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Where to go in May / Germany in May / Freiburg & the southern Black Forest / May

Germany · Mountains

Freiburg & the southern Black Forest
in May.

Illustration of Traditional Black Forest farmhouse in a meadow near Schauinsland
A farmhouse in the southern Black ForestDestination 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 12 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
67°F
Rain days
12
Visitor demand
74%of August peak

Historical Freiburg regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Freiburg and Konstanz; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.7/10 · 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%

#6 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather7.6/10Very good
CrowdsBusy seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
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 12 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 05:49Sunset 20:5747°F67°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 05:49 and sets about 20:57 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 47°F (8°C); afternoons reach about 67°F (20°C). Expect rain on about 12 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 08m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 64°F on the 1st, versus 71°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 47% to 37% between those dates.

Early May 1 May

64°F

Typical afternoon high

47% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

67°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

71°F

Typical afternoon high

37% 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.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
164°264°
364°465°565°665°765°865°965°
1065°1166°1266°1367°1467°1567°1667°
1767°1867°1967°2067°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 71°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 35–48%. Local schools are out 18–29 May 2027.

Schools here are off 18–29 May 2027 (Pentecost holidays). 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?

Busy season. May averages 74% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Freiburg 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.

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 61°F (16°C) and 73°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 6 to 21; half the years had 10–16.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 8 rain days820112012: 11 rain days112013: 21 rain days212014: 15 rain days152015: 12 rain days122016: 16 rain days162017: 11 rain days112018: 14 rain days142019: 13 rain days132020: 6 rain days62021: 20 rain days202022: 8 rain days82023: 12 rain days122024: 16 rain days162025: 10 rain days102025
Rain days
12
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 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
201173°F8
201269°F11
201362°F21
201466°F15
201567°F12
201666°F16
201769°F11
201871°F14
201962°F13
202068°F6
202161°F20
202272°F8
202368°F12
202467°F16
202568°F10

Checked against 19 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 days101210
Overnight demand62%74%76%

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

June: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days 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 62% 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 →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons67°F61°F
Nights47°F40°F
Rain days1210
Visitor seasonBusy seasonBusy season
Overall / 106.76.8
Month rank#6#5
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.9#1142°F29°F133.9Low season
February6.5#846°F30°F94.8Low season
March6.9#354°F34°F106.1Moderate season
April6.8#561°F40°F107.1Busy season
May6.7#667°F47°F127.6Busy season
June7.0#276°F55°F108.3Busy season
July6.8#479°F57°F118.5Peak season
August6.4#979°F57°F108.3Peak season
September7.1#170°F50°F98.5Busy season
October6.5#761°F44°F107.0Busy season
November6.4#1050°F36°F105.1Moderate season
December5.8#1245°F32°F164.2Moderate 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 Freiburg & the southern Black Forest

Freiburg & the southern Black Forest's weather ranks 13 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Freiburg & the southern Black Forest.

All of Germany in May · Everywhere in May

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

It's busy season, 74% of the busiest month and 21% above its average month. That means about 57,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 74% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,900 more: 18 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)73
How our weather was checked19 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day24
Busiest month hereAugust · 33
Visitors as share of people present2.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month74th percentile
Domestic share of nights74%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights18
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.8%
National hotel-price seasonGermany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+2% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used2.3 million
Statistical regionDE13 · Freiburg

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.