Early May 1 May
66°F
Typical afternoon high
33% historical wet-day frequency
Spain · City
Basque Country
in May.
Is May a good time?
Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.
May averages 69°F afternoons and 61°F seas, with about 11 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 69°F
- Sea
- 61°F
- Visitor demand
- 65%of August peak
Historical País Vasco regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers San Sebastián and Bilbao; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.4/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#4 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather8.1/10Very good
CrowdsBusy seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostModeratefor Europe
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 69°F (20°C): light layers; nights around 51°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 11 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 15 hours of daylight.
Can I swim in May?
The sea averages 61°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. 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 15 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 06:48 and sets about 21:25 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 51°F (10°C); afternoons reach about 69°F (20°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
69°F (20°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
51°F (10°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
61°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
14h 37m
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 72°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 33% to 30% between those dates.
Mid May 15 May
68°F
Typical afternoon high
38% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
72°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.
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° | 267° | |||||
| 367° | 467° | 568° | 668° | 768° | 868° | 968° |
| 1068° | 1169° | 1268° | 1368° | 1468° | 1568° | 1668° |
| 1768° | 1867° | 1967° | 2068° | 2168° | 2269° | 2369° |
| 2469° | 2570° | 2670° | 2770° | 2871° | 2971° | 3071° |
| 3172° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 67°F (20°C) in the first week to 71°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 30–38%.
No school holidays here in May 2027. Elsewhere in May 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 13%, Greece 29%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Busy season. May averages 65% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across País Vasco do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
Well above usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €129 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Historical hotel average
€129
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. +14% vs this region's usual month.
Spain as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 84 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
The historical regional amount comes from INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.
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 73°F (23°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 69°F (20°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 16; half the years had 8–13.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
3 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 | 71°F | 8 |
| 2012 | 70°F | 8 |
| 2013 | 62°F | 16 |
| 2014 | 66°F | 11 |
| 2015 | 69°F | 8 |
| 2016 | 69°F | 13 |
| 2017 | 73°F | 8 |
| 2018 | 66°F | 11 |
| 2019 | 66°F | 12 |
| 2020 | 73°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 68°F | 11 |
| 2022 | 73°F | 5 |
| 2023 | 69°F | 10 |
| 2024 | 67°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 69°F | 13 |
Checked against 31 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 64°F | 69°F | 75°F |
| Sea | 57°F | 61°F | 66°F |
| Rain days | 11 | 11 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 59% | 65% | 69% |
April: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than May. April guide →
June: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and fewer rain days than May. 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 59% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €104 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the April guide →| Typical conditions | May | April |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 69°F | 64°F |
| Nights | 51°F | 47°F |
| Sea | 61°F | 57°F |
| Rain days | 11 | 11 |
| Visitor season | Busy season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.4 | 7.3 |
| Month rank | #4 | #5 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.0 | #12 | 54°F | 41°F | 56°F | 14 | 5.0 | Low season |
| February | 6.4 | #11 | 56°F | 42°F | 55°F | 12 | 5.4 | Moderate season |
| March | 7.2 | #6 | 60°F | 44°F | 55°F | 13 | 6.4 | Moderate season |
| April | 7.3 | #5 | 64°F | 47°F | 57°F | 11 | 7.3 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.4 | #4 | 69°F | 51°F | 61°F | 11 | 8.1 | Busy season |
| June | 7.5 | #3 | 75°F | 56°F | 66°F | 8 | 8.6 | Busy season |
| July | 7.1 | #7 | 78°F | 59°F | 71°F | 5 | 9.0 | Peak season |
| August | 6.6 | #9 | 80°F | 60°F | 72°F | 6 | 8.8 | Peak season |
| September | 7.5 | #2 | 76°F | 57°F | 70°F | 8 | 8.9 | Busy season |
| October | 7.8 | #1 | 70°F | 54°F | 66°F | 7 | 8.7 | Busy season |
| November | 7.0 | #8 | 60°F | 48°F | 62°F | 15 | 6.0 | Moderate season |
| December | 6.6 | #10 | 57°F | 44°F | 58°F | 12 | 5.6 | 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.
La RiojaSpain · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 8.1 · Very good weather, 72°F (22°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
NavarreSpain · about 60 miles
Balanced Overall 7.9 · Very good weather, 71°F (22°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Castile and LeónSpain · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 8.3 · Excellent weather, 71°F (22°C) · Busy season · Cost cheap
Bordeaux & the Atlantic coastAquitaine · France · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 7.1 · Good weather, 72°F (22°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
MadridSpain · about 190 miles
Balanced Overall 7.9 · Excellent weather, 77°F (25°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than Basque Country
Basque Country's weather ranks 26 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Spain have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Basque Country.
LisbonPortugal · about 450 miles
Excellent weather (10.0): 4°F warmer afternoons, 9 fewer rain days
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 690 miles
Excellent weather (9.1): 6°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season)
Rome & LazioItaly · about 790 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 6°F warmer afternoons, pricier
Athens & AtticaGreece · about 1420 miles
Excellent weather (9.7): 14°F warmer afternoons, 7 fewer rain days, cheaper
BucharestRomania · about 1430 miles
Excellent weather (9.2): 6°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's busy season, 65% of the busiest month and 8% above its average month.The figures cover the whole País Vasco region, suburbs included. That means about 31,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 46% of them from Spain itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,200 more: 30 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 76 |
| How our weather was checked | 31 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.4°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 14 |
| Busiest month here | August · 21 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 48th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 46% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 30 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.8% |
| Population used | 2.2 million |
| Statistical region | ES21 · País Vasco |
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; the first figure is regional (INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room). Full method · this region's data.