November is an excellent month to visit Thailand with this month heralding the official start of the cool season. Although there are some regional variations with the weather, visitors to most parts of Thailand can expect to be greeted by pleasant temperatures, lots of sunshine and low humidity. It’s also a time of the year when Thailand celebrates one of its most photogenic events, the enchanting Loy Krathong Festival.
November weather
For many areas of Thailand, November is a perfect month to visit with the cool season bringing warm sunshine during the day and comfortable evening temperatures to enjoy. The main exception to the settled weather is over on Thailand’s lower Gulf Coast where destinations including Ko Samui can experience storms and tropical downpours in November.
| Location | Avg. Min. Temp. (C) | Avg. Max. Temp. (C) | Avg. Rainfall (mm) |
| Bangkok | 22 | 31 | 57 |
| Chiang Mai | 19 | 30 | 44 |
| Ko Samui | 24 | 30 | 526 |
| Krabi | 24 | 31 | 173 |
| Pattaya | 23 | 30 | 134 |
| Phuket | 23 | 31 | 188 |
Where to go in November
Whether you want to relax on a beach holiday, chill out in the countryside or explore historic sites, November is a great month for a holiday in Thailand.
The onset of the cool season makes sightseeing in the Thai capital even more enjoyable than usual. It’s also an ideal month to make day trips or weekend excursions out of Bangkok to explore the historical sights of central Thailand with Ayutthaya and Kanchanaburi a delight at this time of the year.
Beach lovers should head to the Andaman Coast or east coast for the best weather. On the Andaman Coast, you can’t go far wrong wherever you choose to stay with mainland locations including Krabi and Khao Lak enjoying fine weather in November. And if you’ve got your eyes on any of the islands in the Andaman Sea, you’ll find that the November weather is usually excellent and the tourist numbers are lower compared to the peak season months from December to February.
Thailand’s east coast is another part of the country that is ideal for a November beach holiday. Conditions on Ko Chang and the other islands in the archipelago are near perfect at this time of the year. Wherever you travel along the east coast in November you are likely to experience good weather. From the busy beach resort of Pattaya to the quieter coastline found in Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat, November is a great time to explore this area of Thailand.
November is an excellent time to head out into the countryside in the north and north-east of Thailand. The stifling heat of the summer has dissipated and the rains have retreated leaving behind some gorgeous countryside to be enjoyed in locations including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son.
(Photo: Mick Shippen)
From the weather table above, you can see that Ko Samui stands out with a higher than average amount of rainfall. This is all due to the effects of the north-east monsoon which can result in heavy tropical downpours over Ko Samui and the Gulf Coast islands during November.
November events and festivals
November sees one of Thailand’s most beautiful festivals, Loy Krathong. The exact date varies each year depending on the lunar calendar, but usually falls in November. Loy Krathong is celebrated nationwide with the release of small illuminated floats, known as ‘krathongs‘, onto the nation’s waterways. In Chiang Mai and other areas of north Thailand, there is the added spectacle of the Yi Peng Lantern Festival which is held alongside the Loy Krathong celebrations.
