Early May 1 May
66°F
Typical afternoon high
42% historical wet-day frequency
France · City
Lyon & the French Alps
in May.
Is May a good time?
Mild days.
Fewer overnight stays than April.
May averages 70°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 70°F
- Rain days
- 10
- Visitor demand
- 34%of August peak
Historical Rhône-Alpes regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lyon, Chamonix, Annecy and Courchevel; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.9/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#2 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather8.0/10Very good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostModeratefor 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 70°F (21°C): light layers; nights around 49°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 10 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 06:09 and sets about 21:00 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 49°F (10°C); afternoons reach about 70°F (21°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
70°F (21°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
49°F (10°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
14h 51m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late May?
Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 66°F on the 1st, versus 74°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 42% to 29% between those dates.
Mid May 15 May
69°F
Typical afternoon high
39% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
74°F
Typical afternoon high
29% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 166° | 266° | |||||
| 367° | 467° | 567° | 668° | 768° | 868° | 968° |
| 1068° | 1169° | 1269° | 1369° | 1469° | 1569° | 1669° |
| 1769° | 1869° | 1970° | 2070° | 2171° | 2271° | 2372° |
| 2472° | 2572° | 2673° | 2773° | 2874° | 2974° | 3074° |
| 3174° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 67°F (19°C) in the first week to 73°F (23°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 29–43%. 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?
Low season. May averages 34% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across Rhône-Alpes do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
A little below 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 77°F (25°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 70°F (21°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 18; half the years had 8–14.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
10
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
22 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 | 76°F | 6 |
| 2012 | 70°F | 11 |
| 2013 | 62°F | 18 |
| 2014 | 68°F | 9 |
| 2015 | 71°F | 8 |
| 2016 | 67°F | 14 |
| 2017 | 72°F | 10 |
| 2018 | 72°F | 15 |
| 2019 | 66°F | 10 |
| 2020 | 72°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 65°F | 14 |
| 2022 | 77°F | 4 |
| 2023 | 70°F | 12 |
| 2024 | 68°F | 17 |
| 2025 | 70°F | 9 |
Checked against 316 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 64°F | 70°F | 79°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 41% | 34% | 45% |
April: Cooler afternoons than May. More overnight demand. April guide →
June: Warmer afternoons 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.
No other scored month has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May.
Your comparison
May or April?
Overnight stays are 41% 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 →| Typical conditions | May | April |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 70°F | 64°F |
| Nights | 49°F | 43°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.9 | 7.5 |
| Month rank | #2 | #5 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.4 | #12 | 46°F | 32°F | 11 | 4.5 | Moderate season |
| February | 5.6 | #11 | 50°F | 33°F | 9 | 5.4 | Busy season |
| March | 6.3 | #9 | 58°F | 38°F | 9 | 6.4 | Moderate season |
| April | 7.5 | #5 | 64°F | 43°F | 9 | 7.6 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.9 | #2 | 70°F | 49°F | 10 | 8.0 | Low season |
| June | 7.6 | #4 | 79°F | 57°F | 9 | 8.4 | Moderate season |
| July | 6.7 | #6 | 83°F | 60°F | 7 | 8.3 | Peak season |
| August | 6.5 | #7 | 83°F | 59°F | 6 | 8.3 | Peak season |
| September | 8.2 | #1 | 74°F | 53°F | 7 | 8.9 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.9 | #3 | 65°F | 47°F | 8 | 7.8 | Low season |
| November | 6.5 | #8 | 54°F | 39°F | 12 | 5.5 | Low season |
| December | 5.7 | #10 | 48°F | 34°F | 14 | 4.7 | Moderate 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.
Aosta ValleyItaly · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 7.9 · Very good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
AuvergneFrance · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Very good weather, 67°F (19°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
French Riviera & ProvenceFrance · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.6 · Very good weather, 73°F (23°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Lake Geneva & ValaisSwitzerland · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 6.4 · Very good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
Languedoc-RoussillonFrance · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 7.6 · Very good weather, 74°F (23°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than Lyon & the French Alps
Lyon & the French Alps' weather ranks 32 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Lyon & the French Alps.
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 290 miles
Excellent weather (9.1): 5°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 320 miles
Excellent weather (10.0): 5°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season)
AragonSpain · about 400 miles
Excellent weather (9.4): 9°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, cheaper
Rome & LazioItaly · about 440 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 4°F warmer afternoons, pricier
MadridSpain · about 570 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 7°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, pricier
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 34% of the busiest month and 33% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Rhône-Alpes region, suburbs included. That means about 101,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 75% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 43,000 more: 42 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 75 |
| How our weather was checked | 316 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 15 |
| Busiest month here | August · 43 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 51st percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 75% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 42 |
| 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 | 6.9 million |
| Statistical region | FRK2 · Rhône-Alpes |
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.