Every autumn the same email arrives: “We’re doing Thailand in November, the rainy season’s over by then, right?” Half right, and the half you booked decides everything. November is the month Thailand’s weather map flips: the north is at its best, Bangkok is drying out, the Andaman is opening up but not on the 1st, and the Gulf islands are having their wettest weeks of the year. A country-wide verdict on Thailand in November is useless; a region-by-region one is not.
The short version: go north, go to the Andaman from mid-month, go to Isaan for the cheapest good weather in the country, and do not book a beach holiday on Samui, Phangan or Tao. Loy Krathong is Tuesday 24 November 2026, Yi Peng in Chiang Mai the 24th and 25th, and both need rooms now. Prices step up in the second half of the month.
Thailand in November at a glance: two monsoons, six regions, one table
Thailand runs on two monsoons and November is the handover. The south-west monsoon, which has rained on Phuket and Krabi since May, gives up in October; the north-east monsoon replaces it with dry, cooler air across the mainland, so Chiang Mai and Isaan dry out almost overnight. That same wind then crosses the Gulf, loads up with moisture and drops it on the first land it meets, the east coast of Koh Samui.
| Region | Rain in November | Sea | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai) | ~41mm, 3 rain days; 20°C nights | n/a | Yi Peng week is the year’s busiest | Do it. The north’s best month |
| Bangkok and the central plains | ~45mm, 4 rain days; 33°C days | Rivers high after the floods | Filling from mid-month | Do it; check floods before Ayutthaya |
| Isaan (Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Surin, Ubon) | ~14mm, 1 rain day; 20°C dawns | n/a | Near zero, bar Surin on 19–21 Nov | Do it. Cheapest good weather |
| Andaman (Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Lanta, Lipe) | ~180mm, 13–18 rain days, falling weekly | Lumpy early, calm by late month | High season from around the 20th | Worth it from mid-month; a gamble before |
| Gulf islands (Samui, Phangan, Tao) | ~445mm on Samui, 16–17 rain days; the wettest month | Rough; red flags; Koh Tao boats cancelled | Low; rates 30–50% off | Skip for a beach; fine for a spa |
| East coast (Koh Chang, Mak, Kood) and Hua Hin | Drying out; Hua Hin catches the monsoon’s tail early on | Calm by mid-month | Quiet until Christmas | Fine; the quiet-beach sleeper |
Rain figures are Thai Meteorological Department station normals (1991–2020; Krabi 1981–2010; Samui from our Koh Samui rainy season guide), and averages hide the shape: northern and Isaan rain days are a shower or two in the first week, then nothing; Andaman rain is front-loaded, so the first ten days can look like October and the last ten like December. The whole year, coast by coast, is in best time to visit Thailand.
Northern Thailand in November: the best month of its year, with one crowded week
If we could hand a first-timer one region in one month, it would be the north in November. The rain stops in the first days, the sky clears to a blue the burning season will steal back in March, and the nights cool: Chiang Mai’s average low is around 20°C in November and under 17°C by December, and a 6am start on Doi Inthanon or in Pai means 8–12°C and a fleece. Our things to do in Chiang Mai list works in full this month; Doi Inthanon’s dual-priced entry is around ฿300 for foreigners as of October 2026, and a day tour from the city around ฿1,200–2,000 with entry folded in.
The catch is the full-moon week. Yi Peng, 24–25 November, is the most competitive booking in the Thai calendar: Old City and Nimman rooms sell out months ahead, festival-night flights are cancelled or retimed, and the ticketed mass releases (฿3,000 to ฿12,000-plus a head) sell out too. Our Yi Peng guide explains why the free celebration around the moat beats the ticketed one. Otherwise, a decent air-con room is ฿1,000–2,000, and Raya Heritage on the Ping goes from around ฿8,000 a night in the green season to ฿12,000 in the cool season (luxury price tracker). The overnight sleeper from Bangkok is ฿600–900 a berth and fills a month out for the festival dates; our Bangkok to Chiang Mai guide ranks it against the ฿900–2,500 flight.
