Morocco in November: weather, quiet roads and what to do
Mild afternoons, cold desert nights and rain in the north: November weather by region, the Marrakech film festival, the saffron harvest, holidays and crowds.
By Ismail7 min read
Yes, November is a good month to visit Morocco, especially Marrakech, the south and the Sahara. Afternoons are mild, about 23 °C in Marrakech and 21 °C on the edge of the desert, and once the autumn school holidays are over the roads and riads are quiet. The trade-offs are short days, cold nights in the desert and rain in the north, where November is the wettest month of the year.
Is November a good time to visit Morocco?
For most trips, yes. The summer heat has gone, desert nights are cold but not yet freezing, and the crowds of late October and Christmas fall outside the month. You can walk the medinas all day without hunting for shade, drive south over the Atlas in clear light, and trek in the Jebel Saghro, whose season has just begun.
It is less good for swimming, for long evenings outdoors and for a trip built around Tangier and the north, where it rains on about one day in three. Days are short too: in Marrakech the sun rises at about 06:50 at the start of the month and 07:15 at the end, and sets between about 17:45 and 17:30 (GMT, which Morocco now keeps all year), so you get a little under 11 hours of daylight.
Still choosing a month? October is warmer and busier, and December is colder, with Christmas crowds at the end. Our guide to the best time to visit Morocco compares the whole year.
November weather by region
These are the official 1991–2020 averages of Morocco's meteorological service, published by the World Meteorological Organization; Essaouira comes from NOAA's normals for the same period.
| Place | Average high | Average low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | 23 °C (74 °F) | 11 °C (51 °F) | 30 mm, 5 days |
| Fes | 20 °C (68 °F) | 8 °C (47 °F) | 66 mm, 8 days |
| Tangier | 20 °C (68 °F) | 12 °C (54 °F) | 117 mm, 10 days |
| Casablanca | 21 °C (70 °F) | 13 °C (55 °F) | 83 mm, 9 days |
| Essaouira | 21 °C (69 °F) | 14 °C (58 °F) | 55 mm, 5 days |
| Agadir | 24 °C (75 °F) | 13 °C (55 °F) | 42 mm, 4 days |
| Ouarzazate | 22 °C (71 °F) | 7 °C (45 °F) | 8 mm, 4 days |
| Errachidia (for Merzouga) | 21 °C (69 °F) | 8 °C (46 °F) | 16 mm, 4 days |
The north is at its wettest: November is the rainiest month of the year in both Tangier and Fes. Pack a waterproof and shoes that grip on wet paving.
Marrakech and the plains get the best of the month: warm afternoons in the sun, a jumper after dark, and rain on about five days.
The coast has the mildest nights. Agadir has the warmest afternoons in the table, and the sea there averages about 19 °C: bracing for a swim, fine for long walks on the beach. The season of bigger surf, from October to April, is under way in Taghazout.
South of the Atlas it hardly rains, and the nights are the coldest in the country (see below).
First snow on the Atlas
The first snow sometimes dusts the High Atlas summits in November: in 2020 it fell above 2,000 metres on 4 November. Snow closures of the Tizi n'Tichka, the pass on the road from Marrakech to Ouarzazate and the desert, are mostly a December-to-March matter, but a cold spell can bring one earlier, so allow some slack if you cross late in the month.
The desert and the south
November opens the cool desert season. Errachidia, the nearest official weather station to Merzouga, averages 21 °C in the afternoon and 8 °C at night; the dunes of Erg Chebbi lie about 300 metres lower and are usually a little warmer. Days are ideal for climbing a dune or riding a camel at sunset, but once the sun has gone (around 17:20 in Merzouga in mid-November) the temperature drops fast. Our trip pages say it plainly: desert nights can be cold, especially from November to March. Bring a fleece and a warm jacket; our desert packing list covers the rest.
The long nights have their reward: in 2026 the new moon falls on 9 November, so the nights around it are the darkest of the month for stars over the dunes. Our season-by-season guide to the Sahara explains how the desert changes through the winter.
Short days do affect the planning. The 3-day Merzouga desert tour has two driving days of 8 to 10 hours with stops, so in November the last stretch is often driven after dark. With only a day or two, read our page on a short desert trip from Marrakech: an evening in the Agafay desert, or the 2-day Zagora desert tour, which is back in Marrakech around 20:00 in winter.
November is also trekking season south of the Atlas. The Jebel Saghro trek, six days among volcanic rock towers between the High Atlas and the Sahara, is at its best from October to April; in summer it is too hot to walk there. Expect warm walking days and cold nights in camp.
Marrakech in November
Marrakech is at its most comfortable: about 23 °C in the afternoon and 11 °C at night. You can walk the souks at midday, which is hard work in summer, and watch the sunset from a rooftop terrace at about half past five. Riads are built around open courtyards and can feel chilly at night, so ask whether the rooms are heated before you book.
The city's big event is the Marrakech International Film Festival. Its 23rd edition runs from 20 to 28 November 2026, with the French actress Marion Cotillard as president of the jury. The dates move from year to year (the 2025 edition ran from 28 November to 6 December), so check the festival's official website. Screenings are held at the Palais des Congrès and in town cinemas such as the Colisée, and the public can attend many of them with a pass: the festival's website explains how to get one. If your dates overlap, book your riad a little earlier. For the films shot in the country itself, see our guide to movies filmed in Morocco.
A private guided tour of Marrakech suits the month: a full or half day with a local guide through the palaces, the souks and Jemaa el-Fna, with the Majorelle Garden as an option (open 8:00 to 17:30 in November, last entry 17:00).
The saffron harvest in Taliouine
From about mid-October to mid-November, the saffron crocus flowers on the plateau around Taliouine, in Taroudant province, on the edge of the Anti-Atlas. The purple flowers are picked at dawn, mostly by women, while they are still closed, and the red stigmas are then separated by hand. The town holds an international saffron festival, usually in November; the 16th edition ran from 20 to 23 November 2025, and the dates change each year. Spanish passport holders: Spain still advises against travel to Taroudant province, so check that advice and your insurance.
Public holidays
Two national holidays fall in November:
- 6 November: the anniversary of the Green March (a Friday in 2026, a Saturday in 2027).
- 18 November: Independence Day (a Wednesday in 2026, a Thursday in 2027).
Banks, schools and government offices close; shops, cafés, restaurants and the souks generally stay open. If you need a bank, go the day before.
Crowds and prices
November is one of the calmest times of the year. The second half of October is busy with the French Toussaint holidays and the British half-term, and the French break can spill into November (until 2 November in 2026, 8 November in 2027); Flemish schools are off from 2 to 8 November 2026. After that, things stay quiet until European schools break up for Christmas, around 19 December.
Prices follow demand. You have far more choice of riads and desert camps than at Christmas, New Year or Easter, and there is little need to book months ahead, unless you want a particular luxury camp or a riad in the medina during the film festival.
Our November ideas
- Five days: two days in Marrakech with a private guide, then two days in Zagora and a night in the dunes.
- A week or more: the Saghro trek at the start of its season, with a day in Marrakech before or after.
- Film lovers: Marrakech during the festival, with an evening in Agafay.
- The full desert: three days to Merzouga in the first half of the month, around the new moon.
Send us your dates on WhatsApp or through our contact page: we will tell you what the weather and the roads should be like, and suggest a route that fits the season.