Autumn, auroras and getaways
Forests in full colour, the Day of the Dead, cities for a weekend, the first northern lights and the Canary Islands to escape the cold.
From the team
The month for getaways
November has a reputation as a grey month, but it is one of the best for travelling: fewer people, quieter cities and landscapes that only exist for these few weeks.
In this issue we explore Spain’s forests at their best, travel to Mexico for the Day of the Dead, pick European cities for a weekend, go looking for the first northern lights and go through the Canary Islands one by one.
As always, every destination comes with its full guide. And when you decide, we plan your trip in under a minute. We travel together.
The Bagintravel team
Autumn
The forests turn to gold
Red and gold beech woods, ochre vineyards and chestnut groves: the weeks when inland Spain changes colour.
Beech woods turning red and gold, ochre vineyards, chestnuts, mushrooms and the deer rut: autumn is one of the best times to explore inland Spain. These are the places where it shows most, from the Pyrenees to the Sierra Morena.
Some landscapes only exist for three or four weeks a year.
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01 Spain
Irati Forest
One of the largest and best-preserved beech and fir forests in Europe, in the Navarrese Pyrenees. In autumn the ground and the treetops fill with reds, oranges and yellows, and its trails along the river and the reservoir are among the most photographed of the season.
Late October and early November
Read the guide -
02 Spain
Tejera Negra Beech Forest
One of the southernmost beech woods in Europe, in the Sierra de Ayllón in Guadalajara. It is the classic autumn getaway from Madrid: take it slowly and, on the busiest days, check access arrangements before you go.
Late October and November
Read the guide -
03 Spain
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
The Ordesa valley, in the Huesca Pyrenees, turns ochre beneath enormous rock walls. The walk to the Cola de Caballo waterfall, along the valley floor, is the best known.
October
Read the guide -
04 Spain
Ribeira Sacra
The canyons of the Sil and the Miño, with vineyards on almost vertical terraces and Romanesque monasteries. In autumn, after the harvest, the slopes turn golden and russet.
October and November
Read the guide -
05 Spain
Las Médulas
The landscape left by Roman gold mines, peaks of red earth among centuries-old chestnut trees, in El Bierzo. In autumn, with the chestnuts turning yellow, it is even more spectacular.
October and November
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06 Spain
Monfragüe
A national park in Cáceres, among wood pastures and crags above the Tagus, with vultures and, in late September and October, the deer rut at sunset.
Late September to October
Read the guide
More in “Autumn in Spain: forests, vineyards and villages in colour”
1 and 2 November
Mexico celebrates its dead
Altars, marigolds, candles and music: Mexico’s most famous celebration, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Altars with cempasúchil marigolds, sugar skulls, cemeteries lit by candles and parades of catrinas: where to experience the Day of the Dead, part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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01 Mexico
Oaxaca
Comparsas in the streets, altars in every home and cemeteries full of candles and flowers all night.
From 31 October to 2 November
Read the guide -
02 Mexico
Mexico City
The big Day of the Dead parade through the centre, monumental offerings and the night in Mixquic.
Late October and early November
Read the guide -
03 Mexico
Puebla
The multi-tiered offerings of Huaquechula and the giant catrinas of Atlixco, near the city.
Read the guide -
04 Mexico
San Miguel de Allende
Cobbled streets with altars, catrinas and the La Calaca festival, with music and art.
Read the guide -
05 Mexico
Guanajuato
Colourful alleys with catrinas and the Mummy Museum, very busy at this time.
Read the guide -
06 Mexico
Mérida
The Paseo de las Ánimas, with people painted as skulls and altars all along the route.
Read the guide
Weekend
Cities for a weekend away
November is a good month for cities: shorter queues, quiet museums and heated terraces. Six cities a short flight away.
European capitals and cities with direct flights from many places across Europe, perfect for a long weekend: art, lively neighbourhoods, good food and the odd market.
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01 Portugal
Porto
The Ribeira, the bridges over the Douro and the port lodges, just across the border from Galicia.
Read the guide -
02 Portugal
Lisbon
Trams, viewpoints, the Alfama district and the custard tarts of Belém.
Read the guide -
03 Italy
Rome
The Colosseum, the Vatican and the Trevi Fountain, with pasta and gelato on every corner.
Read the guide -
04 Hungary
Budapest
Parliament on the Danube, the thermal baths and the ruin bars.
Read the guide -
05 Austria
Vienna
Imperial palaces, historic cafés, opera and Christmas markets in winter.
Read the guide -
06 United Kingdom
Edinburgh
The castle, the Royal Mile and the Georgian New Town, with Arthur’s Seat for the views.
Read the guide
Arctic skies
Aurora season begins
With the long nights, the northern lights return. Where you have the best chance of seeing them, from Norway to Iceland.
The aurora borealis can be seen around the Arctic Circle when the nights are long and dark: from September to late March. These are the best places to try your luck, and what you should know before you go.
All it takes is patience, a clear sky and getting away from the lights. The north does the rest.
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01 Norway
Tromsø
The capital of Arctic Norway, right under the band with the most auroras, with night tours to chase clear skies. Thanks to the nearby sea, winter is less extreme than you might think.