Bangkok and the central plains in November: drying out, and this year’s flood caveat
In an ordinary year Bangkok in November is the city at its most tolerable: 45mm of rain against October’s 289mm, the afternoon storms gone, and from mid-month evenings you could honestly call pleasant. The night markets we rate all work, and Loy Krathong on the Chao Phraya on the 24th is the easiest version of the festival to reach; our Loy Krathong guide ranks the options, and a banana-trunk krathong is ฿30–100.
This year carries a caveat we would rather print than pretend away. On 24–27 September 2026 more than 300mm fell on parts of the capital in 48 hours; all 50 districts were declared disaster zones on the 26th, and by the 29th the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation counted 29 flooded provinces plus Bangkok; our Bangkok floods status page tracks it day by day. Bangkok drains within days and will be running normally long before November. The central plains are slower: the Chao Phraya and the Pasak were still rising at Ayutthaya at the end of September, and in a wet year the plains hold water into November. Before booking Ayutthaya (our half-day cycle through the ruins) or Sukhothai’s Loy Krathong, check the Thai Meteorological Department’s outlook a week out. The digital arrival card and the 30-day visa exemption in force since 15 September are unaffected.
Prices: the good mid-range hotels fill from mid-November, and a riverside room for Loy Krathong needs booking two to three weeks out; sala rattanakosin, opposite Wat Arun, has a terrace over the actual festival, priced accordingly. Everyday costs are the Price Index numbers: ฿17–62 on the BTS, ฿35 taxi flagfall, ฿50–80 for pad krapao, ฿400–700 for the rooftop cocktail.
The Andaman coast in November: the season opens, but not on the 1st
Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Lanta and Lipe reopen for business in November and the weather follows a week or two behind the marketing. Phuket averages 178mm and 13 rain days in November against 336mm and 19 in October. The first week is still a coin toss, with storms and red flags on Karon, Kata and Surin; the last week is December weather at shoulder prices. Book early November if the price matters more than the weather, from the 15th if not.
What opens when. The Similan Islands reopened on 15 October; a daily cap of around 3,300 visitors means the opening weeks and Christmas sell out, so a Khao Lak day trip needs booking now, not on the beach: ฿3,200–4,500 a head plus the ฿500 park fee, usually on top; liveaboards from around ฿11,000 for two days. Our Similan guide explains why Khao Lak beats Phuket as the base; The Sarojin is the Khao Lak hotel we would pick if the trip is a treat, and Phuket airport to Khao Lak is 75 minutes by road. Maya Bay reopened on 1 October (฿400 park fee plus ฿20 pier fee as of October 2026); whether it is worth the scrum is our Phi Phi verdict. Lanta and the Phuket–Phi Phi–Lanta speedboats return to full timetables through late October and early November, so early November is Lanta open and empty; Pimalai at the quiet southern end is the island’s grown-up hotel. Routes: Bangkok to Phuket and Bangkok to Krabi on 12Go; areas in our Krabi stay guide, evenings in the Phuket night market verdicts.
The Gulf islands in November: Samui’s wettest month, and the jellyfish caveat
Koh Samui averages around 445mm and 16–17 rain days in November, its wettest month by a distance, and the rain arrives as multi-day systems: a trough parks over the lower Gulf, it rains sideways for three days, Chaweng and Lamai go to red flags, and the Koh Tao catamarans stay in port. Ang Thong marine park usually closes to boats from the start of November to mid-December (ferry guide). The compensation is real: rates fall 30–50% from the Christmas peak, a beachfront five-star asking ฿15,000–20,000 in late December is often ฿8,000–11,000 in mid-November, and nothing closes. A spa week or a pool villa on the sheltered west coast is rational money; a beach holiday is not. The Full Moon Party is 24 November, the same night as Loy Krathong; expect a wet one. Bangkok to Koh Samui on 12Go has the all-weather bus-and-ferry route.
The jellyfish caveat. Koh Samui and Koh Phangan record the highest incidence of severe box-jellyfish stings in Thailand; the documented cases cluster from July to October, and November’s churned-up sea is the tail of that window, not the end of it. Swim where there are nets or vinegar poles, not at night or straight after heavy rain, and if someone is stung, vinegar on the area for at least 30 seconds, not fresh water, then a hospital. It is rare. It is not zero.
