Early May 1 May
70°F
Typical afternoon high
21% historical wet-day frequency
France · Beach
French Riviera & Provence
in May.
Is May a good time?
Warm days.
More overnight stays than April.
May averages 73°F afternoons and 63°F seas, with about 6 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 73°F
- Sea
- 63°F
- Visitor demand
- 46%of August peak
Historical Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Nice, Marseille, Cannes, Avignon and Saint-Tropez; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.6/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#3 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather8.3/10Very good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of 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 73°F (23°C): T-shirt weather; nights around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 15 hours of daylight. About 6 rain days in a typical May.
Can I swim in May?
The sea averages 63°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 15 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 06:11 and sets about 20:53 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 54°F (12°C); afternoons reach about 73°F (23°C). Expect rain on about 6 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
73°F (23°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
54°F (12°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
63°F (17°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
14h 43m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late May?
Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 70°F on the 1st, versus 78°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 21% to 15% between those dates.
Mid May 15 May
73°F
Typical afternoon high
22% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
78°F
Typical afternoon high
15% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 170° | 270° | |||||
| 370° | 471° | 571° | 671° | 771° | 872° | 972° |
| 1072° | 1172° | 1272° | 1372° | 1473° | 1573° | 1673° |
| 1773° | 1873° | 1974° | 2074° | 2174° | 2275° | 2375° |
| 2475° | 2576° | 2676° | 2776° | 2877° | 2977° | 3077° |
| 3178° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 71°F (21°C) in the first week to 77°F (25°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 14–22%. Local schools are out 1–9 May 2027. Cannes Film Festival: 11–22 May 2027.
Schools here are off 1–9 May 2027 (Ascension bridge and spring holidays). 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, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Moderate season. May averages 46% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur 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.
What's on Cannes Film Festival, 11–22 May 2027: Cannes hotels fill and Riviera prices spike. Official site.
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.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK and Philadelphia; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
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 68°F (20°C) and 78°F (26°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 73°F (23°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 11; half the years had 4–7.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
6
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 9 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 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
23 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded MayHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 77°F | 1 |
| 2012 | 73°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 68°F | 8 |
| 2014 | 72°F | 3 |
| 2015 | 75°F | 1 |
| 2016 | 73°F | 6 |
| 2017 | 75°F | 4 |
| 2018 | 73°F | 11 |
| 2019 | 71°F | 5 |
| 2020 | 76°F | 6 |
| 2021 | 71°F | 6 |
| 2022 | 78°F | 4 |
| 2023 | 74°F | 10 |
| 2024 | 72°F | 7 |
| 2025 | 74°F | 6 |
Checked against 151 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 67°F | 73°F | 83°F |
| Sea | 59°F | 63°F | 70°F |
| Rain days | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Overnight demand | 38% | 46% | 56% |
April: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →
June: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and fewer rain days than May. More overnight demand. June guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
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.
June to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
May or April?
Overnight stays are 38% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the April guide →| Typical conditions | May | April |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 73°F | 67°F |
| Nights | 54°F | 48°F |
| Sea | 63°F | 59°F |
| Rain days | 6 | 5 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.6 | 7.0 |
| Month rank | #3 | #7 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.2 | #12 | 54°F | 40°F | 57°F | 5 | 3.2 | Low season |
| February | 5.8 | #10 | 56°F | 40°F | 56°F | 6 | 3.8 | Low season |
| March | 6.6 | #8 | 61°F | 44°F | 57°F | 5 | 5.1 | Low season |
| April | 7.0 | #7 | 67°F | 48°F | 59°F | 5 | 6.7 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.6 | #3 | 73°F | 54°F | 63°F | 6 | 8.3 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.9 | #1 | 83°F | 62°F | 70°F | 3 | 9.7 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.5 | #4 | 88°F | 66°F | 74°F | 1 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| August | 7.2 | #6 | 87°F | 65°F | 75°F | 2 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| September | 7.9 | #2 | 79°F | 60°F | 72°F | 4 | 9.5 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.3 | #5 | 71°F | 54°F | 68°F | 7 | 7.4 | Low season |
| November | 6.5 | #9 | 61°F | 47°F | 64°F | 8 | 4.6 | Low season |
| December | 5.8 | #11 | 56°F | 41°F | 60°F | 7 | 3.8 | Low 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.
Lyon & the French AlpsRhône-Alpes · France · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.9 · Very good weather, 70°F (21°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
PiedmontItaly · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 7.7 · Very good weather, 72°F (22°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Liguria & the Cinque TerreItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Very good weather, 71°F (22°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Languedoc-RoussillonFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 7.6 · Very good weather, 74°F (23°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Lake Geneva & ValaisSwitzerland · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 6.4 · Very good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than French Riviera & Provence
French Riviera & Provence's weather ranks 29 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with French Riviera & Provence.
Mallorca & the BalearicsSpain · about 340 miles
Excellent weather (9.6): 2°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
Valencia & the Costa BlancaSpain · about 460 miles
Excellent weather (9.8): 5°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
MurciaSpain · about 570 miles
Excellent weather (9.9): 7°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
SicilyItaly · about 610 miles
Excellent weather (9.6): 2°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
Maltaabout 710 miles
Excellent weather (10.0): about as warm, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's moderate season, 46% of the busiest month and 9% above its average month. That means about 170,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 66% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 89,000 more: 52 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 76 |
| How our weather was checked | 151 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 32 |
| Busiest month here | August · 70 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 3.1% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 86th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 66% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 52 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 4.7% |
| National hotel-price season | France historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (0% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 5.3 million |
| Statistical region | FRL0 · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur |
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.