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Where to go in May / Sweden in May / East Middle Sweden / May

Sweden · Beach

East Middle Sweden
in May.

Illustration of Uppsala Cathedral above the Fyris River
Uppsala Cathedral above the Fyris RiverDestination view, not month-specific.

Is May a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.

May averages 63°F afternoons and 45°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.

Afternoons
63°F
Sea
45°F
Visitor demand
50%of July peak

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

Overall match

5.9/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.2/10Good
CrowdsModerate 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 63°F (17°C): light layers; nights around 42°F (6°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 8 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 17 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in May?

The sea averages 45°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 04:25Sunset 21:1842°F63°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 04:25 and sets about 21:18 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 42°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 63°F (17°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical May.

Typical afternoon
63°F (17°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
42°F (6°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
45°F (7°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
16h 54m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late May?

Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 57°F on the 1st, versus 68°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 23% to 29% between those dates.

Early May 1 May

57°F

Typical afternoon high

23% historical wet-day frequency

Mid May 15 May

64°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Late May 31 May

68°F

Typical afternoon high

29% 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
157°257°
358°458°559°659°760°860°960°
1061°1161°1262°1363°1463°1564°1664°
1765°1865°1965°2066°2166°2266°2366°
2467°2567°2667°2768°2868°2968°3068°
3168°

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

Afternoons warm from about 58°F (15°C) in the first week to 68°F (20°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 23–30%.

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?

Moderate season. May averages 50% of July's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.

Overnight stays across Östra 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): €55 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
€55
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 58°F (15°C) and 73°F (23°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 63°F (17°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 15; half the years had 5–11.

Rain days in each May

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 9 rain days920112012: 6 rain days62013: 11 rain days112014: 10 rain days102015: 15 rain days152016: 8 rain days82017: 4 rain days42018: 3 rain days32019: 13 rain days132020: 8 rain days82021: 13 rain days132022: 9 rain days92023: 4 rain days42024: 5 rain days52025: 8 rain days82025
Rain days
8
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
11 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
201163°F9
201263°F6
201365°F11
201461°F10
201558°F15
201665°F8
201763°F4
201873°F3
201961°F13
202060°F8
202160°F13
202262°F9
202365°F4
202470°F5
202561°F8

Checked against 26 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
Afternoons53°F63°F71°F
Sea38°F45°F54°F
Rain days6810
Overnight demand35%50%63%

April: Cooler afternoons, cooler sea and fewer rain days than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →

June: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and more rain days 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 35% of the busiest month.

Historical regional hotel revenue (2025 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €48 per guest-night. A seasonal estimate, not a booking quote.

Read the April guide →
May compared with another month
Typical conditionsMayApril
Afternoons63°F53°F
Nights42°F33°F
Sea45°F38°F
Rain days86
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.94.7
Month rank#5#6
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.0#933°F24°F37°F101.0Low season
February3.0#1036°F24°F35°F71.0Low season
March3.2#844°F27°F35°F61.2Low season
April4.7#653°F33°F38°F62.7Moderate season
May5.9#563°F42°F45°F85.2Moderate season
June6.6#171°F50°F54°F107.1Busy season
July5.9#474°F54°F61°F107.5Peak season
August6.2#271°F52°F62°F116.8Busy season
September6.0#364°F46°F58°F75.0Moderate season
October3.5#752°F39°F50°F101.5Moderate season
November3.0#1142°F33°F45°F91.0Low season
December3.0#1236°F28°F40°F111.0Low 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 East Middle Sweden

East Middle Sweden's weather ranks 64 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Sweden have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with East Middle Sweden.

All of Sweden in May · Everywhere in May

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

It's moderate season, 50% of the busiest month and 12% above its average month. That means about 20,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 89% of them from Sweden itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,700 more: 8 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)61
How our weather was checked26 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.2°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day11
Busiest month hereJuly · 23
Visitors as share of people present1.1%
Rank among Europe's regions this month36th percentile
Domestic share of nights89%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights8
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.2%
Population used1.8 million
Statistical regionSE12 · Östra 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.