Best Places to Visit in May: 11 Spots Picked by the Weather

The best places to visit in May are the ones that get there before summer does. Lisbon averages 71.4°F (21.9°C) with only 4 rainy days and 12.5 hours of sun, Athens reaches 77.7°F (25.4°C) without the July furnace, and Seville is already at 81.9°F (27.7°C). Further north, Paris and Oslo are mild and long-lit, and south of the equator Johannesburg is entering its dry season. May is a month of choices: parts of the world are at their best while others are only just entering an uncomfortable season.

The ugly side is easy to name. Delhi hits 102.2°F (39.0°C), Dubai 102.9°F (39.4°C), and much of tropical Asia and Central America is in the early wet season. So the list below is deliberately mixed: eleven places with May numbers that justify the trip, drawn from WeatherApex 20-year averages for 2006 to 2025.

Best places to visit in May: the quick answer

Highs and lows are daily averages for May. Sun is hours per day, and humidity is the monthly average.

Southern Europe before the heat

If we had to pick one region for May, this would be it. The sun is strong, the evenings are comfortable, and the crowds have not hit their July and August peak.

Seville: warm, dry and about to get very hot

Seville is the hottest of our European picks at 81.9°F (27.7°C), with a 59.4°F (15.2°C) low. It sees 1.0 in (25 mm) of rain over 4 days, and 12.4 hours of sun, with only 54% humidity. That is already a hot afternoon, so you will do the sights in the morning and sit in the shade after lunch. Compare that with July, when the city reaches 97.3°F (36.3°C). May is the last month when you can comfortably wander all day. Good for couples and anyone who likes to eat outside.

Athens

Athens has 77.7°F (25.4°C) highs, 60.3°F (15.7°C) lows, 1.0 in (25 mm) of rain on 5 days and 12.4 hours of sun. The Acropolis is much easier to climb now than in the peak of summer, and the sea is warming. It is a better choice than Rome if you want certainty about dry days, because Rome logs 10 rainy days in the same month.

Lisbon

Lisbon is milder at 71.4°F (21.9°C), with a 58.1°F (14.5°C) low and 1.4 in (36 mm) of rain across 4 days. It has 12.5 hours of sun, as much as Seville, but with Atlantic air that keeps the heat in check. It suits first-time visitors who want hills, tram rides and day trips without a heat plan. Evenings are cooler than inland Spain, so a light jacket for dinner is wise, and the sea is Atlantic cold rather than Mediterranean warm. See our Portugal timing guide for the rest of the country.

Rome

Rome has 73.2°F (22.9°C) highs and 55.0°F (12.8°C) lows, with 2.9 in (74 mm) of rain on 10 days and 12.2 hours of sun. Ten rainy days is the highest of the four, but the totals are modest and a shower rarely ruins a day. May is also a heavily visited month, so pre-book the big sights. Perfect for history and long walks.

Northern cities with long evenings

Paris

Paris is the classic May choice, and the numbers are decent without being spectacular: 66.2°F (19.0°C) highs, 49.5°F (9.7°C) lows, 10.6 hours of sun, and 12 rainy days with 2.7 in (69 mm) of rain. Expect occasional showers and carry an umbrella. The sun hours are generous, so the showers are usually short, and the long days leave time for parks, cafes and the river in the evening. France has several public holidays in May, so you will see local crowds on long weekends. For more detail, see our best month to visit Paris guide.

Oslo

Oslo is the pick for people who dislike heat. It reaches 60.6°F (15.9°C) with 44.1°F (6.7°C) nights, 3.1 in (79 mm) of rain on 12 days, and 11.9 hours of sun, a huge jump from the 2.0 hours it gets in December. May 17 is Norway's national day, and the city usually fills with people in traditional dress and flags. The water is still cold, and so is the evening air, so bring a proper jacket. Our Norway guide covers the fjords.

East Asia between blossom and the rains

Cherry blossom is over by May and the rainy season usually arrives in June, which leaves a good window.

Kyoto

Kyoto has 73.2°F (22.9°C) highs and 55.2°F (12.9°C) lows, with 9.3 hours of sun, which is excellent walking weather for temples and gardens. The catch is 6.6 in (168 mm) of rain on 12 days, the most of any city in the table, so keep your plans flexible. Early May includes the Golden Week holiday period, which usually brings heavy domestic crowds, so the second half is calmer. See our Japan timing guide for the full year.

Seoul

Seoul is 72.3°F (22.4°C) by day, 52.9°F (11.6°C) at night, with 8 rainy days, 4.0 in (102 mm) of rain and 9.9 hours of sun. That is a comfortable spring-into-summer mix, and drier than Kyoto. Palaces, markets and mountain trails are all at their best. A strong choice if you want Asia with less rain than Kyoto.