September to March
Read the guide -
02 Norway
Lofoten Islands
Peaks plunging into the sea, fishing villages and red cabins: the northern lights over the Lofoten fjords are among the most sought-after photos.
September to March
Read the guide -
03 Sweden
Abisko
Famous for its “blue hole”, a microclimate that keeps the sky clear more often than in the surrounding area, and a lookout reached by chairlift.
September to March
Read the guide -
04 Finland
Inari
The land of the Sámi, beside a huge lake, and one of the places in Finland with the most aurora nights.
September to March
Read the guide -
05 Iceland
Reykjavik
Night tours leave from the capital, and on good nights you can see them even from the outskirts.
September to April
Read the guide -
06 Iceland
Jökulsárlón
Icebergs in the glacier lagoon with the aurora overhead: one of the most spectacular landscapes on the island.
September to March
Read the guide
Sun
The Canaries, island by island
Each island has its own character: endless beaches, volcanoes, laurel forests and starry skies. Which one to choose this winter.
A mild climate all year round, beaches in the middle of January and volcanic landscapes like nowhere else: the Canary Islands are one of Europe’s closest winter-sun escapes. Each island has its own character, so here they are, one by one, depending on what you’re looking for.
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01 Spain
Tenerife
Mount Teide, the highest peak in Spain, sometimes snow-capped in winter, the Anaga laurel forest and beaches in the south. It is the island with the most variety for a week.
Read the guide -
02 Spain
Gran Canaria
The Maspalomas dunes in the south, Las Canteras beach right in the city and, inland, Roque Nublo and mountain villages: a continent in miniature.
Read the guide -
03 Spain
Lanzarote
The volcanoes of Timanfaya, César Manrique’s work built into the lava and coves such as those at Papagayo. The whole island is a biosphere reserve.
Read the guide -
04 Spain
Fuerteventura
Endless white-sand beaches, the Corralejo dunes and wild Cofete. A biosphere reserve and a paradise for windsurfing and kitesurfing thanks to its constant wind.
Read the guide -
05 Spain
La Palma
La Isla Bonita: the Caldera de Taburiente, damp forests, the landscapes of the 2021 volcano and one of the best skies in the world for stargazing.
Read the guide -
06 Spain
La Gomera
The Garajonay forest, a World Heritage Site, ravines with palm groves and Silbo Gomero, the whistled language still taught in schools.
Read the guide
More in “The Canary Islands in winter: which island to choose”
In the kitchen
Comfort food for the first cold days
Three dishes from our guides for when the temperature drops: from Galician broth to the olla podrida stew of Burgos.
Lugo, Spain
Caldo gallego
The everyday soup of the villages of Lugo: turnip greens or turnip tops, potato, white beans and cured pork fat or pork, simmered slowly.
Ingredients
- 200 g white beans
- 400 g turnip greens or cabbage
- 3 potatoes
- 200 g lacón or pork ribs
- 1 piece of cured pork fat (unto) or bacon fat
- Salt
Method
- Soak the beans the night before.
- Cook them with the lacón and the unto, starting in cold water, for 1½ hours.
- Add the potatoes, broken into chunks, and the chopped greens.
- Cook for 30 minutes more, until the potato thickens the broth.
- Adjust the salt and serve piping hot.
Tip: Even better the next day, when the broth has thickened.
Recipe in its guide
Burgos, Spain
Olla podrida
Burgos’s red bean stew with pork, chorizo and morcilla, mentioned in Don Quixote and still cooked in winter across the province.
Ingredients
- 500 g Ibeas red beans
- 200 g pork ribs
- 150 g pork belly
- 1 pig’s ear or trotter (optional)
- 1 chorizo and 1 Burgos morcilla
- 1 onion
- Olive oil, paprika and salt
Method
- Soak the beans the night before.
- Put them on to cook in cold water with the meats (except the morcilla) and the whole onion.
- Simmer gently for about 2½ hours, adding cold water if needed.
- Make a sofrito with oil and paprika and add it to the stew.
- Add the morcilla for the last 15 minutes, so it doesn’t fall apart, and adjust the salt.
Tip: The morcilla always goes in at the end: if it cooks too long, it splits.
Recipe in its guide
Zamora, Spain
Arroz a la zamorana
A brothy winter rice with pork from the matanza (ear, trotters, ribs and chorizo), Zamora’s festive dish, especially at Carnival.
Ingredients
- 400 g rice
- 1 pig’s ear and 2 pig’s trotters, cooked
- 300 g pork ribs
- 1 chorizo
- 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves and 1 turnip
- Paprika, oil and salt
Method
- Cook the ear, trotters and ribs with the onion and turnip for 1½ hours, and keep the stock.
- Chop the meat and the chorizo.
- In an earthenware dish, fry the garlic, add the paprika and the meat, and then the rice.
- Pour in twice as much stock as rice and cook for 18 minutes.
- Finish for 5 minutes in a hot oven so it browns on top.
Tip: It should be creamy, with some liquid left: it’s not a paella.
Recipe in its guideDownload the app
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