Trip Planning

Where to Go in May 2027: 22 Best Places to Travel

Where to go in May 2027: 22 places with measured weather, daily budgets and season data, from Cannes, Chelsea and Córdoba's patios to Maui, Bali and Zion.

Shobhit Shrivastava · Founder

October 26, 2026 · Updated November 4, 2026 · 38 min read

Where to Go in May 2027: 22 Best Places to Travel: every place on one map

Two questions decide where to go in May: why this month, and why this place. May answers the first with late spring. Southern Europe is warm before the summer heat, and only Dubrovnik is still in its low season. A run of festivals fills the calendar from Cannes to Kyoto, the dry season opens on Maui and in the Andes around Cusco, and Bali's monsoon is over.

For May 2027, go to Rome, Lisbon, Seville or Dubrovnik for warm city days before the summer heat. For a dated festival, pick Cannes from May 11, Córdoba's patios from May 3, Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri on May 15 or the Chelsea Flower Show from May 18. Santorini, Mallorca, Maui and Bali are the beach picks, and Zion, Cusco and the Azores suit hiking and whales. In the rest of the US, Holland has Tulip Time to May 9 and Charleston opens Spoleto on May 28, while Yosemite has its waterfalls at their peak and Yellowstone its newborn bison.

  • Festivals: Cannes (May 11 to 22), Córdoba's patios (May 3 to 16), the Aoi Matsuri (May 15) and the Chelsea Flower Show (May 18 to 22).
  • Easter: Orthodox Easter is May 2, 2027, in Santorini and across Greece.
  • Warmest: Bali, highs of 31.4 °C (89 °F) and the warmest sea; warmest in Europe: Córdoba, 29.8 °C (86 °F).

May 2027 at a glance

DestinationWhy MayMay highDaily budget, mid-range per personMay season
Rome, ItalySpring before the summer heat24.3 °C (76 °F)$232Peak
Amalfi, ItalyLemon terraces, a quieter coast20.7 °C (69 °F)n/aPeak
Lisbon, PortugalBook fair from May 2623.5 °C (74 °F)$194Peak
Seville, SpainCorpus Christi, warm days29.2 °C (85 °F)$170Peak
Dubrovnik, CroatiaThe walls before the crowds23.1 °C (74 °F)$180Low
Cannes, FranceFilm festival, May 11 to 2221.0 °C (70 °F)n/aPeak
London, UKChelsea Flower Show18.9 °C (66 °F)$286Shoulder
Prague, Czech RepublicPrague Spring music20.5 °C (69 °F)$140Shoulder
Córdoba, SpainPatios and the Feria29.8 °C (86 °F)$172Peak
Kyoto, JapanAoi Matsuri, May 1525.4 °C (78 °F)$110Peak
New Orleans, USAJazz Fest's last weekend30.3 °C (87 °F)$270Shoulder
Santorini, GreeceDriest of the 22, Greek Easter23.6 °C (74 °F)$281Peak
Mallorca, SpainWarm and dry, Sóller's Firó24.4 °C (76 °F)n/aPeak
Maui, USADry beach weather29.9 °C (86 °F)$343Shoulder
Bali, IndonesiaWarmest of the 2231.4 °C (89 °F)n/aShoulder
Zion National Park, USACanyon hiking25.7 °C (78 °F)n/aPeak
Cusco, PeruStart of the dry season19.4 °C (67 °F)$64Shoulder
Azores, PortugalCrater lakes, whales, Santo Cristo19.9 °C (68 °F)n/aPeak
Charleston, USASpoleto Festival USA from May 2828.1 °C (83 °F)n/aPeak
Holland, USATulip Time to May 920.7 °C (69 °F)n/an/a
Yosemite National Park, USAWaterfalls at their peak18.1 °C (65 °F)n/aPeak
Yellowstone National Park, USANewborn bison and elk11.1 °C (52 °F)n/aPeak

Highs are May averages for 2013 to 2022. Daily budgets are Budget Your Trip's mid-range costs per person. The season compares May with an average month in official tourism statistics. See where to go in April for the month before and June for the month after.

