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Where to go in May / Belgium in May / The Belgian Ardennes / May

Belgium · Countryside

The Belgian Ardennes
in May.

Illustration of Tombeau du Géant from the Botassart lookout above the Semois meander
The Semois valley at BotassartDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 64°F afternoons, with about 11 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
64°F
Rain days
11
Visitor demand
57%of August peak

Historical Prov. Luxembourg (BE) regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Durbuy and Bouillon; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.8/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#3 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather7.5/10Very good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; Belgium-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your May

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 64°F (18°C): light layers; nights around 44°F (7°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 11 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 15 hours of daylight.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 15 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 05:53Sunset 21:1544°F64°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 05:53 and sets about 21:15 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 44°F (7°C); afternoons reach about 64°F (18°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical May.

Typical afternoon
64°F (18°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
44°F (7°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
15h 22m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 61°F on the 1st, versus 68°F on the 31st.

Early May 1 May

61°F

Typical afternoon high

38% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

65°F

Typical afternoon high

36% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

68°F

Typical afternoon high

36% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 May Labour Day; 6 May Ascension Day; 16 May Pentecost; 17 May Pentecost Monday.

Daily calendar & holiday datesMay 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

May 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
161°261°
362°462°562°663°763°863°963°
1063°1163°1264°1364°1464°1565°1665°
1764°1864°1964°2065°2165°2265°2366°
2466°2567°2667°2767°2868°2968°3068°
3168°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 62°F (17°C) in the first week to 68°F (20°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 33–40%. Local schools are out 1–9 May 2027.

Schools here are off 1–9 May 2027 (spring holidays). Other school-holiday dates this month may be missing. Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day; 6 May Ascension Day; 16 May Pentecost; 17 May Pentecost Monday. Elsewhere in May 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 13%, Greece 29%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. May averages 57% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Prov. Luxembourg (BE) do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Belgium as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 124 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does May vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 58°F (15°C) and 70°F (21°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 64°F (18°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 19; half the years had 7–15.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 12 rain days122013: 19 rain days192014: 15 rain days152015: 10 rain days102016: 13 rain days132017: 11 rain days112018: 11 rain days112019: 10 rain days102020: 5 rain days52021: 17 rain days172022: 7 rain days72023: 8 rain days82024: 18 rain days182025: 6 rain days62025
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 17 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
5 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no May in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
19 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded MayHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201168°F6
201265°F12
201358°F19
201463°F15
201562°F10
201664°F13
201768°F11
201870°F11
201960°F10
202066°F5
202159°F17
202268°F7
202365°F8
202465°F18
202566°F6

Checked against official climate averages for Saint-Hubert. How we check

Compare dates

April, May
or June?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsAprMayJun
Afternoons58°F64°F71°F
Rain days9119
Overnight demand47%57%51%

April: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →

June: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than May. Less overnight demand. June guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with May Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. May stays as your reference.

July to August have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

May or April?

Overnight stays are 47% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the April guide →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons64°F58°F
Nights44°F38°F
Rain days119
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 106.86.7
Month rank#3#4
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.4#1241°F30°F163.4Low season
February6.1#844°F30°F104.3Low season
March6.7#551°F34°F115.4Low season
April6.7#458°F38°F96.7Moderate season
May6.8#364°F44°F117.5Moderate season
June7.3#271°F51°F98.3Moderate season
July6.3#774°F54°F128.9Peak season
August6.0#974°F54°F108.8Peak season
September7.4#167°F48°F98.1Moderate season
October6.5#658°F44°F116.1Moderate season
November6.0#1048°F37°F124.5Low season
December5.5#1144°F33°F173.6Low season

Near here

Nearby places in May

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better May weather than The Belgian Ardennes

The Belgian Ardennes' weather ranks 108 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Belgium have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with The Belgian Ardennes.

All of Belgium in May · Everywhere in May

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 57% of the busiest month and 21% above its average month. That means about 11,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 55% of them from Belgium itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,300 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)72
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Saint-Hubert from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day35
Busiest month hereAugust · 62
Visitors as share of people present3.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month87th percentile
Domestic share of nights55%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights41
Visitor share if every platform night were extra4.8%
National hotel-price seasonBelgium historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used300,000
Statistical regionBE34 · Prov. Luxembourg (BE)

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.