Islands and the southern hemisphere

Seasons are reversed south of the equator, so May is autumn there, not spring.

Honolulu

Honolulu is 79.7°F (26.5°C) with a 72.1°F (22.3°C) low and light rain, 1.4 in (36 mm) over 9 days, with 12.6 hours of sun. It sits in the quiet window between winter surf and the summer family rush. It is not cheap, but May is usually softer on prices than peak summer. Our Hawaii guide covers other islands.

Sydney

Sydney is in autumn, at 66.6°F (19.2°C) and 53.2°F (11.8°C), with 2.2 in (56 mm) of rain on 7 days and 8.9 hours of sun. It is too cool for beach holidays but good for coastal walks, harbour views and cafes. A light festival usually starts in late May, which brings a nighttime reason to visit.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg has 66.4°F (19.1°C) days, 43.9°F (6.6°C) nights, just 0.6 in (15 mm) of rain over 3 days, and 9.8 hours of sun. Winter dry season has started, which usually helps wildlife viewing on safari trips from the city. Mornings are cold, so bring a warm layer. See our South Africa guide for Cape Town and the coast.

Our three picks if you can only go once

Athens is the safest overall. It has 5 rainy days, 12.4 hours of sun, a 77.7°F (25.4°C) high and none of the August crowds, and there is plenty to see indoors if the weather turns. Lisbon is the easiest city for a first trip, with its milder 71.4°F (21.9°C) and only 4 rainy days. Kyoto is the one to choose if you want a very different culture and can live with the odd wet day. If you want just one of the best places to visit in May for pure outdoor weather, pick Athens. If heat bothers you, pick Lisbon or Oslo.

Why May works, and when it stops working

The reason May tops so many lists is the shape of the curve. Athens climbs from 68.5°F (20.3°C) in April to 77.7°F (25.4°C) in May and 86.7°F (30.4°C) in June. Seville goes from 73.0°F (22.8°C) to 81.9°F (27.7°C) to 90.0°F (32.2°C). April is cooler and showery, while June moves into heat that makes midday sightseeing hard. Kyoto shows the same pattern in a different form: 12 rainy days in May, then 14 in June as the rainy season arrives. The best places to visit in May are therefore not the warmest ones. They are the ones where warmth has arrived and the downsides have not.

That also means timing within the month matters. Early May is the cooler, sometimes wetter end, and the last week is when summer crowds and prices begin to build. The middle two weeks are the sweet spot almost everywhere on this list.

Where we would not go in May

Delhi reaches 102.2°F (39.0°C) and Dubai 102.9°F (39.4°C), which is not a comfortable sightseeing temperature. Cairo averages 92.7°F (33.7°C). Costa Rica's San Jose logs 27 rainy days and 13.7 in (348 mm) of rain, Quito 27 rainy days, and Hong Kong 21 rainy days with 88% humidity. Phuket has 26 and Singapore 28. If one of those is the trip you really want, we would choose another month for it.

How to choose the best places to visit in May by goal

• Beach: Honolulu is the clear pick. Athens is warm, but the Mediterranean is still cool for swimming.
• Cheapest: Lisbon, Seville and Athens, before the summer price rise.
• Sightseeing: Athens, Rome, Kyoto and Paris, all at comfortable temperatures.
• Families: Honolulu for beach days. Athens or Lisbon work if the children can manage hills and walking.
• Avoiding crowds: Oslo and Johannesburg, which sit outside the Mediterranean rush.

To compare dates and routes between cities, use the trip planner.

What to pack

Bring layers everywhere. For Seville, Athens, Lisbon and Rome: light clothes, sunscreen, a hat and a thin jacket for the evening. For Paris, Oslo and Seoul: a light waterproof, a sweater and comfortable shoes. For Kyoto: an umbrella you can carry all day. For Honolulu: swimwear and a rain shell. For Sydney and Johannesburg: a warm layer, because mornings are cool.

How we picked these places

We went through every city in the WeatherApex dataset and kept those whose May figures work for a visitor: manageable heat, low or moderate rain, and decent sun. The numbers are 20-year averages for 2006 to 2025, so they show a typical May, not a forecast. Dates for festivals and holidays are general patterns, and you should check them for the year you travel. We have also left out places where May is the peak of the wet season, because the table is meant to help you choose, not to catalogue every city.

For the best chance of settled weather, aim for the middle of the month. Early May can still be cool in the north, and late May is when the summer crowds begin to build. Official climate records are available from World Weather Information Service of the WMO.