Late spring in Europe before the crowds

Southern Europe's cities are warm in May but not yet hot. Rome, Lisbon and Seville are already in peak season, while Dubrovnik's coast is still in its low season.

Rome, Italy

Best for spring artichokes, roses and clay-court tennis

Rome's restaurants serve spring artichokes all through May, and the city's Rose Garden on the Aventine is in bloom, with over a thousand varieties. The old imperial capital is warm in May but not yet hot.

May is already a busy month in Rome, but June and July are busier. Come in the first half of the month for the clay-court tennis, which fills the Foro Italico. The roses last longer: in 2026 the garden stayed open to June 14.

Start with the papal collections of the Vatican Museums, with about 20,000 works on display. Walk off lunch in the Villa Borghese gardens, and ride a bike along the Appian Way, on UNESCO's list since 2024. Order carciofi alla romana, the artichokes braised Roman style, then cacio e pepe and supplì.

The Colosseum in MayAcediscovery (CC BY 4.0)

The Colosseum in May

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Amalfi, Italy

Best for lemon terraces and coast walks

By May the lemons hang in the terraced gardens above Amalfi, and the coast sits between a quiet April and a much busier summer. The town was once the capital of a sea republic that traded across the Mediterranean from 839 to about 1200.

Come for the terraces, the walks and the old republic more than for the beach. The sea is still cool, at 17.6 °C (64 °F), and overnight stays in the region already count May among the busy months.

Start at the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea, whose crypt has held Saint Andrew's relics since 1208. Then walk up the Valle delle Ferriere, the valley named for the republic's old ironworks. Make a sheet of handmade paper at the Museo della Carta. The local pasta is scialatielli ai frutti di mare, a shape devised in Amalfi in the late 1960s and served with seafood. Finish with a glass of limoncello made from the coast's lemons.

Amalfi from the sea in MayBernard Gagnon (CC BY 4.0)

Amalfi from the sea in May

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Lisbon, Portugal

Best for the book fair and warm days by the river

Lisbon's 97th Book Fair fills Parque Eduardo VII with stalls from May 26. The hill city above the Tagus has warm days in May, with rain on only about three of them. Down at the harbor mouth stand the Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower.

Pick the last week of May for the fair. The sea is the coolest of the 22 places here, so spend the warm days on foot.

Climb to the ramparts of São Jorge Castle, then wander down through Alfama, Lisbon's oldest neighborhood. Keep one night for fado, the song form traced to 1820s Lisbon. Try bacalhau à Brás, salt cod with eggs and potato, said to come from the Bairro Alto. Finish with a pastel de nata and a glass of ginjinha. Take home tinned fish from Conserveira de Lisboa, in business since 1930.

Belém Tower in MayDiego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Belém Tower in May

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Seville, Spain

Best for Moorish palaces and the Corpus Christi procession

Seville's Corpus Christi procession leaves on the morning of May 27, a local holiday in 2027. About three thousand people walk in it. Seville, the city of the Alcázar and a great Gothic cathedral, has warm, dry days in May. The cathedral, its Giralda tower and the Alcázar form a UNESCO site, and the royal family still uses the Alcázar's upper floors on visits.

The April Fair falls in mid-April in 2027, so May belongs to Corpus Christi. Be on the route early, since the procession traditionally starts at 8:30 am. May was Seville's busiest hotel month in 2025, so book early. Seville has the hottest days of the European cities in this group, so plan sightseeing for the mornings.

Spend a morning among the Golden Age painters of the Museo de Bellas Artes. In the afternoon, cross the Guadalquivir to Triana, the potters' quarter, and end the day at a flamenco show. At the tapas bars, order the traditional espinacas con garbanzos, spinach and chickpeas, and pringá, served spread on bread. On a hot day, a bowl of cold gazpacho is the Seville choice.

