Where is hot in May 2027?
The hottest places within 5½ hours of the UK in May are Sharm el-Sheikh (36°C), Aqaba (36°C) and Hurghada (31°C), going by average daytime highs over the last ten years. Fly further and Muscat (38°C), Dubai (37°C) and Abu Dhabi (37°C) are reliably hot.
Hottest in May by flight time
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Short haul: under 5½ hours from the UK
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in May.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm el-SheikhEgypt | 36°C | 25°C | 25°C | 1 mm | 5h |
| AqabaJordan | 36°C | 22°C | 24°C | 2 mm | 5h |
| HurghadaEgypt | 31°C | 24°C | 25°C | 0 mm | 5h |
| MarrakechMorocco | 30°C | 15°C | – | 17 mm | 3h |
| SevilleSpain | 28°C | 15°C | – | 30 mm | 2½h |
| AntalyaTurkey | 27°C | 15°C | 22°C | 65 mm | 4h |
| AthensGreece | 25°C | 16°C | 19°C | 32 mm | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 25°C | 17°C | 21°C | 17 mm | 4½h |
| RhodesGreece | 25°C | 18°C | 20°C | 19 mm | 4h |
| HammametTunisia | 25°C | 16°C | 20°C | 31 mm | 2½h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 24°C | 15°C | 17°C | 30 mm | 2½h |
| MalagaSpain | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 24 mm | 2½h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 22°C | 11 mm | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 21°C | 4 mm | 3½h |
| AgadirMorocco | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 6 mm | 3½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 24°C | 15°C | 20°C | 43 mm | 2h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 18°C | 21°C | 5 mm | 4h |
| LisbonPortugal | 23°C | 14°C | 18°C | 40 mm | 2½h |
| CreteGreece | 23°C | 17°C | 20°C | 34 mm | 3½h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 17°C | 21°C | 5 mm | 4h |
| MaltaMalta | 22°C | 17°C | 19°C | 20 mm | 3h |
| SicilyItaly | 22°C | 15°C | 19°C | 61 mm | 2½h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 47 mm | 3½h |
Medium haul: 5½ to 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in May.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MuscatOman | 38°C | 29°C | 31°C | 1 mm | 7½h |
| DubaiUAE | 37°C | 25°C | 30°C | 2 mm | 7h |
| Abu DhabiUAE | 37°C | 27°C | 30°C | 4 mm | 7h |
| AntiguaAntigua and Barbuda | 29°C | 25°C | 29°C | 68 mm | 8h |
| The GambiaThe Gambia | 28°C | 22°C | 27°C | 2 mm | 6h |
| Cape Verde (Sal)Cape Verde | 26°C | 21°C | 24°C | 0 mm | 5½h |
Long haul: over 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in May.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoi AnVietnam | 32°C | 26°C | 28°C | 89 mm | 12h |
| GoaIndia | 32°C | 27°C | 31°C | 127 mm | 9½h |
| OrlandoUSA | 31°C | 20°C | – | 139 mm | 8½h |
| CancunMexico | 30°C | 25°C | 27°C | 85 mm | 10h |
| ArubaAruba | 30°C | 27°C | 28°C | 23 mm | 9½h |
| BarbadosBarbados | 30°C | 25°C | 29°C | 33 mm | 8½h |
| VaraderoCuba | 30°C | 24°C | 29°C | 144 mm | 9h |
| St LuciaSt Lucia | 29°C | 25°C | 28°C | 61 mm | 8½h |
| BaliIndonesia | 29°C | 25°C | 29°C | 131 mm | 15h |
| Punta CanaDominican Republic | 29°C | 25°C | 28°C | 127 mm | 8½h |
| NassauBahamas | 28°C | 24°C | 28°C | 105 mm | 8½h |
| MauritiusMauritius | 28°C | 22°C | 28°C | 44 mm | 12h |
| Rio de JaneiroBrazil | 26°C | 20°C | 24°C | 59 mm | 11½h |
| Cape TownSouth Africa | 20°C | 12°C | 14°C | 64 mm | 12h |
| SydneyAustralia | 20°C | 11°C | 21°C | 78 mm | 20½h |
| BangkokThailandwet season | 33°C | 27°C | – | 176 mm | 11½h |
| GuanacasteCosta Ricawet season | 31°C | 25°C | 30°C | 267 mm | 11h |
| PhuketThailandwet season | 31°C | 26°C | 31°C | 230 mm | 12h |
| Jamaica (Montego Bay)Jamaicawet season | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 186 mm | 9½h |
| SingaporeSingaporewet season | 30°C | 25°C | 31°C | 313 mm | 13½h |
| Kerala (Kochi)Indiawet season | 30°C | 26°C | 31°C | 515 mm | 10h |
| Sri Lanka (south coast)Sri Lankawet season | 29°C | 26°C | 30°C | 414 mm | 11h |
| MaldivesMaldiveswet season | 29°C | 27°C | 30°C | 270 mm | 10½h |
| MiamiUSAwet season | 29°C | 23°C | 29°C | 157 mm | 9h |
| SeychellesSeychelleswet season | 28°C | 26°C | 30°C | 180 mm | 10h |
| ZanzibarTanzaniawet season | 28°C | 25°C | 28°C | 209 mm | 9h |
| Diani BeachKenyawet season | 28°C | 24°C | 28°C | 270 mm | 9h |
Where is hot in Europe in May?
