At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season The first week is the most expensive and most crowded of the year alongside Christmas, with Centro, Roma and Condesa hotels booking out months ahead. From about the 5th prices fall away sharply and the rest of the month is quiet.
Mexico City in November — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Mexico City in November offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for culture seekers & photographers. Expect temperatures of 10–23°C, around 4 days of rain, and peak crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around $55–185 for mid-range travellers. Book accommodation four to six weeks ahead for the best balance of price and availability.
Contents12 sections
#Weather in Mexico City in November
Mexico City in November averages 10–23°C (50–73°F) with around 4 days of rain, and crowds are peak.
| Measure | November |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | 23°C / 73°F |
| Overnight low | 10°C / 50°F |
| Rain | 4 wet days, 17mm |
| Air | Clean, and improving through the month |
November is the dry season arriving properly, and it is the month the city is most itself. Four wet days, mild afternoons, cool nights, and air that is back to its best as the winter pattern settles in without the ozone season that will not begin until February.
It opens on the occasion that most visitors come for, and it stays good long after the crowds from it have gone. The second half of November is quietly one of the best stretches of the year and almost nobody plans for it.
#What to Do in Mexico City in November
Día de Muertos (1 and 2 November)
The dates do not move.
1 November is for children who have died, 2 November for adults. Families visit graves, clean them, decorate them with cempasúchil and candles, and sit with them, often through the night.
In and around the city the cemeteries at Mixquic, in the far south-east, and Xochimilco hold the best-known vigils.
⚠️ The city's parade is a separate thing. It is a modern addition created in 2016, it is not part of the traditional observance, and its date is announced by the city government in the autumn rather than being fixed. Do not assume it falls on the 2nd, and confirm before planning a trip around it.
The ofrendas
Public altars fill the Zócalo, the university campuses and museum courtyards through the first week. The Zócalo's is enormous and is the most photographed thing in the country for a few days.
The second half of November
Once the crowds leave, the city is mild, dry, clean-aired and quiet. Teotihuacán, Xochimilco, Coyoacán and the Centro are all at their best and none of them is busy.
Day trips
Tepoztlán and Puebla are both comfortable now. Puebla is the home of Talavera tile, mole poblano and a cathedral that outdoes the capital's, and it is close enough for a long day.
#Getting Around
Dry-season conditions. The Metro and Metrobús run as normal and the afternoon is dependable again.
⚠️ The Centro is closed to traffic around Día de Muertos, and the parade route — when its date is announced — closes Reforma for a day. Both are Metro days rather than car days.
Altitude still applies on arrival: flat first day.
#Budget & Costs
The first week is the most expensive of the Mexico City year alongside Christmas. Hotels in the Centro, Roma and Condesa book out months ahead for Día de Muertos and price accordingly.
From about the 5th, prices fall away sharply, and the rest of November is among the better value stretches of the dry season with the best weather of it.
Hotels carry a lodging tax on top of the room rate and 16% value-added tax applies broadly. ⚠️ Confirm the current rate at booking.
Tipping runs 10 to 15% and is not usually included.
#Food & Dining
Pan de muerto runs to the first days of November and then stops for the year. Eat it while it is there.
Muertos brings other things briefly onto menus: calaveritas, the sugar and amaranth skulls, and atole and tamales at the vigils. Around the cemeteries on the night of the 1st, food stalls run all night.
After the first week the city returns to its ordinary excellence, and November is a good month for the tasting restaurants of Roma and Polanco because the weather makes the walk home pleasant.
Tap water is not drunk here; bottled and filtered is universal.
#Nightlife
The first few days are unlike anything else in the year. After that, November is the best terrace month of the dry season: dry, mild, and cool enough in the evening to want a jacket rather than to need one.
Roma Norte and Condesa, the Centro cantinas, Polanco at the dressed end.
⚠️ Altitude amplifies alcohol.
#Shopping
Mercado de Jamaica is at its marigold peak in the first days and worth the trip for that alone.
After the 3rd, markets return to normal and November is a good craft-buying month before the December rush.
