8-12 that would cost triple in a major US city. Mexico City’s markets display the season’s bounty: tejocotes (Mexican hawthorn), guavas, and the appearance of ponche ingredients—the fragrant hot fruit punch that signals the beginning of the holiday season.

Prices demonstrate November’s value proposition. Street food remains the best bargain at $1-3 per spectacular taco or other antojito (little craving), while mid-range restaurants offer full meals for $10-15 per person. Even high-end dining experiences that would require a second mortgage in New York or San Francisco can be enjoyed for $40-60 per person, including drinks. Meanwhile, regional beverages beyond tequila come into their own—try curados de pulque, the fermented agave drink flavored with seasonal fruits, or café de olla, coffee brewed with cinnamon and piloncillo sugar in earthenware pots.

Budget Benefits That Make Accountants Smile

November delivers the financial equivalent of finding money in every pocket. Flights from major US hubs to Mexico City average 20-30% less than December/January prices, while flights to beach destinations show even steeper discounts of 30-40% compared to high season. The actual numbers are compelling: roundtrip flights from Chicago to Mexico City can drop from $550 to $350, while Dallas to Cancun might fall from $650 to $400.

Accommodation discounts follow similar patterns, with colonial cities showing 25-35% reductions and beach destinations offering 35-50% savings compared to peak periods. Even luxury experiences become attainable—five-star resorts in Los Cabos that command $700+ per night in high season can be booked for $350-400, while boutique hotels throughout the country offer their premium rooms at standard rates.

Packing for November requires strategic thinking: beach destinations remain warm enough for summer clothing, but evenings cool significantly. Mexico City and colonial highlands can experience temperature swings from 75°F days to 50°F nights. The solution is simple layering and a light jacket—nothing approaching the Arctic expedition gear required for a November evening in Chicago or Boston.

Safety considerations remain consistent with other seasons, though November’s reduced tourist density means less targeting of obvious visitors. The simple rules apply: use designated taxis or rideshare apps, keep valuables secure, stay aware in crowded markets, and avoid excessive displays of wealth. The most dangerous November activity might be attempting to match locals drink-for-drink during Revolution Day celebrations.