November is the quietest month of the year in Jávea: the summer beach bustle is over, the clocks have gone back to winter time, and the official festival calendar stands empty but for a single public holiday. For walkers, quiet seekers and overwinterers who choose precisely this month, that is no drawback but the whole appeal. Here is what to expect from the weather, the sea, local life and the question of who this month really suits.
How is the weather in Jávea in November?
At the nearest official weather station, the average November temperature is 15.4 degrees, with afternoons around 20.3 degrees and nights around 10.6 degrees. The month sees an average of 3.8 days of rain, and the sun shines for around 174 hours: distinctly cooler than the tail end of summer, but still fine walking weather during the day.
Compared with October, which averages 19.8 degrees, 4.1 rain days and 218 hours of sunshine, November is considerably cooler, with slightly fewer rain days but noticeably fewer hours of sunshine. These figures come from the nearest official weather station, at Alicante airport some ninety kilometres away: a reliable indication for the region, not an exact measurement in Jávea itself. The clocks also went back to winter time on the last Sunday of October, so evenings turn dark noticeably earlier than in summer.
Can you still swim in Jávea in November?
You can, but for most holidaymakers the water is too cold by then: the sea off Jávea sits at around 19 degrees in November. Hardy swimmers can still just about manage it on a mild afternoon, and on many mornings the sea is even warmer than the air.
Beach facilities have largely been wound down by then: lifeguard cover is already scaled back from mid-September, and by November there is no guarantee of a lifeguard on the Arenal, at Granadella or anywhere else. Anyone taking a dip does so, then, without the summer's rescue posts and warning flags.
What stays open in Jávea in November?
The village carries on as usual in November: the Mercat Municipal, the Thursday market and the Sunday morning market at the harbour all keep their regular hours, and the Museo Arqueológico y Etnográfico Soler Blasco runs on its winter schedule. Only the resort facilities around the Arenal are then partly scaled back.
The Mercat Municipal, the covered market hall, is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm and from 5pm to 8pm, and on Saturday from 8am to 3pm. On Thursday there is the weekly market on the Plaça de la Constitució from 8.30am to 2pm, and on Sunday morning the Artesanía de Autor craft market at the harbour from 11am to 2pm, both running year-round. On the last weekend of the month, the market weekend at the Riurau d'Arnauda adds to that: still a young initiative with times that vary by season, so not a fixed tradition to rely on blindly.
The Museo Arqueológico y Etnográfico Soler Blasco in the old centre runs on its winter schedule, open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 1.30pm and from 5pm to 8pm, mornings only at weekends, and closed on Mondays. Around the Arenal, the summer's resort facilities have largely disappeared by November: don't expect a full line-up of beach bars and rentals, even though the village itself carries on as normal.
Which public holidays and events are there in November?
1 November is All Saints' Day, Todos los Santos, an official public holiday in Spain. After that, Xàbia's festival calendar has nothing else scheduled for November, although the harbour district's trade association organises a tapas route, La Mar de Tapas, in some years in early November.
Between the celebration at the Ermita del Pòpul in mid-September and the festivity of Santa Llúcia on 13 December, Xàbia has no traditional festival scheduled at all, and the Christmas activities don't start until early December. November is thus, together with October, the quietest stretch on the official festival calendar.
In some years, the harbour district's trade association organises its own tapas route past the harbour's bars and restaurants, La Mar de Tapas, in early November. Don't count on it blindly: the event doesn't appear on the calendar every year, so check in advance whether the route is on the programme that year.
What can you do in Jávea in November?
Walking is the activity of the month: the Montgó and the miradors are at their best in November, with cool walking weather and entirely outside the official fire risk season, which runs through 15 October. The old town, the museum and the markets mentioned above are also worth a visit all year round.
The paths on the Montgó lie quiet in November, free of both summer's heat and high season's crowds: exactly the weather in which a climb is most enjoyable. The miradors along the coast are also very manageable in November.
Kayaking at Cala Granadella also remains possible: the operator offers the trips year-round, although there is no hard guarantee that every November date is actually bookable. For a quiet beach walk without summer crowds, the Arenal and the stiller cove of Portitxol both suit November well, even though swimming itself is no longer really an option for most visitors.
Is November a good month to visit Jávea?
For a beach holiday, no: the water is too cold and the resort largely stands still. For walkers, quiet seekers and anyone planning a longer stay, very much yes: November is the month when the winter rental season gets going, overwinterers settle in, and club life picks up again at full swing.
Winter rentals in Jávea get going from the end of September, and November falls squarely in the season when overwinterers settle in for a longer stretch, often for several months on the coast. Anyone considering a winter of their own will find the practical side, from paperwork to choosing a neighbourhood and healthcare, in the guide to wintering in Jávea.
For those who have already arrived, club and society life is in full swing in November: walking clubs, bridge and sports associations bring long-stayers and overwinterers together in force, as covered in the guide to clubs and societies in Jávea. For anyone after just a week on the beach, November is the wrong month; for anyone wanting to get to know the village outside high season, it is precisely one of the best.