Plaza de España in spring lightBenjamin Smith (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Plaza de España in spring light

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

Best for the city walls before the summer rush

Dubrovnik's coast is still in its low season in May, so you can walk the city walls in warm weather months before the summer crowds. The walls run about 1,940 m around the old city and rise to 25 m.

Choose Dubrovnik over the other four in this group if crowds matter more to you than sun. Dubrovnik has the wettest May of the European picks, with rain on about ten days. Walk the walls on a dry morning, and keep the palace for a wet one.

Inside the walls, the Rector's Palace was the seat of the old Ragusan Republic. Take the boat to Lokrum, an island 600 m offshore, and ride the cable car up Mount Srđ for the view over the roofs. For dessert, order rožata, Dubrovnik's custard flavored with rose liqueur. Zelena menestra and šporki makaruli are two more of the city's dishes.

Walking Dubrovnik's city walls in MayBernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Walking Dubrovnik's city walls in May

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May festivals with 2027 dates

From Cannes to Kyoto, these six places hold festivals in May, all but Prague Spring with set 2027 dates.

Cannes, France

Best for film-festival buzz on the Riviera

The 80th Festival de Cannes runs at the Palais des Festivals on the seafront from May 11 to 22. Cannes is a Riviera resort, with its old town on the hill above the port.

The festival itself is for film professionals, so go for the side programs: Cannes Cinéma, 3 Days in Cannes and the beach cinema. In the festival's own words, "Screenings at the Cinéma de la Plage are free." The festival fills the town's hotels, so book early.

Climb through Le Suquet to the Castre on its hilltop. Take the 15-minute boat from the port to the Lérins Islands. The producers of Forville market trade from the Allées de la Liberté hall while their own is renovated. Taste socca, the chickpea pancake, there. Pissaladière, an onion and anchovy flatbread, is the other Riviera dish to try.

The Palais des Festivals dressed for the festival, May 2026Abxbay (CC0)

The Palais des Festivals dressed for the festival, May 2026

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London, UK

Best for the Chelsea Flower Show

London's RHS Chelsea Flower Show opens its show gardens at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 18. The show has been held there since 1912.

The first two days are for RHS members. Go on a public day, May 20 to 22, or to the Chelsea Late session on the Friday evening. Buy the dated ticket before January 4, 2027, when it is cheapest. Bring a layer, since London has the coolest May days of the European picks.

See the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. For more gardens, go out to Kew, a UNESCO site of 132 hectares. Spend an evening at a West End show. Pie and mash with parsley liquor is the Cockney classic, and jellied eels come from the East End. For a souvenir, buy a length of Liberty print fabric at Liberty on Great Marlborough Street.

A show garden of foxgloves and white flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show, May 2024Daderot (CC0)

A show garden of foxgloves and white flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show, May 2024

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Prague, Czech Republic

Best for classical concerts in a spring capital

Prague Spring, the city's classical music festival, has opened on May 12 with Smetana's Má vlast every year since 1952. Dvořák Hall in the Rudolfinum, on the Vltava, is one of its main venues.

Prague Spring concerts sell out, so buy tickets when sales open on November 4, 2026, even before the 2027 dates are out. Prague is also the cheapest of the European picks with a budget figure, at about $140 a day. The weather is mild, with rain on about 11 days.

Walk up to Prague Castle, which Guinness lists as the largest ancient castle in the world, then cross back over the Charles Bridge. Have a beer at U Fleků, a brewery and beer hall founded in 1499. Chlebíčky, the Czech open sandwiches, were first sold at Paukert's deli in 1916. For dinner, order svíčková, beef in a cream sauce with dumplings.

The Municipal House with its Prague Spring banner, May 2012Enfo (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Municipal House with its Prague Spring banner, May 2012

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Córdoba, Spain

Best for flower-filled patios and May fiestas

From May 3 to 16, Córdoba's families open their flower-filled courtyards to visitors for free. The Patios festival joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2012. With the flower crosses before it and the Feria after, Córdoba holds three festivals in one month.