Mercado de la Ciudadela for fixed prices, Lagunilla on Sundays, Roma and Condesa for design.
#Culture & Etiquette
🔴 This is the etiquette that matters most in the Mexico City year. Día de Muertos is not Halloween and it is not a party about death. Families are visiting their dead. The altars are for named people. The face paint you will see is widespread and visitors joining in is accepted, but the vigils in the cemeteries are private acts taking place in public.
Photograph the parade, the public ofrendas and the streets. Ask before photographing a family at a grave, and accept no as the answer. At Mixquic in particular, go as a guest rather than as an audience.
#Essential Local Phrases
| Spanish | What it means |
|---|---|
| Día de Muertos | 1 and 2 November — fixed, and not Halloween |
| Ofrenda | An altar for specific dead people, not a decoration |
| Cempasúchil | The marigold whose scent is said to guide the dead home |
| Calaverita | A sugar or amaranth skull, often with a name on it |
| ¿Puedo tomar una foto? | May I take a photo? — the question to ask at a grave |
| La cuenta, por favor | The bill, please — it will not arrive unrequested |
| Colonia | The neighbourhood — addresses are given by colonia, not district number |
#Packing List
- A layer for the evening; nights are back down to 10°C
- Comfortable shoes for long days and, if you go to a vigil, a long night
- Sunscreen and sunglasses for clear dry-season sun
- Lip balm and moisturiser as the air dries out
- Something respectful for a cemetery visit
- A small torch if you are going to Mixquic or Xochimilco after dark
- A refillable bottle
- Cash in small notes, because the stalls around the cemeteries take nothing else
#Safety & Health
Air quality is good and improving as winter settles in. November to January are the three cleanest months of the year.
Crowds are the November-specific risk, concentrated in the first three days. The Zócalo, the parade route and the cemeteries at Mixquic and Xochimilco all hold very large numbers. Keep valuables out of sight and agree a meeting point.
⚠️ Mixquic is a long way out and the return is the hard part. Arrange how you are getting back before you go, rather than after midnight in a village full of people trying to do the same thing.
Altitude is unchanged. Slow first day.
#Backup Plans
- Museums close on Monday, and some close or change hours around the 1st and 2nd.
- If the Zócalo ofrenda is impassable, the university and museum altars are large, free and far calmer.
- If Mixquic looks like too much, Xochimilco's cemetery is closer and San Andrés Mixquic's crowds are the reason.
- The second half of the month is the contingency for the first: everything is still there and nothing is busy.
- If the parade date does not suit your dates, the observance on the 1st and 2nd is the older and better thing anyway.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is Día de Muertos in Mexico City?
The 1st and 2nd of November, fixed. The 1st is for children who have died and the 2nd for adults. Families visit graves, clean and decorate them with cempasúchil and candles, and often sit with them through the night. The cemeteries at Mixquic and Xochimilco hold the best-known vigils.
Is the Día de Muertos parade on 2 November?
Not necessarily, and it is a separate thing from the observance. The parade is a modern addition created in 2016, it is not part of the traditional practice, and the city government announces its date in the autumn rather than fixing it to the calendar. Confirm before planning a trip around it.
Is Día de Muertos the same as Halloween?
No, and treating it that way is the mistake to avoid. Families are visiting their dead and the altars are built for named people. Face paint is widespread and visitors joining in is accepted, but the cemetery vigils are private acts taking place in public. Photograph the parade and the public ofrendas; ask before photographing a family at a grave.
Is November a good time to visit Mexico City?
It is the best month of the dry season and it works twice over. The first three days are the occasion most visitors come for. From the 5th the crowds leave and the city is mild, dry, clean-aired and quiet, which is one of the best stretches of the year and almost nobody plans for it.
What’s the weather like in Mexico City in November?
Mexico City in November typically sees temperatures of 10–23°C with around 4 days of rain across the period. Pack lightweight layers that suit both cooler mornings and warmer afternoons.
How much does it cost to visit Mexico City in November?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of $55–185, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Flexible dates can save up to 20% compared with peak-week rates.