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Where to go in May / Sweden in May / Dalarna & North Middle Sweden / May

Sweden · Countryside

Dalarna & North Middle Sweden
in May.

Illustration of Traditional timber village on the slope above Lake Siljan in Tällberg
Timber village above Lake SiljanDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 62°F afternoons and 43°F seas, with about 9 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
62°F
Sea
43°F
Visitor demand
30%of July peak

Historical Norra Mellansverige regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Dalarna; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.6/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#3 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather7.4/10Very good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor 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 62°F (17°C): light layers; nights around 41°F (5°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 9 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 17 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in May?

The sea averages 43°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. 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 17 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 04:21Sunset 21:3641°F62°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 04:21 and sets about 21:36 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 41°F (5°C); afternoons reach about 62°F (17°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical May.

Typical afternoon
62°F (17°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
41°F (5°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
43°F (6°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
17h 15m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 55°F on the 1st, versus 67°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 22% to 32% between those dates.

Early May 1 May

55°F

Typical afternoon high

22% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

62°F

Typical afternoon high

28% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

67°F

Typical afternoon high

32% 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; 16 May Whit Sunday.

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
155°255°
356°456°557°657°758°858°959°
1059°1160°1260°1361°1462°1562°1663°
1763°1864°1964°2064°2164°2265°2365°
2465°2566°2666°2766°2866°2966°3067°
3167°

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

Afternoons warm from about 56°F (13°C) in the first week to 66°F (19°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 22–32%.

School-holiday dates for May 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day; 6 May Ascension Day; 16 May Whit Sunday. Elsewhere in May 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 13%, Greece 29%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. May averages 30% of July's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Norra Mellansverige 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?

Well above usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2025 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €41 per guest-night. A seasonal estimate, not a booking quote.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Historical hotel average
€41
2025 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index; hotel revenue per guest-night; not a current booking quote. +11% vs this region's usual month.
Sweden as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 117 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

The historical regional amount comes from Tillväxtverket, Inkvarteringsstatistik 2025, table 1.1: accommodation revenue per guest-night (yearly, moved by the national hotel price swing); 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 57°F (14°C) and 71°F (22°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 62°F (17°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 18; half the years had 6–10.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 9 rain days92013: 9 rain days92014: 9 rain days92015: 18 rain days182016: 10 rain days102017: 6 rain days62018: 3 rain days32019: 14 rain days142020: 6 rain days62021: 12 rain days122022: 8 rain days82023: 4 rain days42024: 4 rain days42025: 7 rain days72025
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 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
18 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
201161°F10
201261°F9
201364°F9
201460°F9
201557°F18
201662°F10
201761°F6
201871°F3
201959°F14
202058°F6
202158°F12
202262°F8
202364°F4
202469°F4
202560°F7

Checked against 30 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

April, May
or June?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs July peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsAprMayJun
Afternoons51°F62°F70°F
Sea36°F43°F52°F
Rain days5910
Overnight demand27%30%52%

April: Cooler afternoons, cooler sea and fewer 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 August have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

May or April?

Overnight stays are 27% of the busiest month.

Historical regional hotel revenue (2025 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €35 per guest-night. A seasonal estimate, not a booking quote.

Read the April guide →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons62°F51°F
Nights41°F32°F
Sea43°F36°F
Rain days95
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 107.67.1
Month rank#3#5
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.5#1231°F21°F35°F93.5Low season
February5.7#1034°F22°F34°F74.0Moderate season
March6.4#842°F26°F34°F75.1Moderate season
April7.1#551°F32°F36°F56.0Low season
May7.6#362°F41°F43°F97.4Low season
June7.8#170°F50°F52°F108.6Moderate season
July6.8#673°F54°F60°F118.7Peak season
August7.6#269°F52°F61°F128.5Moderate season
September7.6#462°F45°F56°F87.2Low season
October6.7#750°F38°F48°F105.1Low season
November6.1#940°F31°F43°F94.1Low season
December5.7#1134°F25°F38°F123.7Low 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 Dalarna & North Middle Sweden

Dalarna & North Middle Sweden's weather ranks 112 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Sweden have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Dalarna & North Middle Sweden.

All of Sweden in May · Everywhere in May

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

It's low season, 30% of the busiest month and 24% below its average month. That means about 13,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 79% of them from Sweden itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,300 more: 10 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)72
How our weather was checked30 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day15
Busiest month hereJuly · 51
Visitors as share of people present1.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month56th percentile
Domestic share of nights79%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights10
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.7%
Population used854,000
Statistical regionSE31 · Norra Mellansverige

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 (Tillväxtverket, Inkvarteringsstatistik 2025, table 1.1: accommodation revenue per guest-night (yearly, moved by the national hotel price swing)). Full method · this region's data.