Pick the patio weeks over the Feria, since the courtyards open to visitors only then. They are small and admit only a few visitors at a time, so expect queues. Walk the patios in the morning or the evening, since Córdoba is the warmest of the European picks in May.

See the Mosque-Cathedral, and the gardens of the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. At sunset, walk over the Roman bridge, for two thousand years the city's only bridge. Start a meal with salmorejo, the cold tomato and bread soup from Córdoba, then try flamenquín or rabo de toro.

A courtyard of potted flowers during the Patios festival, May 2017María Jesús Blanco (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A courtyard of potted flowers during the Patios festival, May 2017

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Kyoto, Japan

Best for a Heian-era procession and riverside dining

On May 15, the Aoi Matsuri procession crosses Kyoto in Heian-period court dress. The festival belongs to the Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrines, with origins about 1,500 years old. In May the restaurants along the Kamo River also open their riverside dining platforms for the season.

Tourist numbers across Japan rise sharply in Golden Week, so arrive after it ends on May 5. The procession moves to May 16 if it rains, and rain falls on about eight days in May. Leave a spare day around the procession.

Climb the torii-lined trails up Mount Inari behind Fushimi Inari-taisha, and walk the paths of the Arashiyama bamboo grove early in the day. Spend an evening in Gion, the geiko district, then eat out on one of the river platforms. Try obanzai, Kyoto home cooking, and the temples' plant-based shojin ryori. For matcha to take home, go to Ippodo Tea, on Teramachi-dori since 1717.

The Aoi Matsuri procession in the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds, 15 May 2014Japanexperterna (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Aoi Matsuri procession in the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds, 15 May 2014

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New Orleans, USA

Best for Jazz Fest's last weekend and crawfish season

New Orleans' Jazz Fest plays its last two days on May 1 and 2 at the Fair Grounds, 10 minutes from the French Quarter. May is also crawfish season in the city.

Fly in for May 1 and 2 if Jazz Fest is the reason. Crawfish season runs through the month. Jazz Fest runs from 11 am to 7 pm, so the evenings are free for the clubs in town. Pack for rain, since New Orleans has the wettest May of the 22.

Eat boiled crawfish, Louisiana's state crustacean, by the pound. Ride the St. Charles streetcar, running since 1835, through the Garden District. Set aside a morning for The National WWII Museum, open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Take an evening jazz cruise on the Steamboat Natchez from the Toulouse Street Wharf. Order a bowl of seafood gumbo, and beignets with your coffee in the morning.

A Black Masking (Mardi Gras) Indian in a feathered suit at Jazz Fest, 1 May 2011robbiesaurus (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A Black Masking (Mardi Gras) Indian in a feathered suit at Jazz Fest, 1 May 2011

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Beaches warming up

Bali and Maui have warm seas by May. Santorini and Mallorca have dry, sunny days, though their water is still cool.

Santorini, Greece

Best for dry caldera views and Greek Easter

Orthodox Easter falls on May 2 in 2027, so a Santorini trip at the turn of the month takes in Holy Week and Easter Sunday. The island is the rim of a mostly sunken volcanic caldera, and in May it is the driest of the 22 places here.

Come at the turn of the month for Easter and the driest weather of the 22, but not for a long swim: the sea is the warmest of the European picks and still cool. Prices build toward summer, so book the caldera-view rooms early.

Walk the caldera rim from Fira to the castle ruins on Skaros. Visit Akrotiri, the Bronze Age town buried in ash by the Theran eruption. Take a boat to the crater of Nea Kameni, the island's youngest volcano. Order tomatokeftedes, the island's tomato fritters. Fava santorinis is made from a protected island crop. Take home a bottle of Vinsanto sweet wine from Santo Wines in Pyrgos.

