Top eight places to travel in November 2026

November’s that month when, for many of us, things start to feel a little darker, hibernation feelings loom overhead and we switch down a gear. Taking a holiday in November is a way to buck the trend, pull open the curtains onto a world of adventures and keep winter woollies at bay for a while longer. You’ve also still got a few months to get in training if you want to get trip fit for the likes of island-hopping and hiking in Cape Verde, or trekking up Morocco’s Toubkal. And if you like to avoid the whole build up to Christmas, a Cambodian adventure will nip that in the bud big time. Raise a toast to some remaining rays of sunshine along the wine trails of Istria or Provence, just a few of many sunny spots featured in our top eight places to travel in November.

Canary Islands, Spain

Swap November malaise for national park nirvanas of the Canaries, where hiking trails take you into the sweet secret spots of these islands that are often underrated for sustainable adventures. Such as the GR131, a waymarked trail that features on all seven of the Canary Islands, coast to coast, connecting them like a string of natural pearls. You can get some good flight prices too, if you avoid November half term break, because you are getting in before the Christmas Canary rush.

You won’t be rushing as you walk through the likes of Mount Teide in Tenerife, Garajonay on La Gomera, or Caldera de Taburiente on La Palma, just some of the Canary Islands’ national parks. If you want to explore one of the quietest Canary Islands, then walking in El Hierro ticks a lot of beautiful boxes. This is a mountainous, volcanic island, steeped in ancient and religious heritage, with sacred trees and remote chapels, laurisilva forests and clifftop caminos. All of these Canary Island walking holidays make you thankful for nature in November. A good one to time with Thanksgiving, perhaps.

Fill your November days with light, and open the curtains onto La Gomera.

Málaga, Spain

Although Málaga is famous for being a historic port city on the Costa del Sol, you only need to go a stone’s throw to hit the hiking trails of Sierra de Tejeda and Almijara mountain range, protected by a natural park of the same name. There are so many trails, in fact, that we have two centre-based holidays near the city, both of which give you access to them. On this holiday you stay in Canillas de Albaida and, on this upgraded version, the hotel is in Cómpeta, both villages being typical whitewashed beauties of the region. The highlight for many is the El Saltillo Hike, which is part of the greater GR249 trail, also known as the Gran Senda de Málaga. It’s a feature of both of these Málaga walking holidays but you also have options to walk the Silk Route through the rugged terrain and cliffs of the Axarquía region, and take a trek to the summit of Cerro Verde (1,346m). In addition, you can travel to Málaga by train, so this holiday is stress-free on so many levels.

Cómpeta is one of two bases in Málaga that we use as a base for walking holidays.

Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The Atlas Mountains are like the icing on Morocco’s colossal cake, spread for 2,000km across the top of the country and into Tunisia. They are also home to the welcoming indigenous Berber or Amazigh people. Our Morocco hiking and cycling holidays in the High Atlas take you up winding, steep and sometimes icy slopes, past ochre Berber villages that merge with the rock faces of the same hue, following in the steps of shepherds or goat herders and their trusty pack mules. You can aim high and take on Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, or seek out an alternative summit on our new trekking tour to Mount M’Goun (4,068m) is the third highest peak of the Atlas. The Atlas Mountains are also just 70km from Marrakech, and many of our holidays include a night there so you can do all your Christmas shopping on the same trip. Book a check-in bag. You won’t regret it.

Istria, Croatia

This is the time of year when Croatians are putting their feet up after a long summer tourist season, closely followed by their much celebrated wine harvest. There’s a chilled atmosphere in November and the temperatures are high enough to enjoy your Malvazija well chilled too. Spend a week on a self-guided walking holiday of Istria’s wine country, hiking alongside olive groves and vineyards, through autumnal forests and riverfronts, and taking on a few challenges such as a trek to the summit of Istria’s highest peak, Mount Učka (1,401m), with views out along the Adriatic. Which is still around 18C, so pack your swimsuit. Travel to Trieste for this trip, with some bargain November flight prices to be had.

Cycling the Istrian Wine Roads 22 — Wine and wind your way through November in Istria.

Head Down Under

Turn that winter frown upside down, geographically, and explore our New Zealand tours. With such big landscapes, it’s hard to know where to start, but we think these holidays take you to some of the prettiest Antipodean adventure spots. They are not only epic, but also epic-urean for the most part. For example, our five day, cycling tour around New Zealand’s famous wine regions on the North Island, along Hawkes Bay one of New Zealand’s most celebrated viticultural heavens. On the South Island, our Cycling the Great Taste Trail holiday whips up quite an appetite over six days, with a fantastic menu of food, wine and wanderlust en route.

Our third Kiwi treat is a walking one, also on the South Island, following the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, in the eponymous national park, for five days. This is a salty menu of coastal bush, sandy beaches and bays, which will satisfy all cravings for water wanderlust.

Wine Trails, Provence

There’s one fine way to stop whining about November and that’s to just go wining instead, on a six day walking holiday around Provence’s most prestigious and prolific wine region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This trip is an antidote to drowning your seasonal sorrows. Instead, you wake up to breakfast in a beautiful, traditional Provençal hotel, walk the valleys and vineyards on tranquil trails for three or four hours a day, with temperatures around 12-15C. Follow that with a sunset wine tasting or aperitif at your next hotel, your bags safely delivered while you walk. This holiday is also reachable by rail (7h 30mins from London, for example), so you can bring a few bottles back for Christmas.

Hiking on Cape Verde

Our Cape Verde hiking holidays open in November when temperatures are between 22-28C. These island idylls are never short of a coastal breeze, making it perfect to explore this tropical Atlantic archipelago that was once described by Charles Darwin as a “glory of tropical vegetation”. Combine Creole culture with a glorious climate and community camaraderie on the islands of São Vicente, Santo Antão and Fogo, all boasting their own natural heritage highlights in a seascape of voluptuous volcanoes.

The misty marvels of Santo Antão, Cape Verde.

Beat the Christmas crowds in Cambodia

Although our Cambodia adventure holiday runs all year round, November is nirvana month, when the country has emerged from the rainy season, and temperatures are still in their low 30s but with a lot less humidity. You’re also missing the Christmas mass tourism mega month when, although we take you off the beaten path, there are still some classic sites not to be missed. Such as cycling through Angkor Wat, kayaking to Tonle Sap Lake and hiking in Kep National Park. All with a private guide, who knows a few extra tips and spots along the way.

For more adventure tours that take you into Narnia-like lands, national parks or give you natural highs to fight November lows, don’t hesitate to contact us. We have many more November holidays here. You may also enjoy our blog on The Fishermen’s Trail in Portugal, available in November), or Camino de Santiago routes, many of which are bookable for travel in November.