Early May 1 May
63°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · City
Cologne & Bonn
in May.
Is May a good time?
Mild days.
A steady visitor season.
May averages 67°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 67°F
- Rain days
- 10
- Visitor demand
- 92%of August peak
Historical Köln regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Cologne, Bonn and Aachen; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.2/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather8.1/10Very good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe; Germany-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 (20°C): light layers; nights around 47°F (8°C): a warm coat. 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 05:45 and sets about 21:13 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 47°F (8°C); afternoons reach about 67°F (20°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
67°F (20°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
47°F (8°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
15h 28m
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.
Mid May 15 May
68°F
Typical afternoon high
32% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
71°F
Typical afternoon high
32% 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; 17 May Pentecost Monday; 27 May Corpus Christi.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163° | 264° | |||||
| 364° | 465° | 565° | 666° | 766° | 866° | 966° |
| 1066° | 1167° | 1267° | 1367° | 1468° | 1568° | 1668° |
| 1768° | 1868° | 1968° | 2068° | 2168° | 2268° | 2369° |
| 2469° | 2570° | 2670° | 2770° | 2871° | 2971° | 3071° |
| 3171° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 65°F (18°C) in the first week to 70°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 30–34%.
No school holidays here in May 2027. Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day; 6 May Ascension Day; 17 May Pentecost Monday; 27 May Corpus Christi. Elsewhere in May 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Greece 29%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Steady all year. May averages 92% of August's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Köln do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
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.
Germany as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 112 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 (16°C) and 74°F (23°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 67°F (20°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 18; half the years had 7–12.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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 | 70°F | 5 |
| 2012 | 69°F | 10 |
| 2013 | 63°F | 16 |
| 2014 | 65°F | 12 |
| 2015 | 65°F | 8 |
| 2016 | 68°F | 8 |
| 2017 | 69°F | 10 |
| 2018 | 74°F | 7 |
| 2019 | 63°F | 10 |
| 2020 | 68°F | 4 |
| 2021 | 62°F | 18 |
| 2022 | 71°F | 7 |
| 2023 | 67°F | 10 |
| 2024 | 69°F | 16 |
| 2025 | 69°F | 6 |
Checked against 10 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 60°F | 67°F | 74°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 85% | 92% | 97% |
April: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than May. 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.
Hotel stays vary little through the year. No other scored month has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May.
Your comparison
May or April?
Overnight stays vary little through the year.
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 | 67°F | 60°F |
| Nights | 47°F | 40°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 8 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Month rank | #5 | #6 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.9 | #12 | 43°F | 32°F | 16 | 3.9 | Steady all year |
| February | 5.6 | #10 | 47°F | 33°F | 11 | 4.7 | Steady all year |
| March | 6.1 | #8 | 53°F | 36°F | 11 | 5.9 | Steady all year |
| April | 6.8 | #6 | 60°F | 40°F | 8 | 7.2 | Steady all year |
| May | 7.2 | #5 | 67°F | 47°F | 10 | 8.1 | Steady all year |
| June | 7.5 | #3 | 74°F | 54°F | 9 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| July | 7.6 | #2 | 76°F | 56°F | 11 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| August | 7.6 | #1 | 77°F | 56°F | 9 | 8.8 | Steady all year |
| September | 7.4 | #4 | 70°F | 51°F | 7 | 8.6 | Steady all year |
| October | 6.5 | #7 | 61°F | 46°F | 12 | 6.7 | Steady all year |
| November | 5.7 | #9 | 51°F | 39°F | 13 | 5.1 | Steady all year |
| December | 5.0 | #11 | 46°F | 36°F | 16 | 4.0 | Steady all year |
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.
DüsseldorfGermany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Very good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Maastricht & LimburgNetherlands · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Very good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Busy season · Cost expensive
Frankfurt & southern HesseGermany · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 7.4 · Very good weather, 69°F (20°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Amsterdam & North HollandNetherlands · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 6.5 · Very good weather, 64°F (18°C) · Busy season · Cost expensive
Weser-Ems & the North Sea coastLower Saxony · Germany · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Very good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than Cologne & Bonn
Cologne & Bonn's weather ranks 29 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Cologne & Bonn.
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 480 miles
Excellent weather (9.1): 7°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 670 miles
Excellent weather (10.0): 7°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days
Rome & LazioItaly · about 670 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 7°F warmer afternoons
AragonSpain · about 740 miles
Excellent weather (9.4): 11°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, cheaper
MadridSpain · about 870 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 9°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 92% of the busiest and 9% above average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are.The figures cover the whole Köln region, suburbs included. That means about 44,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 72% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 6,800 more: 16 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 75 |
| How our weather was checked | 10 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 10 |
| Busiest month here | August · 11 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.0% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 29th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 72% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 16 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.1% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+2% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 4.5 million |
| Statistical region | DEA2 · Köln |
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.