Oia's whitewashed houses and windmill on the caldera rimNorbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Oia's whitewashed houses and windmill on the caldera rim

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Mallorca, Spain

Best for mountain hikes and Sóller's pirate battle

  • Weather: in Palma, highs 24.4 °C (76 °F), lows 13.0 °C (55 °F); 26 mm (1.0 in) of rain over about four wet days; sea 17.6 °C (64 °F)
  • Dates: Es Firó in Sóller, the Monday after the second Sunday in May; 2027 date not yet published
  • Season: peak: 1.41 times an average month in Palma's hotels
  • Plan it: Spain guide

Every May since 1885, the town of Sóller has re-enacted its 1561 victory over pirates, with battles on the beach at Port de Sóller. The rest of Mallorca is warm and dry in May, with the Serra de Tramuntana in good walking weather.

May is already peak season in Palma, and the Balearic tourist tax moves to its high-season rate on May 1. Pick the island for the hiking and the Firó more than for a cheap week.

Hike in the Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO landscape, and ride the Sóller train from Palma through 13 mountain tunnels. Walk the medieval walls of Alcúdia's old town. In Palma, La Seu has one of the largest Gothic rose windows still standing. Try sobrassada, the cured paprika sausage, and tumbet. Buy an ensaïmada, the spiral pastry, at Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo.

Palma Cathedral (La Seu) reflected in the Parc de la Mar lake, May 2011VagabondQuest (CC BY 3.0)

Palma Cathedral (La Seu) reflected in the Parc de la Mar lake, May 2011

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Maui, USA

Best for dry-season beaches and Haleakalā sunrises

May is Maui's dry, warm stretch, with rain on only about three days and the island's visitor numbers below an average month. Lei Day opens the month across Hawaii on May 1. Above the beaches, Haleakalā rises to 3,055 m (10,023 ft), its summit crater 18 km across.

Maui has the highest daily budget here, but in May you get below-average crowds and little rain for it. Make the sunrise reservation for Haleakalā first: the park takes bookings up to 60 days ahead. Lahaina is still rebuilding after the 2023 fires, and Front Street reopened to traffic only on August 1, 2026.

Drive the Road to Hāna, about 2.5 hours over 59 bridges. Snorkel at Molokini, a crescent islet 3 miles offshore. The short paved walk to the ʻĪao Needle in ʻĪao Valley needs a reservation for out-of-state visitors. Eat poke and loco moco (rice with a burger patty, gravy and a fried egg). Cool off with a shave ice.

Sunrise above the clouds from Kalahaku Overlook, HaleakalāNational Park Service (Public domain)

Sunrise above the clouds from Kalahaku Overlook, Haleakalā

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Bali, Indonesia

Best for the warmest sea of the 22, before the peak months

Bali's west monsoon brings heavy rain from about October to April, and by May it has passed, with the July and August peak still ahead. Bali is the warmest of the 22 in May by day, by night and in the sea. Seminyak, on the west coast, is a beach district of shops and restaurants.

Choose Bali for the warmest sea of the 22, but expect rain on about 14 days. For a drier beach week, pick Maui. Every international visitor pays the provincial levy of IDR 150,000.

Watch the sunset Kecak dance at Uluwatu Temple, on a 70 m sea cliff. Walk the Tegallalang rice terraces, about 10 km north of Ubud. Start before dawn for the trek up Mount Batur, an active volcano. Try babi guling, spit-roasted suckling pig, with lawar on the side. Look for sate lilit too, minced satay wound on lemongrass.

Sunset on Seminyak Beach, BaliChristophe95 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sunset on Seminyak Beach, Bali

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Mountains, parks and wildlife

Walkers and whale watchers have three picks in May: Zion's canyons, the dry season around Cusco and the whales off the Azores.

Zion National Park, USA

Best for canyon hiking before the summer heat

Zion National Park has warm, dry hiking days in May, and May 2025 was its busiest month, with 589,279 visits. The park's two big hikes are the climb to Angels Landing and the Narrows, up the Virgin River in a canyon 20 to 30 feet wide and 2,000 feet deep.

Angels Landing needs a permit from a lottery that runs January 1 to 20 for spring hikes, so enter it before anything else. Spring snowmelt can close the Narrows. In recent closure years the trail reopened between May 18 and June 22, though it stayed open most of the time in 2025 and 2026. Zion Canyon is reached by shuttle bus only from early March.

