Marrakech in November: Mild Days, Cooler Nights and the Value Returns

November is the gentle wind-down from autumn toward winter, and the trend through the month is one of steady cooling. Early November still feels autumnal and pleasant, with afternoon highs around 23-24C; by late month they have eased to 20C or a little below, and the first genuinely cool, winter-like evenings arrive. Nights cool through the month too, from around 11C early on to 9C by the end, so the evening layers that summer travellers never need come back into play. Daytime sun is still generous at roughly seven to eight hours, and the warm middle of the day remains comfortable for sightseeing, but the swing between afternoon and night is widening again.

November is also the wettest month of the autumn, at roughly 32-40mm over about six days. That is still not a lot in absolute terms, and it usually falls as short showers rather than all-day rain, but it is enough that a light waterproof earns its place in the bag and the odd grey afternoon is possible. Days are shortening noticeably, down to about 10h30m of daylight with sunset near 5:50pm, so the useful open-air window contracts and it pays to be out in the warm midday and back under cover as the early dusk cools things quickly.

November is where the value returns after the expensive October peak. Crowds thin and room rates soften as the month goes on, so the first three weeks in particular are a good-value autumn window with mild weather, manageable crowds at the major sights and prices well below October's. It is a strong choice for travellers who missed the summer-shoulder value and want comfortable sightseeing weather without the autumn-peak premium. The one firm-up is the film-festival weekend in late November, which briefly lifts demand and prices in the central medina.

Everything a visitor wants stays open through November; there is no low-season shutdown, and in a typical year no Ramadan or major holiday to complicate the month. The main seasonal change is simply the cooler evenings and the return of some rain, both easily managed with the right packing. For a fuller cost breakdown across the year, see our Marrakech prices and costs guide.

November's headline event is the Marrakech International Film Festival, which typically takes place in late November (running into early December in some years), and is the city's most glamorous cultural moment. It brings international premieres, tributes to major directors and actors, and, best of all for visitors, free public screenings on a giant open-air screen in Jemaa el-Fnaa, turning the great square into an outdoor cinema. Many of the public events are free, so even without an industry pass you can enjoy a real slice of the festival simply by being in the city.

The festival lifts the atmosphere, and the demand, in the central medina for its duration, so if you want to attend, book your riad early and aim for a central base near the square. If you would rather avoid the bump, the rest of November is calmer and cheaper. Either way it is worth knowing the dates: they shift year to year, so confirm the current edition before planning around it. Our Marrakech International Film Festival guide covers the programme, venues and how to catch the free screenings.

November's mild, dry mornings make it one of the best months of the year for running in Marrakech, and it marks the start of the cool running season. The cool dawns and comfortable daytime temperatures are ideal for training along the ramparts, through the Palmeraie and around the Menara, and it is the time of year when many runners come to build fitness in a warm-but-not-hot climate. If you are a runner, the flat avenues and palm-grove routes are a pleasure in November before the deeper winter cold sets in.

The city's flagship race itself, the Marrakech International Marathon, is held in late January (25 January in 2026) rather than in November, so November is training-and-planning season rather than race month, and it is when many international entrants firm up their plans for the January event. If you are targeting the marathon, a November recce trip is a smart way to preview the climate and the course. Our Marrakech marathon guide covers the route, registration and race-weekend logistics for the January event.

November is a specialist's month with a clear profile. It rewards travellers who want mild sightseeing weather, thinner crowds and good value, and who do not mind cool evenings, some rain and short days. The classic November visitor is a culture-focused traveller happy to walk the medina and gardens through the warm midday, wrap up for a cosy dinner as the early dusk cools, and enjoy the film festival or the quiet, cheaper weeks around it.

It suits less well anyone whose trip depends on warm-pool days, long light evenings or guaranteed dry weather, all of which point to spring or early autumn instead. As a rule, if you would trade a little warmth and daylight for lower prices and calmer sights, November delivers; if a poolside holiday is the goal, another month will serve you better.

November suits a warm-midday, cool-evening rhythm reminiscent of the winter months but gentler: gardens, palaces, souks and medina walks through the mild middle of the day, hammams, museums and cosy dinners as the early dusk cools things down. It is a good month for a first Atlas day trip in comfortable foothills-walking weather, though the higher peaks may see their first snow late in the month, and for the classic city programme without the autumn-peak crowds.

Packing swings back toward layers as the evenings cool, and the return of some rain means a waterproof is worth carrying. The daytime is still warm enough for lighter clothing, so it is a genuine layering month.