Early May 1 May
65°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · City
Is May a good time?
May averages 69°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
Historical Karlsruhe regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Heidelberg and Baden-Baden; conditions vary within the region.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#4 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your May
Afternoons around 69°F (20°C): light layers; nights around 48°F (9°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 15 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 05:44 and sets about 20:59 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 48°F (9°C); afternoons reach about 69°F (20°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical May.
Early, middle or late?
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 30% between those dates.
65°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
69°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
73°F
Typical afternoon high
30% 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.
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° | |||||
| 366° | 466° | 567° | 667° | 767° | 867° | 967° |
| 1067° | 1168° | 1268° | 1368° | 1469° | 1569° | 1669° |
| 1769° | 1869° | 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 28–36%. 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.)
Visitor season
Peak season. May averages 89% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across Karlsruhe do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
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.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 63°F (17°C) and 74°F (24°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 69°F (20°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 17; half the years had 6–13.
Rain days in each May
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 74°F | 2 |
| 2012 | 72°F | 10 |
| 2013 | 63°F | 17 |
| 2014 | 67°F | 13 |
| 2015 | 68°F | 7 |
| 2016 | 68°F | 12 |
| 2017 | 70°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 74°F | 11 |
| 2019 | 64°F | 11 |
| 2020 | 68°F | 5 |
| 2021 | 63°F | 14 |
| 2022 | 72°F | 6 |
| 2023 | 69°F | 8 |
| 2024 | 69°F | 16 |
| 2025 | 70°F | 6 |
Checked against 10 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 62°F | 69°F | 77°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 77% | 89% | 90% |
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.
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
Overnight stays are 77% 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 | 62°F |
| Nights | 48°F | 41°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 8 |
| Visitor season | Peak season | Busy season |
| Overall / 10 | 6.8 | 6.9 |
| Month rank | #4 | #3 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.1 | #12 | 43°F | 31°F | 13 | 4.1 | Moderate season |
| February | 5.9 | #10 | 47°F | 31°F | 9 | 4.9 | Moderate season |
| March | 6.6 | #7 | 55°F | 35°F | 10 | 6.3 | Busy season |
| April | 6.9 | #3 | 62°F | 41°F | 8 | 7.6 | Busy season |
| May | 6.8 | #4 | 69°F | 48°F | 10 | 8.3 | Peak season |
| June | 7.0 | #2 | 77°F | 56°F | 9 | 8.7 | Peak season |
| July | 6.7 | #5 | 80°F | 58°F | 12 | 8.6 | Peak season |
| August | 6.6 | #6 | 80°F | 58°F | 8 | 8.6 | Peak season |
| September | 7.0 | #1 | 72°F | 51°F | 6 | 8.9 | Peak season |
| October | 6.3 | #8 | 62°F | 45°F | 11 | 7.2 | Peak season |
| November | 5.9 | #9 | 51°F | 37°F | 11 | 5.2 | Busy season |
| December | 5.3 | #11 | 45°F | 34°F | 17 | 4.3 | Busy season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
StuttgartBaden-Württemberg · Germany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Very good weather, 67°F (20°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Mainz & the PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate · Germany · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 6.6 · Very good weather, 69°F (20°C) · Peak season · Cost pricey
Frankfurt & southern HesseGermany · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 7.4 · Very good weather, 69°F (20°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Munich & Upper BavariaGermany · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Very good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
TyrolInnsbruck · Austria · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 7.0 · Good weather, 65°F (18°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Heidelberg & Karlsruhe's weather ranks 21 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Heidelberg & Karlsruhe.
Rome & LazioItaly · about 530 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 6°F warmer afternoons
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 610 miles
Excellent weather (10.0): 6°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season)
AragonSpain · about 690 miles
Excellent weather (9.4): 10°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season), cheaper
MadridSpain · about 840 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 8°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days
Athens & AtticaGreece · about 1070 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 14°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (busy season), cheaper
It's peak season, 89% of the busiest month and 14% above its average month.The figures cover the whole Karlsruhe region, suburbs included. That means about 34,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 80% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,400 more: 13 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 76 |
| How our weather was checked | 10 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 12 |
| Busiest month here | August · 13 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 39th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 80% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 13 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.3% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+2% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 2.8 million |
| Statistical region | DE12 · Karlsruhe |
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.