Early May 1 May
65°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
France · Countryside
Loire Valley & Centre
in May.
Is May a good time?
Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.
May averages 69°F afternoons, with about 9 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 69°F
- Rain days
- 9
- Visitor demand
- 59%of August peak
Historical Centre — Val de Loire regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Loire châteaux, Tours and Orléans; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.4/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#2 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather8.3/10Very 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 69°F (20°C): light layers; nights around 48°F (9°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 9 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.
The sun rises about 06:17 and sets about 21:21 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 48°F (9°C); afternoons reach about 69°F (20°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
69°F (20°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
48°F (9°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
15h 04m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late May?
Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 65°F on the 1st, versus 73°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 36% to 25% between those dates.
Mid May 15 May
68°F
Typical afternoon high
33% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
73°F
Typical afternoon high
25% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165° | 265° | |||||
| 365° | 466° | 566° | 666° | 766° | 867° | 967° |
| 1067° | 1167° | 1268° | 1368° | 1468° | 1568° | 1668° |
| 1768° | 1868° | 1969° | 2069° | 2169° | 2270° | 2370° |
| 2471° | 2571° | 2671° | 2772° | 2872° | 2972° | 3072° |
| 3173° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 66°F (19°C) in the first week to 72°F (22°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 25–38%. Local schools are out 1–9 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 and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Moderate season. May averages 59% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across Centre — Val de Loire 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 62°F (17°C) and 74°F (23°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 69°F (20°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 17; half the years had 7–12.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 15 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
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 | 73°F | 3 |
| 2012 | 69°F | 10 |
| 2013 | 62°F | 12 |
| 2014 | 66°F | 12 |
| 2015 | 67°F | 7 |
| 2016 | 66°F | 14 |
| 2017 | 72°F | 10 |
| 2018 | 71°F | 8 |
| 2019 | 66°F | 9 |
| 2020 | 71°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 65°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 74°F | 3 |
| 2023 | 70°F | 8 |
| 2024 | 67°F | 17 |
| 2025 | 71°F | 6 |
Checked against 143 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 63°F | 69°F | 76°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 9 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 49% | 59% | 63% |
April: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →
June: Warmer afternoons than May. 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.
No other scored month has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May.
Your comparison
May or April?
Overnight stays are 49% 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 | 69°F | 63°F |
| Nights | 48°F | 42°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 7 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.4 | 7.3 |
| Month rank | #2 | #5 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.5 | #12 | 47°F | 35°F | 13 | 4.6 | Low season |
| February | 6.8 | #10 | 50°F | 35°F | 11 | 5.3 | Low season |
| March | 7.2 | #6 | 57°F | 38°F | 10 | 6.3 | Low season |
| April | 7.3 | #5 | 63°F | 42°F | 7 | 7.6 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.4 | #2 | 69°F | 48°F | 9 | 8.3 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.3 | #4 | 76°F | 55°F | 8 | 8.7 | Busy season |
| July | 7.0 | #7 | 80°F | 58°F | 7 | 9.0 | Peak season |
| August | 6.8 | #9 | 80°F | 57°F | 5 | 9.0 | Peak season |
| September | 7.9 | #1 | 74°F | 52°F | 7 | 9.1 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.4 | #3 | 65°F | 48°F | 10 | 7.6 | Moderate season |
| November | 6.9 | #8 | 54°F | 41°F | 10 | 5.7 | Low season |
| December | 6.5 | #11 | 50°F | 38°F | 12 | 4.8 | 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.
Paris & aroundFrance · about 90 miles
Balanced Overall 7.3 · Very good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
BurgundyFrance · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 7.3 · Very good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Nantes & Pays de la LoireFrance · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Poitou-CharentesFrance · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 7.8 · Very good weather, 70°F (21°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Western NormandyFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Good weather, 65°F (18°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than Loire Valley & Centre
Loire Valley & Centre's weather ranks 50 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Loire Valley & Centre.
TuscanyFlorence, Siena · Italy · about 540 miles
Excellent weather (9.4): 5°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
Castilla-La ManchaSpain · about 590 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 9°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
UmbriaItaly · about 610 miles
Excellent weather (9.3): 5°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
ExtremaduraSpain · about 690 miles
Excellent weather (9.5): 11°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, cheaper
AlentejoPortugal · about 790 miles
Excellent weather (9.5): 10°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's moderate season, 59% of the busiest month and 20% above its average month. That means about 34,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 80% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 18,000 more: 53 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 76 |
| How our weather was checked | 143 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 13 |
| Busiest month here | August · 22 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.3% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 45th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 80% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 53 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.0% |
| National hotel-price season | France historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (0% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 2.6 million |
| Statistical region | FRB0 · Centre — Val de Loire |
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.