For quiet, drive to the Kolob Canyons, 40 miles north of Zion Canyon. On the east side, the 1-mile Canyon Overlook Trail is a short walk to a big view. Try canyoneering in the slot canyons, with a permit for the technical routes. Back in Springdale, order fries with fry sauce, popularized in Utah. A Utah scone is fried rather than baked.

Early sun along the Virgin River in Zion CanyonDon Graham from Redlands, CA, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Early sun along the Virgin River in Zion Canyon

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Cusco, Peru

Best for Inca sites at the start of the dry season

May opens Cusco's dry season, with sunny days and clear trails before the bigger crowds of July, August and October reach Machu Picchu. The old Inca capital sits at about 3,400 m, and Machu Picchu lies about 80 km to its northwest.

Pick Cusco if you want the most for your money: its daily budget is the lowest of the places here with a figure. The nights are colder than anywhere here but Yellowstone, with frost possible, so pack warm layers. Give yourself a day or two to adjust to the altitude.

Walk up to the giant fitted stones of Sacsayhuamán above the city. Go out to Pisac in the Sacred Valley for its hilltop ruins and crafts market. Fit hikers can climb Rainbow Mountain, at 5,036 m. Cuy al horno, roast guinea pig, is the Andean dish to try, and chiri uchu is Cusco's festival platter. Buy handwoven textiles from the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco.

Colonial arcades on Cusco's Plaza de ArmasDiego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Colonial arcades on Cusco's Plaza de Armas

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Azores, Portugal

Best for whales, crater lakes and a big island festival

Baleen whales pass through the Azores in May, and boats head out from Ponta Delgada into one of the world's largest whale sanctuaries. More than 20 kinds of cetaceans live there, and the warming days make the islands good walking country.

May counts as peak season here, but July and August are busier. The Santo Cristo festival fills Ponta Delgada on the fifth Sunday after Easter. Book early for it. Expect showers on about eight days.

Go whale watching first. Then drive up to the twin lakes of Sete Cidades, in a volcanic crater. Bathe in the iron-rich thermal pool at Terra Nostra Park, at about 37 °C (99 °F). Tour Gorreana, described as Europe's oldest surviving tea plantation. In Furnas, eat cozido das Furnas, a stew cooked in volcanic ground, with bolo lêvedo. Order grilled limpets too. Buy hand-painted Louça da Lagoa ceramics from Cerâmica Vieira in Lagoa, run by the same family for five generations.

Portas da Cidade, the city gates of Ponta DelgadaDiego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Portas da Cidade, the city gates of Ponta Delgada

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Where to go in May in the US

In May 2027, New Orleans has Jazz Fest's last weekend on May 1 and 2, Holland's Tulip Time runs to May 9 and Spoleto opens in Charleston on May 28. Yosemite has its waterfalls at their peak, Yellowstone its newborn bison and Zion its canyon hikes. Charleston is the warm pick, at highs of 28.1 °C (83 °F), and Yellowstone the cold one, with nights below freezing but crowds under two-thirds of June's. Maui is the dry beach week.

Charleston, USA

Best for the Spoleto festival and a colonial old town

Spoleto Festival USA opens on May 28, 2027, and for 17 days puts opera, theater, dance and music into Charleston's historic theaters and churches. The city was founded as Charles Town in 1670.

Spoleto runs mostly in June, so only the last four days of May overlap it: come at the very end of the month. May was the airport's busiest month of 2025, so book a room early.

Walk the Battery at the tip of the old town, then north to Rainbow Row, 13 colorful houses on East Bay Street. Fort Sumter sits out in the harbor, reached only by tour boat. Outside town, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is one of the oldest plantations in the South. Order shrimp and grits, the Lowcountry plate, and a bowl of she-crab soup, a Lowcountry specialty.

