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Where to go in May / France in May / Auvergne / May

France · Mountains

Auvergne
in May.

Illustration of Volcanic hills of the Chaîne des Puys near Clermont-Ferrand
Chaîne des Puys, AuvergneDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 67°F afternoons, with about 11 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
67°F
Rain days
11
Visitor demand
38%of August peak

Historical Auvergne regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Clermont-Ferrand; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.5/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather7.8/10Very good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; France-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 67°F (19°C): light layers; nights around 47°F (8°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 06:17Sunset 21:1047°F67°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 06:17 and sets about 21:10 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 47°F (8°C); afternoons reach about 67°F (19°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical May.

Typical afternoon
67°F (19°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
47°F (8°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
14h 53m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 63°F on the 1st, versus 71°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 41% to 31% between those dates.

Early May 1 May

63°F

Typical afternoon high

41% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

67°F

Typical afternoon high

39% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

71°F

Typical afternoon high

31% 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; 8 May Victory Day; 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
163°264°
364°465°565°665°765°865°965°
1066°1166°1266°1366°1466°1567°1667°
1766°1866°1967°2067°2167°2268°2369°
2469°2569°2670°2770°2871°2971°3071°
3171°

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

Afternoons warm from about 64°F (18°C) in the first week to 70°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 31–42%. Local schools are out 6–9 May 2027.

Schools here are off 6–9 May 2027 (Ascension bridge). Other school-holiday dates this month may be missing. Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day; 6 May Ascension Day; 8 May Victory Day; 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 38% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Auvergne do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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.

France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 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 59°F (15°C) and 74°F (23°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 67°F (19°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 19; half the years had 7–13.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 12 rain days122013: 18 rain days182014: 9 rain days92015: 6 rain days62016: 13 rain days132017: 10 rain days102018: 13 rain days132019: 11 rain days112020: 7 rain days72021: 13 rain days132022: 5 rain days52023: 12 rain days122024: 19 rain days192025: 9 rain days92025
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 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
20 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
201172°F6
201267°F12
201359°F18
201465°F9
201568°F6
201665°F13
201770°F10
201869°F13
201963°F11
202071°F7
202163°F13
202274°F5
202367°F12
202465°F19
202568°F9

Checked against 126 local weather stations. 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
Afternoons61°F67°F76°F
Rain days9119
Overnight demand24%38%43%

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

June: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than May. More 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 24% 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
Afternoons67°F61°F
Nights47°F40°F
Rain days119
Visitor seasonModerate seasonLow season
Overall / 107.57.6
Month rank#5#4
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1245°F32°F134.5Low season
February6.7#949°F32°F105.3Low season
March7.2#656°F36°F106.1Low season
April7.6#461°F40°F97.2Low season
May7.5#567°F47°F117.8Moderate season
June7.6#376°F54°F98.5Moderate season
July7.0#780°F57°F78.9Busy season
August6.5#1180°F56°F88.8Peak season
September7.9#172°F50°F88.7Moderate season
October7.7#264°F46°F87.6Low season
November6.9#853°F39°F125.4Low season
December6.6#1048°F35°F124.8Low 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 Auvergne

Auvergne's weather ranks 10 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Auvergne.

All of France in May · Everywhere in May

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

It's moderate season, 38% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 21,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 89% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,900 more: 48 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)74
How our weather was checked126 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day15
Busiest month hereAugust · 40
Visitors as share of people present1.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month55th percentile
Domestic share of nights89%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights48
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.2%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (0% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.4 million
Statistical regionFRK1 · Auvergne

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.