Seville is the warmest place in Europe in May at 28°C on an average day.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SevilleSpain | 28°C | 15°C | – | 30 mm | 2½h |
| AntalyaTurkey | 27°C | 15°C | 22°C | 65 mm | 4h |
| AthensGreece | 25°C | 16°C | 19°C | 32 mm | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 25°C | 17°C | 21°C | 17 mm | 4½h |
| RhodesGreece | 25°C | 18°C | 20°C | 19 mm | 4h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 24°C | 15°C | 17°C | 30 mm | 2½h |
| MalagaSpain | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 24 mm | 2½h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 22°C | 11 mm | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 21°C | 4 mm | 3½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 24°C | 15°C | 20°C | 43 mm | 2h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 18°C | 21°C | 5 mm | 4h |
| LisbonPortugal | 23°C | 14°C | 18°C | 40 mm | 2½h |
| CreteGreece | 23°C | 17°C | 20°C | 34 mm | 3½h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 17°C | 21°C | 5 mm | 4h |
| MaltaMalta | 22°C | 17°C | 19°C | 20 mm | 3h |
| SicilyItaly | 22°C | 15°C | 19°C | 61 mm | 2½h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 47 mm | 3½h |
May sun: quick answers
Where is hot in Europe in May?
Seville (28°C), Antalya (27°C), Athens (25°C), Cyprus (Paphos) (25°C) have the highest average daytime temperatures in Europe in May.
What is the hottest place within 4 hours of the UK in May?
Marrakech averages 30°C by day and 15°C at night in May, about 3h from London.
Where is the sea warm enough to swim in May?
Within 5½ hours of the UK the sea is warmest in Sharm el-Sheikh (25°C), Hurghada (25°C), Aqaba (24°C). We count 21°C and above as comfortable without a wetsuit.
Where should I avoid in May because of rain?
Bangkok (176 mm), Guanacaste (267 mm), Phuket (230 mm), Jamaica (Montego Bay) (186 mm) are hot but in their rainy season in May, averaging 150 mm of rain or more.
Where is hot in May within 6 hours of the UK?
Sharm el-Sheikh averages 36°C by day in May, about 5h from London, against 30°C in Marrakech, the hottest place within 4 hours.
What is the hottest destination in May?
Of the 56 places we track, Muscat is the hottest outside its rainy season in May, averaging 38°C by day.
Picked a spot? Our guide to May holidays from the UK covers what to do there, school-holiday timing and booking checks. For city breaks rather than sun, see the best places to travel in May.
How we measured this
Temperatures and rain are averages of every day in May from 2016 to 2025, taken from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis). Sea temperatures are 2023 to 2025 averages from the Open-Meteo marine archive. Rain is the average monthly total. Flight times are estimates for a direct flight from London Heathrow, based on distance, and rounded to the half hour; check your airline for exact times. Reanalysis data describes an area about 25 km across, so a sheltered beach can run a degree or two warmer than the figure here. Data last refreshed 2026-09-25.
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