The opening of Spoleto Festival USA at Charleston City Hall, May 2013ProfReader (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The opening of Spoleto Festival USA at Charleston City Hall, May 2013

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Holland, USA

Best for Tulip Time and a Dutch windmill

  • Weather: highs 20.7 °C (69 °F), lows 8.1 °C (47 °F); 127 mm (5.0 in) of rain over about 11 wet days
  • Dates: Tulip Time, April 30 to May 9, 2027

Millions of tulips bloom along Holland's streets for Tulip Time, which runs to May 9 in 2027. The town, founded by Dutch Americans near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, first held the festival in 1929.

Come before May 9. Holland is cooler and wetter than Charleston, with highs of 20.7 °C (69 °F) and rain on about 11 days, so pack a jacket for the parades.

In the Kinderparade, local kids in Dutch costume march through downtown. De Zwaan, on Windmill Island Gardens, is the only authentic, working Dutch windmill in the United States. Nelis' Dutch Village re-creates an 1800s Dutch village among more than 30,000 tulips. End the day at Big Red, the Holland Harbor Light on the channel out to Lake Michigan.

Tulips below the De Zwaan windmill on Windmill Island, MayAstridmigu7 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tulips below the De Zwaan windmill on Windmill Island, May

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Yosemite National Park, USA

Best for waterfalls at their peak

Yosemite's waterfalls usually peak in mid- to late May, and the park calls May the best month to see them. Yosemite Valley is a granite-walled valley on the Merced River, overlooked by El Capitan and Half Dome.

Come in the second half of May, on a weekday: in 2026 the park advised weekday visits, when parking is easier. Snow still covers much of the high country, and the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads may be closed. Plan your days around the valley and the south side of the park.

Walk to the foot of Bridalveil Fall, one of the valley's most prominent waterfalls. Drive south to the Mariposa Grove, the park's largest grove of giant sequoias, with several hundred mature trees. A free shuttle runs there from the welcome plaza near the South Entrance. Back in the valley, walk up Tenaya Creek to Mirror Lake, a small seasonal lake.

Bridalveil Fall with a rainbow in its spray, MayNitesh Aggerwal (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Bridalveil Fall with a rainbow in its spray, May

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Yellowstone National Park, USA

Best for newborn bison, elk calves and wolf pups

May is Yellowstone's month for young animals: reddish-brown bison calves in Lamar Valley, elk calves at Mammoth Hot Springs and wolf pups out of their dens.

Crowds are under two-thirds of June's, and the cost is snow on the ground for most of the month and nights below freezing. Every road is usually open by Memorial Day weekend, so aim for the last week of May, once Dunraven Pass opens.

At dawn and dusk, Lamar Valley is the place to watch for wolves, and for the calves from the car. Old Faithful erupts at a median interval of about 102 minutes. Look down on Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone's largest hot spring, from the overlook above Midway Geyser Basin.

A newborn red-orange bison calf nurses beside its mother in Lamar ValleyNeal Herbert / NPS (Public domain)

A newborn red-orange bison calf nurses beside its mother in Lamar Valley

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Where should you go in May with kids?

Pick Maui for a beach week with kids: the sea is 24.0 °C (75 °F) and rain falls on about three days. Bali's sea is warmer, at 28.6 °C (83 °F), but rain falls on about 14 days. For a city break, Lisbon is mild, with custard tarts in Belém and a castle to climb.

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Lisbon, Portugal; Lagos, Portugal

Portugal · 7 days itinerary

Plan your May trip

Every MonkeyEatingMango trip plan shows the measured weather for its month. The packing list generator, free for now, uses the same records to pick the gear for a destination's month.

Pick a place and a week, and the planner writes the days, with a time and a cost on every stop: plan a May trip.

Last updated November 2026.

Common questions

Where is warm in May?

Over 2013 to 2022, Bali averaged May highs of 31.4 °C (89 °F), New Orleans 30.3 °C (87 °F), Maui 29.9 °C (86 °F) and Córdoba 29.8 °C (86 °F). Bali also has the warmest sea of the 22, at 28.6 °C (83 °F).

