Early May 1 May
66°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
Spain · Beach
Is May a good time?
May averages 69°F afternoons and 59°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
Historical Galicia regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña; conditions vary within the region.
Planning to sightsee in Santiago de Compostela? The weather score rates beach conditions. Sightseeing rates very good (8.5/10).
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 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 (21°C): light layers; nights around 50°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 15 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical May.
The sea averages 59°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.
The sun rises about 07:10 and sets about 21:46 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 50°F (10°C); afternoons reach about 69°F (21°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical May.
Early, middle or late?
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 36% to 24% between those dates.
66°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
69°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
72°F
Typical afternoon high
24% 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.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 166° | 266° | |||||
| 367° | 467° | 567° | 667° | 767° | 868° | 968° |
| 1069° | 1168° | 1268° | 1368° | 1469° | 1569° | 1669° |
| 1769° | 1869° | 1969° | 2069° | 2170° | 2270° | 2370° |
| 2471° | 2571° | 2671° | 2772° | 2872° | 2972° | 3072° |
| 3172° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 67°F (19°C) in the first week to 72°F (22°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 21–37%.
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.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. May averages 44% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across Galicia do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.
Hotel price season
About usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €72 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.
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
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 64°F (18°C) and 74°F (23°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 69°F (21°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 16; half the years had 6–10.
Rain days in each May
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 72°F | 5 |
| 2012 | 69°F | 10 |
| 2013 | 64°F | 10 |
| 2014 | 67°F | 8 |
| 2015 | 70°F | 6 |
| 2016 | 67°F | 16 |
| 2017 | 72°F | 10 |
| 2018 | 68°F | 7 |
| 2019 | 70°F | 5 |
| 2020 | 74°F | 7 |
| 2021 | 66°F | 10 |
| 2022 | 73°F | 7 |
| 2023 | 71°F | 6 |
| 2024 | 67°F | 14 |
| 2025 | 70°F | 8 |
Checked against 50 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 65°F | 69°F | 74°F |
| Sea | 57°F | 59°F | 62°F |
| Rain days | 12 | 8 | 7 |
| Overnight demand | 35% | 44% | 54% |
April: Cooler afternoons, cooler sea and more rain days 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.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. May stays as your reference.
June to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 35% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €67 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the April guide →| Typical conditions | May | April |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 69°F | 65°F |
| Nights | 50°F | 47°F |
| Sea | 59°F | 57°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 12 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.2 | 6.6 |
| Month rank | #5 | #7 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.5 | #12 | 56°F | 43°F | 57°F | 13 | 1.5 | Low season |
| February | 4.2 | #10 | 57°F | 43°F | 56°F | 12 | 2.2 | Low season |
| March | 5.4 | #8 | 61°F | 44°F | 56°F | 12 | 3.4 | Low season |
| April | 6.6 | #7 | 65°F | 47°F | 57°F | 12 | 4.7 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.2 | #5 | 69°F | 50°F | 59°F | 8 | 6.4 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.5 | #3 | 74°F | 54°F | 62°F | 7 | 7.4 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.9 | #1 | 79°F | 57°F | 64°F | 4 | 9.3 | Busy season |
| August | 7.3 | #4 | 79°F | 57°F | 65°F | 4 | 9.2 | Peak season |
| September | 7.7 | #2 | 75°F | 56°F | 64°F | 6 | 8.1 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.0 | #6 | 69°F | 53°F | 63°F | 13 | 5.7 | Moderate season |
| November | 4.8 | #9 | 60°F | 48°F | 61°F | 16 | 2.8 | Low season |
| December | 4.1 | #11 | 57°F | 45°F | 58°F | 14 | 2.1 | Low season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Porto & northern Portugalabout 90 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Very good weather, 72°F (22°C) · Busy season · Cost moderate
AsturiasSpain · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 7.0 · Good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
Central Portugalabout 170 miles
Balanced Overall 8.2 · Very good weather, 74°F (23°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Castile and LeónSpain · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 8.3 · Excellent weather, 71°F (22°C) · Busy season · Cost cheap
Elsewhere in Europe
Galicia's weather ranks 46 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Spain have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Galicia.
Porto & northern Portugalabout 90 miles
Very good weather (7.4): 3°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (busy season), pricier
Central Portugalabout 170 miles
Very good weather (7.8): 4°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus ValleyPortugal · about 240 miles
Very good weather (8.5): 6°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
Setúbal PeninsulaPortugal · about 290 miles
Very good weather (8.9): 5°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days
The AlgarvePortugal · about 380 miles
Excellent weather (9.6): 8°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season)
It's moderate season, 44% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 38,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 55% of them from Spain itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 12,000 more: 31 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 67 |
| How our weather was checked | 50 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.8°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 14 |
| Busiest month here | August · 32 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 49th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 55% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 31 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.8% |
| Population used | 2.7 million |
| Statistical region | ES11 · Galicia |
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.