Where to go
The best places to travel in May, before summer takes over
May is southern Europe's sweet spot: warm, green and still calm. Six places at their best this month, from Sardinia's great procession to Norway's national day.
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On 1 May, oxen pulling carts decked with flowers carry a saint through the streets of Cagliari. Women in black and scarlet costumes, heavy with gold filigree, walk ahead, and the whole city lines the route. It has happened every year for more than three and a half centuries.
May is the month for anyone who wants southern Europe without the heat and the queues of summer. The sea is starting to warm, the hillsides are green, and hotels have yet to raise their rates. These six destinations are at their best now.
Short answer: where should you go in May?
For festivals, go to Cagliari in Sardinia, Prague or Cannes. For walking and wild landscapes, Crete and the fjords around Stavanger in Norway are superb, and Split pairs sunshine with island hopping before peak season.
Best for music and culture: Prague
Best for tradition: Cagliari
Best for nature: Crete
Best for glamour: Nice and Cannes
Best for something different: 17 May in Stavanger
Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas
The bay at Elounda Beach Hotel, Crete.
Crete: wild flowers and the first swims
In May Crete is green. The mountainsides are covered in wild flowers and thyme, and the Samaria Gorge, one of Europe's longest, opens to walkers as the season begins. The hike down to the sea at Agia Roumeli takes five to seven hours, and a boat brings you back.
The sea becomes swimmable as the month goes on, and the beaches are empty compared with July. Drive west to Balos and Elafonisi before the coaches, and eat in the inland villages, where food is better and cheaper.
The catch: Samaria only opens when water levels allow. Check it is open before planning the hike.
Elounda Beach: bungalows on the bay
Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas sits on the bay at Elounda in eastern Crete, with bungalows and villas down to the water and boat trips out to the fortress island of Spinalonga. For couples and families who want Crete in peace.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Elounda Beach
Augustine
The Augustine hotel in Malá Strana, Prague.
Prague: the Prague Spring festival
The Prague Spring music festival (Pražské jaro) traditionally opens on 12 May, the anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's death, with his cycle Má vlast. For three weeks, concerts fill the city's finest halls, from the Rudolfinum to the Municipal House.
Prague is green and bright in May. Cross the Charles Bridge early in the morning, take the tram up to the castle, and sit in the Letná beer garden looking over the rooftops of the Old Town.
The catch: tickets for the opening concert go quickly. Choose a chamber concert later in the festival, often in smaller and lovelier rooms.
Augustine: a former monastery in Malá Strana
Augustine occupies old monastery buildings in Malá Strana, on the castle side of the river, with monks still living next door. The Charles Bridge is a few minutes away. For travellers who want the quietest corner of the centre.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Augustine
T Hotel
T Hotel in Cagliari.
Cagliari: Sant'Efisio, Sardinia's great procession
The Festa di Sant'Efisio begins on 1 May in Cagliari and is one of the largest religious processions in the Mediterranean. The saint's statue rides on an ox cart, followed by thousands in traditional dress from across the island. The procession continues along the coast to Nora and returns four days later.
The rest of the time, Cagliari is an overlooked capital with very good food. Climb to the old quarter of Castello for the views, watch the flamingos on the Molentargius lagoon, and swim at Poetto, the city's own long beach.
The catch: on 1 May the whole city is out. Claim a spot along the route early, and book your hotel well ahead.
T Hotel: the city from the tower
T Hotel is a modern tower hotel in Cagliari, next to the opera house, with views across the city and the lagoons from its upper floors. The old town and the harbour are a short taxi ride away. A practical base for a few days in the city.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at T Hotel
Eilert Smith Hotel
Eilert Smith Hotel in central Stavanger.
Stavanger: Norway's national day and Pulpit Rock
Visitors who experience 17 May in Norway talk about it for years. Norway's Constitution Day has no military parade; instead, children's processions with school bands fill the streets, and much of the population turns out in bunad, the country's embroidered folk costumes. In Stavanger the parade runs through the centre beside the harbour.
Afterwards, the Lysefjord and Preikestolen, Pulpit Rock, are close by. In most years the trail is free of snow by May, and you reach the top before the summer crowds.
The catch: May weather by the fjord changes quickly. Wear proper boots and carry extra layers.
Eilert Smith Hotel: small and central
Eilert Smith Hotel is a small hotel in the centre of Stavanger, close to the harbour, the white wooden houses of Old Stavanger and the parade route. Its restaurant is among the best in town. A good choice for being in the thick of the celebrations.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Eilert Smith Hotel
Nice and Cannes: the film festival
The Cannes Film Festival runs from 11 to 22 May in 2027. Screenings are for the industry, but the atmosphere along the Croisette belongs to everyone. Stars climb the steps of the Palais in the evening while fans stand on stepladders to see over each other.
Stay in Nice instead, half an hour away by train. It has the old town of Vieux Nice, the market on the Cours Saleya and the beach along the Promenade des Anglais, and hotel prices rise less than in Cannes.
The catch: during the festival Cannes is fully booked and expensive. Nice makes a better base.
Le Negresco: the pink dome
Le Negresco is the hotel with the pink dome on the Promenade des Anglais, filled with art spanning several centuries. The beach is across the road and the old town ten minutes away. Stay here for Nice as it looked in its golden age.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Le Negresco
Cornaro Hotel
The rooftop pool at Cornaro Hotel above Split.
Split: island hopping before the rush
In May the ferries from Split run more often, but the islands are not yet full. Take the catamaran to Hvar or Vis, or a day trip to Bol on Brač, where the Zlatni Rat beach juts into the sea like a tongue.
In Split itself, you stay inside a Roman palace. Diocletian's Palace has grown into the city around it, and cafés sit among columns some 1,700 years old.
The catch: cruise ships arrive in May too. Explore the palace early in the morning or late in the evening.
Cornaro Hotel: a rooftop pool above the old town
Cornaro Hotel stands just outside the walls of Diocletian's Palace, with a roof terrace and pool above the old town's rooftops. Ferries to the islands leave from the harbour a few minutes away. For travellers who want the palace close by and a little more space.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Cornaro Hotel
Good to know before you book
May is full of holidays: May Day, Ascension and Whitsun create long weekends across Europe, and flights fill up.
Festivals fill hotels: book early for Cannes and Sant'Efisio.
The sea is still fresh: in early May the water is cold in most places. It improves towards the end of the month.
The season starts gradually: boat services, beach bars and mountain huts open during May.
May travel: your questions answered
Where is the best place to travel in May?
Crete, Split and Nice are excellent for spring sunshine and nature in May. For festivals, the Prague Spring, the Cannes Film Festival and Sant'Efisio in Cagliari stand out.
When is the Cannes Film Festival in 2027?
It runs from 11 to 22 May 2027. Screenings are for accredited guests, but the red carpet can be watched from outside.
Is the Mediterranean warm enough to swim in May?
The sea becomes swimmable as May goes on, especially in the southern Mediterranean. Early in the month it is still bracing.
When does the Samaria Gorge open?
The Samaria Gorge usually opens in May, once water levels allow. Check its status before you travel.
What is 17 May in Norway like for visitors?
Most towns hold children's parades with marching bands, and people wear national costume all day. Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo have the largest celebrations.