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Where to go in May / Greece in May / Peloponnese / May

Greece · Beach

Peloponnese
in May.

Illustration of Dense Vathia tower settlement in the Inner Mani
Vathia, ManiDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Warm days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 79°F afternoons and 66°F seas, with about 3 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
79°F
Sea
66°F
Visitor demand
36%of August peak

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

Overall match

8.9/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#1 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather10.0/10Excellent
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; Greece-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 79°F (26°C): T-shirt weather. About 14 hours of daylight. About 3 rain days in a typical May.

Can I swim in May?

The sea averages 66°F. Our swimming guide: fresh: fine once you are in. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 14 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 06:22Sunset 20:3179°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 06:22 and sets about 20:31 (local time, mid-month). Afternoons reach about 79°F (26°C). Expect rain on about 3 days in a typical May.

Typical afternoon
79°F (26°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
—
not shown here: our correction of the model data isn't accurate enough for night lows in this region
Sea
66°F (19°C)
fresh; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
14h 09m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 76°F on the 1st, versus 82°F on the 31st.

Early May 1 May

76°F

Typical afternoon high

10% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

78°F

Typical afternoon high

10% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

82°F

Typical afternoon high

9% 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; 3 May Easter 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.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
176°276°
376°476°576°677°777°877°977°
1077°1178°1278°1378°1478°1578°1679°
1779°1879°1980°2080°2180°2280°2380°
2480°2580°2681°2781°2881°2982°3082°
3182°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 76°F (25°C) in the first week to 81°F (27°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 9–12%. Local schools are out 1–9 May 2027. Orthodox Easter: 25 April – 3 May 2027.

Schools here are off 1–9 May 2027 (Easter holidays). Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day; 3 May Easter Monday. Elsewhere in May 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 13%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. May averages 36% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Peloponnisos do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of 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.

What's on Orthodox Easter, 25 April – 3 May 2027: Greeks travel home and to the islands; ferries and hotels book up. Official site.

Greece as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 86 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 75°F (24°C) and 83°F (28°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 79°F (26°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 8; half the years had 3–5.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 5 rain days520112012: 4 rain days42013: 3 rain days32014: 2 rain days22015: 3 rain days32016: 5 rain days52017: 5 rain days52018: 5 rain days52019: 1 rain days12020: 3 rain days32021: 0 rain days02022: 3 rain days32023: 8 rain days82024: 3 rain days32025: 4 rain days42025
Rain days
3
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 5 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
14 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
2 of 15
of the last 15 Mays had at least one day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
28 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
201175°F5
201278°F4
201382°F3
201477°F2
201580°F3
201678°F5
201779°F5
201881°F5
201976°F1
202081°F3
202183°F0
202280°F3
202375°F8
202479°F3
202579°F4

Checked against official climate averages for Kalamata. 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
Afternoons71°F79°F87°F
Sea62°F66°F73°F
Rain days332
Overnight demand31%36%55%

April: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →

June: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than May. More overnight demand. June guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

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 31% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the April guide →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons79°F71°F
Nights——
Sea66°F62°F
Rain days33
Visitor seasonModerate seasonLow season
Overall / 108.98.0
Month rank#1#5
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.2#1256°F—62°F93.5Off season
February5.7#1159°F—60°F84.1Off season
March7.2#863°F—60°F75.8Low season
April8.0#571°F—62°F38.3Low season
May8.9#179°F—66°F310.0Moderate season
June8.4#387°F—73°F210.0Moderate season
July7.8#693°F—78°F19.7Busy season
August7.5#793°F—80°F19.9Peak season
September8.4#485°F—78°F210.0Moderate season
October8.7#275°F—74°F39.3Low season
November7.1#966°F—70°F86.3Low season
December6.0#1059°F—65°F94.3Low 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

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Peloponnese's weather ranks 5 of 77 beach regions this month. We found no beach regions outside Greece with similar weather and a quieter visitor season.

All of Greece in May · Everywhere in May

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

It's moderate season, 36% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 16,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 38% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,800 more: 29 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)85
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Kalamata from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.2°C), night lows off by more than 4°F (2°C), so not shown.
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day31
Busiest month hereAugust · 85
Visitors as share of people present3.0%
Rank among Europe's regions this month85th percentile
Domestic share of nights38%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights29
Visitor share if every platform night were extra3.8%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used529,000
Statistical regionEL65 · Peloponnisos

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.