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 short haul
Sharm el-Sheikh
36°C · 5h flight
Warmest sea, short haul
Sharm el-Sheikh
25°C sea · 5h flight
Hot and driest
Sharm el-Sheikh
0 wet days · 5h flight
Hottest long haul
Goa
32°C · 9½h flight
Short haul: under 5½ hours from the UK
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 12 or more rainy days in May.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm el-SheikhEgypt | 36°C | 25°C | 25°C | 0 | 13h | 5h |
| AqabaJordan | 36°C | 22°C | 24°C | 0 | 13h | 5h |
| HurghadaEgypt | 31°C | 24°C | 25°C | 0 | 13h | 5h |
| MarrakechMorocco | 30°C | 15°C | – | 4 | 12h | 3h |
| SevilleSpain | 28°C | 15°C | – | 5 | 12h | 2½h |
| AntalyaTurkey | 27°C | 15°C | 22°C | 7 | 13h | 4h |
| AthensGreece | 25°C | 16°C | 19°C | 5 | 12h | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 25°C | 17°C | 21°C | 5 | 13h | 4½h |
| RhodesGreece | 25°C | 18°C | 20°C | 4 | 13h | 4h |
| HammametTunisia | 25°C | 16°C | 20°C | 6 | 12h | 2½h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 24°C | 15°C | 17°C | 5 | 13h | 2½h |
| MalagaSpain | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 4 | 13h | 2½h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 22°C | 4 | 13h | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 21°C | 1 | 13h | 3½h |
| AgadirMorocco | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 1 | 12h | 3½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 24°C | 15°C | 20°C | 8 | 12h | 2h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 18°C | 21°C | 2 | 12h | 4h |
| LisbonPortugal | 23°C | 14°C | 18°C | 5 | 12h | 2½h |
| CreteGreece | 23°C | 17°C | 20°C | 6 | 12h | 3½h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 17°C | 21°C | 2 | 13h | 4h |
| MaltaMalta | 22°C | 17°C | 19°C | 3 | 12h | 3h |
| SicilyItaly | 22°C | 15°C | 19°C | 8 | 12h | 2½h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 9 | 12h | 3½h |
Medium haul: 5½ to 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 12 or more rainy days in May.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MuscatOman | 38°C | 29°C | 31°C | 0 | 12h | 7½h |
| DubaiUAE | 37°C | 25°C | 30°C | 0 | 12h | 7h |
| Abu DhabiUAE | 37°C | 27°C | 30°C | 0 | 12h | 7h |
| The GambiaThe Gambia | 28°C | 22°C | 27°C | 0 | 11h | 6h |
| Cape Verde (Sal)Cape Verde | 26°C | 21°C | 24°C | 0 | 12h | 5½h |
| AntiguaAntigua and Barbudawet season | 29°C | 25°C | 29°C | 19 | 11h | 8h |
Long haul: over 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 12 or more rainy days in May.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoaIndia | 32°C | 27°C | 31°C | 11 | 11h | 9½h |
| BarbadosBarbados | 30°C | 25°C | 29°C | 10 | 11h | 8½h |
| MauritiusMauritius | 28°C | 22°C | 28°C | 10 | 10h | 12h |
| Cape TownSouth Africa | 20°C | 12°C | 14°C | 7 | 9h | 12h |
| SydneyAustralia | 20°C | 11°C | 21°C | 9 | 9h | 20½h |
| BangkokThailandwet season | 33°C | 27°C | – | 21 | 10h | 11½h |
| Hoi AnVietnamwet season | 32°C | 26°C | 28°C | 13 | 11h | 12h |
| PhuketThailandwet season | 31°C | 26°C | 31°C | 27 | 9h | 12h |
| Jamaica (Montego Bay)Jamaicawet season | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 24 | 11h | 9½h |
| SingaporeSingaporewet season | 30°C | 25°C | 31°C | 28 | 10h | 13½h |
| Kerala (Kochi)Indiawet season | 30°C | 26°C | 31°C | 29 | 8h | 10h |
| Sri Lanka (south coast)Sri Lankawet season | 29°C | 26°C | 30°C | 30 | 9h | 11h |
| St LuciaSt Luciawet season | 29°C | 25°C | 28°C | 17 | 12h | 8½h |
| MaldivesMaldiveswet season | 29°C | 27°C | 30°C | 24 | 10h | 10½h |
| BaliIndonesiawet season | 29°C | 25°C | 29°C | 21 | 11h | 15h |
| Punta CanaDominican Republicwet season | 29°C | 25°C | 28°C | 21 | 12h | 8½h |
| SeychellesSeychelleswet season | 28°C | 26°C | 30°C | 21 | 10h | 10h |
| ZanzibarTanzaniawet season | 28°C | 25°C | 28°C | 22 | 10h | 9h |
| Diani BeachKenyawet season | 28°C | 24°C | 28°C | 25 | 9h | 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 | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SevilleSpain | 28°C | 15°C | – | 5 | 12h | 2½h |
| AntalyaTurkey | 27°C | 15°C | 22°C | 7 | 13h | 4h |
| AthensGreece | 25°C | 16°C | 19°C | 5 | 12h | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 25°C | 17°C | 21°C | 5 | 13h | 4½h |
| RhodesGreece | 25°C | 18°C | 20°C | 4 | 13h | 4h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 24°C | 15°C | 17°C | 5 | 13h | 2½h |
| MalagaSpain | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 4 | 13h | 2½h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 22°C | 4 | 13h | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 24°C | 18°C | 21°C | 1 | 13h | 3½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 24°C | 15°C | 20°C | 8 | 12h | 2h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 18°C | 21°C | 2 | 12h | 4h |
| LisbonPortugal | 23°C | 14°C | 18°C | 5 | 12h | 2½h |
| CreteGreece | 23°C | 17°C | 20°C | 6 | 12h | 3½h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 23°C | 17°C | 21°C | 2 | 13h | 4h |
| MaltaMalta | 22°C | 17°C | 19°C | 3 | 12h | 3h |
| SicilyItaly | 22°C | 15°C | 19°C | 8 | 12h | 2½h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 9 | 12h | 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 (21 wet days), Hoi An (13 wet days), Phuket (27 wet days), Jamaica (Montego Bay) (24 wet days) are hot but in their rainy season in May, averaging 12 or more days with at least 1 mm of rain.
What is the hottest destination in May?
Of the 48 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, rain and sunshine 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. A wet day has at least 1 mm of rain. 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 2026-09-24.
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