Where is warm in Europe in May?

Over 2013 to 2022, Córdoba averaged May highs of 29.8 °C (86 °F), Seville 29.2 °C (85 °F) and Mallorca 24.4 °C (76 °F). Santorini has the warmest sea of the European picks, at 18.7 °C (66 °F).

Where is it dry in May?

Santorini is the driest of the 22 places here in May, with 6 mm (0.2 in) of rain on under one wet day in an average May. Springdale, the town at the gate of Zion National Park, is next, with 18 mm (0.7 in).

When is the Cannes Film Festival 2027?

The 80th Festival de Cannes runs from May 11 to 22, 2027. The festival is reserved for film professionals, but the public can attend side programs such as the Cinéma de la Plage, whose screenings are free.

When is the Chelsea Flower Show 2027?

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs from May 18 to 22, 2027. May 18 and 19 are for RHS members, and the public days are May 20 to 22.

Is May a good time to visit Japan?

May in Kyoto brings highs of 25.4 °C (78 °F) and the Aoi Matsuri procession on May 15. Golden Week holidays fall on April 29 and May 3 to 5 in 2027, when tourist numbers rise sharply, so the weeks after May 5 are calmer.

Is May a good time to go to Hawaii?

May is Maui's dry, warm stretch, with 26 mm (1.0 in) of rain over about three wet days, highs of 29.9 °C (86 °F) and a 24.0 °C (75 °F) sea. Arrivals in May 2025 were 0.91 times an average month, so the island is not at its busiest.

Is May a good time to visit Italy?

May in Rome brings highs of 24.3 °C (76 °F), spring artichokes on the menus and the Internazionali tennis to May 16, 2027. Rome is already in peak season in May, at 1.10 times an average month for the Lazio region, though June and July are busier. On the Amalfi Coast the sea is still cool, at 17.6 °C (64 °F).

Is May a good time to visit Greece?

Santorini is the driest of the 22 places here in May, with highs of 23.6 °C (74 °F) and 6 mm (0.2 in) of rain. Orthodox Easter falls on May 2 in 2027. The sea, at 18.7 °C (66 °F), is still cool for a long swim.

What is the weather in Lisbon in May?

Over 2013 to 2022, Lisbon averaged May highs of 23.5 °C (74 °F) and lows of 14.3 °C (58 °F), with 39 mm (1.6 in) of rain over about three wet days. The sea, at 15.6 °C (60 °F), is the coolest of the 22 places here. The Lisbon Book Fair opens on May 26, 2027.

Is May a good time to visit Bali?

May comes after Bali's west monsoon, which runs from about October to April, and before the July and August peak. Seminyak averages May highs of 31.4 °C (89 °F) and a 28.6 °C (83 °F) sea, the warmest of the 22, but rain still falls on about 14 days.

Is May a good time to visit Zion National Park?

May brings warm, dry hiking days to Zion, with highs of 25.7 °C (78 °F) in Springdale, but it was the park's busiest month of 2025. Angels Landing needs a permit from a lottery that runs January 1 to 20 for spring hikes, and snowmelt can close the Narrows.

Is May a good time to visit Machu Picchu?

May opens the dry season around Cusco and comes before the busier months of July, August and October at Machu Picchu. Days in Cusco reach 19.4 °C (67 °F), but nights fall to 1.5 °C (35 °F).

Where should I go in May in the US?

In May 2027, the US festival trips are New Orleans for Jazz Fest's last weekend on May 1 and 2, Holland in Michigan for Tulip Time to May 9, and Charleston, where Spoleto Festival USA opens on May 28. Yosemite's waterfalls usually peak in mid- to late May, Yellowstone has its newborn bison and elk calves, and Zion has canyon hiking before the summer heat.

What are the cheapest places to travel in May?

Of the places here with a reliable figure, Cusco ($64) and Kyoto ($110) have the lowest mid-range daily costs per person, in Budget Your Trip's traveler-reported averages (updated August to September 2026).

Written by Shobhit Shrivastava · Founder

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