bigfootwanders
Where to go in May / Spain in May / Galicia / May

Spain · Beach

Galicia
in May.

Illustration of Tower of Hercules coastal headland, A Coruña
Tower of Hercules, A CoruñaDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 69°F afternoons and 59°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
69°F
Sea
59°F
Visitor demand
44%of August peak

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.

Overall match

7.2/10 · scores & priorities

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

Weather6.4/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostCheapfor 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 (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.

Can I swim in 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.

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

About 15 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:10Sunset 21:4650°F69°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

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.

Typical afternoon
69°F (21°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
50°F (10°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
59°F (15°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
14h 36m
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 36% to 24% between those dates.

Early May 1 May

66°F

Typical afternoon high

36% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

69°F

Typical afternoon high

30% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

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.

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
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.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

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

Will it be cheaper?

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.

Historical hotel average
€72
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. +1% 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 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

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 5 rain days520112012: 10 rain days102013: 10 rain days102014: 8 rain days82015: 6 rain days62016: 16 rain days162017: 10 rain days102018: 7 rain days72019: 5 rain days52020: 7 rain days72021: 10 rain days102022: 7 rain days72023: 6 rain days62024: 14 rain days142025: 8 rain days82025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 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
15 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
201172°F5
201269°F10
201364°F10
201467°F8
201570°F6
201667°F16
201772°F10
201868°F7
201970°F5
202074°F7
202166°F10
202273°F7
202371°F6
202467°F14
202570°F8

Checked against 50 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
Afternoons65°F69°F74°F
Sea57°F59°F62°F
Rain days1287
Overnight demand35%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.

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.

June to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

May or April?

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 →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons69°F65°F
Nights50°F47°F
Sea59°F57°F
Rain days812
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 107.26.6
Month rank#5#7
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.5#1256°F43°F57°F131.5Low season
February4.2#1057°F43°F56°F122.2Low season
March5.4#861°F44°F56°F123.4Low season
April6.6#765°F47°F57°F124.7Moderate season
May7.2#569°F50°F59°F86.4Moderate season
June7.5#374°F54°F62°F77.4Moderate season
July7.9#179°F57°F64°F49.3Busy season
August7.3#479°F57°F65°F49.2Peak season
September7.7#275°F56°F64°F68.1Moderate season
October7.0#669°F53°F63°F135.7Moderate season
November4.8#960°F48°F61°F162.8Low season
December4.1#1157°F45°F58°F142.1Low 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 Galicia

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.

All of Spain in May · Everywhere in May

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

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 checked50 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 day14
Busiest month hereAugust · 32
Visitors as share of people present1.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month49th percentile
Domestic share of nights55%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights31
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.8%
Population used2.7 million
Statistical regionES11 · 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.