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🌷 WHEN TO GO

Where to go on holiday in May

May is one of the best months to travel: Europe is warm, the summer crowds haven't arrived, and prices are lower than in July and August. Here's where's at its best.

Where to go on holiday in May: 53 guides

Sunset over a wide lake, with vineyards in the foreground
🇵🇹 PORTUGAL

Alentejo

Cork oaks, whitewashed hill towns and long, empty Atlantic beaches.

Road trip✈️ 3h7 to 10 nights££

BEST TIMEAPR–JUN, SEP

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Boats moored on a canal at dusk, with lit-up buildings along the water
🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam

Canal boats, bike rides and pancakes, with a direct train from London.

City break✈️ 1h3 to 4 nights£££

BEST TIMEAPR–AUG

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Wooded hills in autumn colour, rolling into the distance
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES

Asheville

A mountain town of craft breweries, music and the grand Biltmore house.

Nature & hiking✈️ 9h3 to 5 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, OCT

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A tree-lined path leading to the domed Texas State Capitol
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES

Austin

Spring-fed pools, barbecue and a million bats at sunset.

City break✈️ 11h4 to 6 nights££

BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV

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Looking down on a sandy cove below a steep green headland, with waves rolling in
🇮🇩 INDONESIA

Bali

Temples, rice terraces, monkeys and warm sea, at very good value.

Beach✈️ 17h10 to 14 nights£

BEST TIMEAPR–SEP

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The city's rooftops stretching towards the Sagrada Família and hills beyond
🇪🇸 SPAIN

Barcelona

Gaudí's fairy-tale buildings, a city beach and tapas for dinner.

City break✈️ 2h3 to 5 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP

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A row of colourful wooden houses on the harbour, below a wooded hillside
🇳🇴 NORWAY

Bergen

Wooden wharf houses, a funicular up the mountain and fjords on the doorstep.

City break✈️ 2h3 to 4 nights£££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUL

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A domed cathedral on a wide square at dusk, its lights coming on
🇩🇪 GERMANY

Berlin

Huge playgrounds, a zoo in the middle of town and history on every corner.

City break✈️ 2h3 to 5 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–SEP

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A young orangutan lying on its back, looking up
🇲🇾 MALAYSIA

Borneo

Orangutans, pygmy elephants and rainforest river cruises, with islands to finish.

Nature & hiking✈️ 15h10 to 14 nights££

BEST TIMEMAR–AUG

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The sun setting over the harbour, with the city skyline in silhouette
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES

Boston

Follow a red line through history, see whales off the coast and catch a ball game.

City break✈️ 8h4 to 5 nights£££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT

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Red rooftops around the old town square, seen from above
🇷🇴 ROMANIA

Brașov

Medieval squares, a bear sanctuary and Dracula's castle in the Carpathian Mountains.

City break✈️ 4h4 to 5 nights£

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP

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Fishing boats on turquoise water off a long white beach
🇨🇻 CAPE VERDE

Cape Verde

Year-round sunshine, wide sandy beaches and lemon sharks in the shallows off West Africa.

Beach✈️ 6h7 nights££

BEST TIMEMAR–JUN, NOV

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Dozens of hot air balloons rising over rocky valleys at sunrise
🇹🇷 TURKEY

Cappadocia

Hundreds of hot-air balloons drift over fairy chimneys and cave houses at dawn.

Adventure✈️ 5h3 to 4 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT

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Colourful old townhouses and wooden boats reflected in the Nyhavn canal
🇩🇰 DENMARK

Copenhagen

Old-fashioned fairground rides, harbour swims and the home of Lego next door.

City break✈️ 2h3 to 4 nights£££

BEST TIMEMAY–AUG

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Rocky hillside covered in dry shrubs above the sea at sunset
🇬🇷 GREECE

Crete

Pink sand beaches, a palace from the legend of the Minotaur and long sunny days.

Beach✈️ 4h7 to 14 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT

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Stone Inca ruins and grassy terraces below steep green mountains
🇵🇪 PERU

Cusco

Gateway to Machu Picchu, with llamas, Inca walls and the Sacred Valley.

Adventure✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–SEP

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The walled old town of Dubrovnik on the sea, with red roofs and a fortress
🇭🇷 CROATIA

Dubrovnik

Walk the old city walls, swim off the rocks and kayak to a sea cave.

Beach✈️ 3h4 to 7 nights£££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP

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Old brick houses with stepped gables along a canal
🇧🇪 BELGIUM

Ghent

Canals, a real moated castle and chips by the water, without the Bruges crowds.

City break✈️ 1h2 to 3 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP

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Tall white limestone cliffs dropping into the blue sea
🇲🇹 MALTA

Gozo

Malta's smaller, greener sister island, with salt pans, sea caves and sleepy villages.

Relax & spa✈️ 4h5 to 7 nights££

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP–OCT

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A river looping around a red rock bend deep in a canyon
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES

Grand Canyon

A mile-deep canyon, sunsets that turn the rock red and Route 66 nearby.

Nature & hiking✈️ 11h2 to 3 nights££

BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–OCT

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Patterned rugs in front of the Treasury, carved into pink rock at Petra
🇯🇴 JORDAN

Jordan

Petra's rose-red city, a night under the stars in Wadi Rum and floating in the Dead Sea.

Adventure✈️ 6h7 to 8 nights££

BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV

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A white Japanese castle tower behind cherry blossom
🇯🇵 JAPAN

Kanazawa

Samurai streets, gold-leaf ice cream and one of Japan's most beautiful gardens.

Culture & history✈️ 13h2 to 3 nights££

BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, OCT–NOV

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A church tower above a small stone town on the bay, below steep mountains
🇲🇪 MONTENEGRO

Kotor

A walled old town full of cats, a fjord-like bay and beaches nearby.

Beach✈️ 3h5 to 7 nights£

BEST TIMEMAY–JUN, SEP

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Showing 24 of 53 guides

Also good in May

Not quite at their best, but still a good time to go.

Where to go on holiday in May: common questions

Where is hot in May half term?

Crete, Paphos, Malta and Gozo, Madeira and Cape Verde are all warm enough for the beach. The sea is still cooling off after winter, so a heated pool helps.

Where is good for a city break in May?

Almost anywhere in Europe: Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Copenhagen, Kraków and Berlin are all at their best, with long days and outdoor tables. Further away, try New York, Boston or Washington, D.C.

What about somewhere further away in May?

Jordan, Namibia, the Galápagos and Bali are all good in May. In the US, the Grand Canyon is warm without the summer heat.

Browse by holiday type

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Other months

January30 GUIDESFebruary34 GUIDESMarch37 GUIDESApril43 GUIDESJune70 GUIDESJuly40 GUIDESAugust37 GUIDESSeptember72 GUIDESOctober45 GUIDESNovember22 GUIDESDecember26 GUIDES

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