Isaan and the east coast in November: dry, cool and nearly empty
Isaan in November is the country’s best-kept weather secret: Udon Thani averages 14mm of rain for the entire month, one rain day, 31°C by day and 20°C at dawn. The rice harvest is on and there is almost nobody else there. Surin fills for one long weekend, the Elephant Round-up on 19–21 November (the province confirms the programme nearer the date; historically the elephant breakfast is the Friday morning). The parade and the fruit buffet are worth the train ticket, the stadium tricks are not, and our Surin guide says why; standing areas are free, grandstand seats a few hundred baht, the train from Bangkok ฿400–600 in second class or ฿700–1,100 for a sleeper. On the east coast, Koh Chang, Koh Mak and Koh Kood come back online through November as the speedboats resume full schedules; the west-coast beaches in our Koh Chang ranking are calm by mid-month and quiet until Christmas. Hua Hin catches the monsoon’s tail in the first half of the month and dries after it; a Hua Hin weekend in late November is a safe bet.
What’s on in Thailand in November 2026: Loy Krathong, Yi Peng, Surin and the rest
Dates as of October 2026; the festival and public-holiday calendar updates the day anything moves. Note what is not here: November 2026 has no public holidays and no alcohol-ban days. The King Bhumibol memorial day people sometimes place in November is 13 October; after Chulalongkorn Day on the 23rd there is nothing until Father’s Day on Saturday 5 December.
| Date | Event | Where | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19–21 Nov | Surin Elephant Round-up | Surin | Parade and fruit buffet; rooms two months out |
| 20–24 Nov (TBC) | Sukhothai Loy Krathong and Candle Festival | Sukhothai Historical Park | Ticketed inside the park; rooms roughly double |
| Tue 24 Nov | Loy Krathong | Nationwide | Not a public holiday; best hour 18:30–20:00; krathong ฿30–100 |
| 24–25 Nov | Yi Peng | Chiang Mai | Free in town; ticketed releases ฿3,000–12,000+; designated zones only |
| Tue 24 Nov | Full Moon Party | Haad Rin, Koh Phangan | Same night as Loy Krathong; the wettest edition of the year |
| Sun 29 Nov | Lopburi Monkey Buffet | Prang Sam Yot, Lopburi | Last Sunday of November; a train day trip from Bangkok |
Sukhothai is the Loy Krathong worth rearranging a trip for, with the fewest beds: Bangkok to Sukhothai is an overnight bus, or a train to Phitsanulok and a minibus, and Legendha Sukhothai, walking distance from the park gate, is the room to fight for (Sukhothai guide). In Bangkok, a Loy Krathong dinner cruise is the lazy option at around ฿1,500–3,000 a head.
What Thailand costs in November: the step from shoulder to high season
November is the month prices turn. Early November is a shoulder: the luxury hotels we track sit 15–20% under peak, island mid-range rooms are still on green-season pricing, and flights are cheap. From around the 15th the Andaman goes to high-season rates until April; the Price Index puts the island premium at 20–50%. The Gulf runs backwards: Samui is at its cheapest while Phuket goes up.
| What | Early November | Late November onwards |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-range island resort, per night | ฿1,500–2,500 | ฿2,000–4,000 |
| Decent air-con city hotel | ฿1,000–2,000 | Same; double in Chiang Mai for Yi Peng |
| Luxury Phuket (Keemala, all-in) | from ~฿15,000 | from ~฿25,000 |
| Beachfront five-star, Koh Samui | ฿8,000–11,000 | Similar to mid-December, then ฿15,000–20,000 |
| Domestic flight, Bangkok to Chiang Mai or Phuket | ฿900–2,500 | Same band; more around the festival dates (approx) |
A day adds up much the same in any month: ฿1,100–1,600 backpacking, ฿3,000–4,500 comfortable, ฿8,000-plus when the hotel is the holiday, per our three itemised budgets, with the island premium adding roughly a third on the coast from mid-November and Isaan taking a fifth off; build your own with the trip cost calculator. Add ฿300–600 for a tourist SIM or eSIM (SIM and eSIM guide) and ฿1,900 if you extend past the 30-day exemption.
