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Where to go in November / Bulgaria in November / Sofia & the southwest / November

Bulgaria · Mountains

Sofia & the southwest
in November.

Illustration of Rila Monastery courtyard toward the Church of the Nativity and Hrelyo Tower
Rila Monastery’s courtyardDestination view, not month-specific.

Is November a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
A steady visitor season.

November averages 54°F afternoons, with about 6 rain days. Later November is typically cooler.

Afternoons
54°F
Rain days
6
Visitor demand
64%of February peak

Historical Yugozapaden regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Sofia, Bansko and Rila Monastery; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.1/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#9 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather6.3/10Good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Bulgaria-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your November

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 10 hours of daylight. About 6 rain days in a typical November.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 10 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:17Sunset 17:0636°F54°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:17 and sets about 17:06 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 54°F (12°C). Expect rain on about 6 days in a typical November.

Typical afternoon
54°F (12°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Novembers
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
9h 50m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late November?

Early November is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 61°F on the 1st, versus 47°F on the 30th. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 12% to 30% between those dates.

Early November 1 November

61°F

Typical afternoon high

12% historical wet-day frequency

Mid November 15 November

54°F

Typical afternoon high

22% historical wet-day frequency

Late November 30 November

47°F

Typical afternoon high

30% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Daily calendar & holiday datesNovember 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

November 2026 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
161°
261°360°460°559°659°759°858°
958°1057°1157°1256°1356°1455°1554°
1654°1753°1853°1952°2052°2151°2251°
2350°2450°2549°2649°2749°2848°2948°
3047°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

School-holiday dates for November 2026 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.

Afternoons cool from about 60°F (15°C) in the first week to 49°F (9°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 11–32%.

Elsewhere in November 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Belgium 16%, Lithuania 23%, Luxembourg 27%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Steady all year. November averages 64% of February's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.

Overnight stays across Yugozapaden do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little above usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Bulgaria as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 53 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does November vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 49°F (10°C) and 59°F (15°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 54°F (12°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 12; half the years had 4–9.

Rain days in each November

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 0 rain days020112012: 3 rain days32013: 5 rain days52014: 9 rain days92015: 5 rain days52016: 6 rain days62017: 7 rain days72018: 8 rain days82019: 8 rain days82020: 2 rain days22021: 4 rain days42022: 9 rain days92023: 12 rain days122024: 6 rain days62025: 12 rain days122025
Rain days
6
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 of 30
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no November in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
14 of 30
rated very good or better
See every recorded NovemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201149°F0
201256°F3
201356°F5
201454°F9
201557°F5
201653°F6
201751°F7
201853°F8
201959°F8
202053°F2
202155°F4
202257°F9
202354°F12
202450°F6
202557°F12

Checked against official climate averages for Sofia. How we check

Compare dates

October, November
or December?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs February peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsOctNovDec
Afternoons64°F54°F46°F
Rain days667
Overnight demand68%64%73%

October: Warmer afternoons than November. October guide →

December: Cooler afternoons than November. December guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with November Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. November stays as your reference.

Hotel stays vary little through the year. April to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than November.

Your comparison

November or October?

Overnight stays vary little through the year.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the October guide →
November compared with another month
Typical conditionsNovemberOctober
Afternoons54°F64°F
Nights36°F43°F
Rain days66
Visitor seasonSteady all yearSteady all year
Overall / 107.18.2
Month rank#9#6
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1243°F25°F75.1Steady all year
February6.8#1048°F29°F55.7Steady all year
March7.1#855°F34°F96.3Steady all year
April8.0#764°F41°F87.9Steady all year
May8.5#571°F48°F99.0Steady all year
June8.7#379°F56°F109.1Steady all year
July8.7#484°F59°F59.1Steady all year
August8.8#284°F59°F49.3Steady all year
September9.0#176°F53°F49.8Steady all year
October8.2#664°F43°F68.4Steady all year
November7.1#954°F36°F66.3Steady all year
December6.7#1146°F29°F75.4Steady all year

Near here

Nearby places in November

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Sofia & the southwest's weather ranks 4 of 28 mountain regions this month. We found no mountain regions outside Bulgaria with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.

All of Bulgaria in November · Everywhere in November

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 64% of the busiest and 13% below average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 12,000 overnight visitors on a typical November night across the region, 59% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,100 more: 33 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)67
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Sofia from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day6
Busiest month hereFebruary · 10
Visitors as share of people present0.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month31st percentile
Domestic share of nights59%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights33
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.8%
National hotel-price seasonBulgaria historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (0% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used2.0 million
Statistical regionBG41 · Yugozapaden

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.