seasonwardExplore the map ↗TRAVEL BY SEASON · MAY
Find places that fit your temperatures, then explore what makes them worth a trip. Based on historical climate, not forecasts.
Explore May worldwide ↗Six matches from 201 curated destinations, with variety among similar scores.
Default weather fit · 6 picks updated · Daytime highs 68°F / 20°C–81°F / 27°C · No overnight minimum
May 1–31 · Historical averages
Namibia
Average highs within your range, with low average rainfall.
A coastal base for exploring Namibia’s Atlantic shore and nearby desert.
Peru
Average highs within your range, with low average rainfall.
Peru’s capital pairs a historic center with a strong food culture.
Jordan
Average highs within your range, with low average rainfall.
Jordan’s hilly capital, with the Citadel above the city.
Average highs within your range, with low average rainfall.
A Gran Canaria city break combining Vegueta and Las Canteras beach.
United States
Average highs within your range, with low average rainfall.
Gardens, museums and a little wandering
Morocco
Average highs within your range, with low average rainfall.
Ramparts beside the Atlantic
Closest matches among our curated places, even when none fits perfectly. Rainfall is a monthly amount, not a count of rainy days. Open the map to compare exact dates.
Default weather fit out of 100, using preferred daytime highs of 68–81°F (20–27°C), less rainfall, and no overnight minimum. Temperature contributes 65% of the starting score and rainfall 35%; severe mismatches reduce it further. An overnight minimum also reduces scores where nights are too cold. Adjust your preferences above to make the score yours; your preferences follow you to the map.
Estimates cover May 1–31 using 1991–2020 historical climate averages. Exact trip dates can produce different results. High scores do not promise sunshine.
Explore May in San Diego, Athens and Valencia, then compare Essaouira, Johannesburg and San Francisco. Comfortable daytime averages can still come with chilly nights. These stories stay here as your personalized picks above change. Photos illustrate the destinations, not expected May conditions.
01 · United States
Make Balboa Park your starting point: museums, gardens and architecture give you plenty of reasons to slow down and explore.
Why May? Daytime averages in May are fairly close to November. Typical daily rainfall is lower.
May averages: 71°F high · 58°F low, with 0.3 inches of rainfall over the month. For comparison, the average high in November is 72°F.
Tradeoff: Low rainfall does not promise sunshine. Cloud, wind and water temperature are outside this score.
See San Diego for your dates ↗
02 · Greece
Start with the Acropolis and its Parthenon, then let the city around that hill become part of the trip. This is a place to explore with your eyes up.
Why May? May brings warmer daytime averages than November. Typical daily rainfall is lower.
May averages: 78°F high · 59°F low, with 0.9 inches of rainfall over the month. For comparison, the average high in November is 65°F.
Tradeoff: Low rainfall does not promise sunshine. Cloud, wind and water temperature are outside this score.
See Athens for your dates ↗
03 · Spain
Follow the Turia Gardens through Valencia’s former riverbed, then branch into the historic center. The park links different parts of the city and gives an urban trip plenty of outdoor space.
Why May? May brings warmer daytime averages than November. Typical daily rainfall is lower.
May averages: 77°F high · 58°F low, with 1.0 inches of rainfall over the month. For comparison, the average high in November is 68°F.
Tradeoff: Low rainfall does not promise sunshine. Cloud, wind and water temperature are outside this score.
See Valencia for your dates ↗
04 · Morocco
Follow Essaouira’s ramparts, then explore the medina’s alleys and galleries. The port and fortified seafront give this Moroccan city a very different setting from an inland city break.
Why May? Daytime averages in May are fairly close to November. Typical daily rainfall is lower.
May averages: 71°F high · 60°F low, with 0.3 inches of rainfall over the month. For comparison, the average high in November is 70°F.
Tradeoff: Low rainfall does not promise sunshine. Cloud, wind and water temperature are outside this score.
See Essaouira for your dates ↗
05 · South Africa
Constitution Hill offers a way into South Africa’s history and its journey to democracy. Make it a considered stop in a Johannesburg itinerary, with time for the stories as well as the buildings.
Why May? May offers cooler daytime averages than November. Typical daily rainfall is lower.
May averages: 71°F high · 42°F low, with 0.6 inches of rainfall over the month. For comparison, the average high in November is 79°F.
Tradeoff: Nights are chilly on average; add an overnight minimum if that would affect your trip. Low rainfall does not promise sunshine. Cloud, wind and water temperature are outside this score.
See Johannesburg for your dates ↗
06 · United States
Follow the waterfront around Crissy Field or Marina Green for views across the bay. These walks offer a way to enjoy San Francisco’s setting between visits to its neighborhoods.
Why May? May brings warmer daytime averages than November. Typical daily rainfall is lower.
May averages: 68°F high · 52°F low, with 0.7 inches of rainfall over the month. For comparison, the average high in November is 64°F.
Tradeoff: Low rainfall does not promise sunshine. Cloud, wind and water temperature are outside this score.
See San Francisco for your dates ↗Prefer cooler days? Need comfortable nights? Open a destination on the map and add places to your comparison. Each link opens the next upcoming May—or the current May if you are reading during that month—with your weather preferences carried over. You can then pick your exact dates.
Find your kind of May ↗The six personalized picks come from 201 curated destinations, using the same weather-fit calculation as our map. Your preferred highs, rainfall amounts and optional overnight minimum shape the results. We include geographic variety among similar scores; these are matches to explore, not a ranking of every place in the world.
The six illustrated stories are editorial starting points chosen to show different May climates and travel experiences. They stay the same when you adjust your preferences. Booking commissions do not affect scores or selections. More about Seasonward and how we make our guides.
Recommendations use the same climate sources as the map: a 0.5° CRU grid (approximately 55 km north–south), with local station data where available. The six inspiration destinations use the CRU grid. Monthly high, low and precipitation values are interpolated to each day, then averaged or totalled across May. The numbers describe typical regional conditions, rather than the weather at a particular hotel or trail.
Mountains, coasts and neighborhoods can differ substantially from their regional estimate. Historical averages are not extremes or predictions. Sunshine, humidity, wind and water temperature are not included. Small score differences should not decide a trip on their own.
Adapted data © Climatic Research Unit (University of East Anglia) and Met Office: CRU TS 4.09, under the Open Government Licence. Reference period: 1991–2020.
Local station sources: NOAA NCEI and GeoSphere Austria (CC BY 4.0).
Destination descriptions draw on tourism boards, heritage organizations and attraction websites. Sources below also cover places that may appear when you adjust your preferences. Photographs illustrate the places, not the conditions to expect for your dates. Each image is linked to its source and license above; resized or cropped versions retain that license.