Where to go in Thailand in November, by traveller type, and what to pack for it
| You are | Go | Skip | Because |
|---|---|---|---|
| First trip, beach and culture | Chiang Mai first half, Krabi or Khao Lak second half | Samui | North at its best, then a settled Andaman |
| Beach only, early November | Khao Lak, Koh Lanta, Koh Chang’s west coast | Phuket’s surf beaches, the Gulf islands | Sheltered coasts at shoulder prices |
| Beach only, late November | Anywhere on the Andaman; Lipe, Railay, Koh Yao Noi for quiet | Samui, Phangan, Tao | Calm sea, high season only just starting |
| Festival trip | Chiang Mai 22–26 Nov or Sukhothai 20–24 Nov | Turning up without a booking | Both sell out months ahead |
| Budget | Isaan, Chiang Rai, Nan | The islands after the 15th | The cheapest good weather in the country |
| Divers | A Similan liveaboard from Khao Lak | Koh Tao | Similans open since 15 October; Tao at its worst |
Pack for two countries. The north and Isaan want a fleece for 6am, long trousers for temples and dusk mosquitoes, and closed shoes with grip. The coasts want a light rain shell (first half of the month on the Andaman, all of it on the Gulf), quick-dry everything, a dry bag, and a reef-safe mineral sunscreen from home (the oxybenzone kind is banned in marine parks). The ฿40 poncho, ฿60 plug adapter and ฿100 flip-flops are in the 7-Eleven; the full list is in what to pack for Thailand. Sea rules: a red flag means no swimming; rip currents on Karon, Kata and Surin drown tourists every year, and Chaweng and Lamai are red-flagged most of November. Boats cancel when the harbour master says so, so book island days refundable and never fly non-refundable the morning after a boat. Not in the table? The Where to Go matcher scores all 77 provinces against November, and it will not send you to Surat Thani for a beach.
Thailand in November: your questions, answered
Is November a good time to visit Thailand?
For most of the country, yes, and for the north it is the best month of the year: dry, clear and cooling at night, with Yi Peng on 24–25 November. Bangkok and Isaan are dry, and the Andaman coast settles through the month and is reliable from mid-November. The exception is the Gulf islands, where Koh Samui has its wettest month of the year.
Does it rain in Thailand in November?
It depends where you stand. Long-run November averages are around 41mm in Chiang Mai, 45mm in Bangkok and 14mm in Udon Thani, which is effectively dry; around 178–180mm on the Andaman coast at Phuket and Krabi, front-loaded into the first half of the month; and around 445mm on Koh Samui, more than the island gets in any other month.
Is Phuket worth visiting in November?
From mid-month, yes: the swell drops, the red flags come down on Karon and Kata, the Similan Islands have been open since 15 October (฿500 park fee, day trips from Khao Lak around ฿3,200–4,500) and Maya Bay since 1 October. The first week is still a coin toss with afternoon storms, priced accordingly, so book early November for the rate and late November for the weather.
When is Loy Krathong in 2026, and is it a public holiday?
Tuesday 24 November 2026, on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month, and no, it is not a public holiday; banks and offices run normally and people go to the water after work, roughly 18:00 to 22:00. Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng lantern festival runs 24–25 November alongside it. November 2026 has no public holidays at all; the next is Saturday 5 December.
Is Thailand expensive in November?
Early November is shoulder season, with hotels 15–20% under peak and island rooms still on green-season rates; from around the 15th the Andaman moves to high-season pricing, 20–50% above the fair rates in our Price Index. A comfortable day is still ฿3,000–4,500 per person, a backpacker day ฿1,100–1,600, and Koh Samui is 30–50% cheaper than at Christmas because it is raining.
Related guides
- Best Time to Visit Thailand: Month by Month, Coast by Coast
- Loy Krathong 2026: Dates, Where to Go and What to Float
- Koh Samui Rainy Season: When It Actually Rains, Month by Month
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Hotels: most November trips start and end in the capital; compare Bangkok rates on Agoda for the nights either side of the flight, and book the Chiang Mai, Sukhothai and Khao Lak rooms named above first, because those are the ones that sell out. Tours/Boats: Yi Peng and Loy Krathong experiences on GetYourGuide and the Similan day trips linked above; read the inclusions, not the photographs. Getting there: Bangkok to Chiang Mai on 12Go for the sleeper that fills first, with every option ranked in our Bangkok to Chiang Mai guide. Still deciding? Our Where to Go in Thailand matcher scores all 77 provinces against your month and what you actually want from the trip.
