Early May 1 May
54°F
Typical afternoon high
22% historical wet-day frequency
Sweden · City
Stockholm
in May.
Is May a good time?
Mild days.
More overnight stays than April.
May averages 61°F afternoons and 45°F seas, with about 9 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 61°F
- Sea
- 45°F
- Visitor demand
- 80%of July peak
Historical Stockholm regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Stockholm archipelago; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.9/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather7.5/10Very good
CrowdsBusy seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostExpensivefor 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 61°F (16°C): light layers; nights around 42°F (6°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 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.
The sun rises about 04:15 and sets about 21:12 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 42°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 61°F (16°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
61°F (16°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 57m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late May?
Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 54°F on the 1st, versus 66°F on the 31st.
Mid May 15 May
61°F
Typical afternoon high
25% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
66°F
Typical afternoon high
22% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 154° | 255° | |||||
| 355° | 456° | 556° | 657° | 757° | 858° | 958° |
| 1058° | 1159° | 1260° | 1360° | 1461° | 1561° | 1662° |
| 1762° | 1862° | 1963° | 2063° | 2163° | 2263° | 2364° |
| 2464° | 2565° | 2665° | 2765° | 2865° | 2965° | 3065° |
| 3166° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 56°F (13°C) in the first week to 65°F (18°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 22–26%.
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, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Busy season. May averages 80% of July's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than April.
Overnight stays across Stockholm 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 (2025 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €85 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
€85
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.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Newark; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
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 (14°C) and 69°F (20°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 61°F (16°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 13; half the years had 4–10.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
7 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
19 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 | 61°F | 9 |
| 2012 | 60°F | 6 |
| 2013 | 63°F | 9 |
| 2014 | 59°F | 10 |
| 2015 | 58°F | 13 |
| 2016 | 63°F | 5 |
| 2017 | 60°F | 3 |
| 2018 | 69°F | 2 |
| 2019 | 59°F | 10 |
| 2020 | 58°F | 10 |
| 2021 | 58°F | 11 |
| 2022 | 60°F | 9 |
| 2023 | 62°F | 4 |
| 2024 | 65°F | 4 |
| 2025 | 58°F | 8 |
Checked against 9 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 51°F | 61°F | 69°F |
| Sea | 38°F | 45°F | 54°F |
| Rain days | 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 64% | 80% | 84% |
April: Cooler afternoons, cooler sea and fewer rain days than May. Less overnight demand. April guide →
June: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea 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.
June has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
May or April?
Overnight stays are 64% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2025 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €73 per guest-night. A seasonal estimate, not a booking quote.
Read the April guide →| Typical conditions | May | April |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 61°F | 51°F |
| Nights | 42°F | 33°F |
| Sea | 45°F | 38°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 5 |
| Visitor season | Busy season | Busy season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
| Month rank | #5 | #6 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.7 | #12 | 34°F | 24°F | 38°F | 9 | 3.7 | Moderate season |
| February | 5.2 | #9 | 36°F | 24°F | 36°F | 9 | 4.2 | Moderate season |
| March | 5.6 | #7 | 42°F | 27°F | 36°F | 6 | 5.1 | Busy season |
| April | 5.9 | #6 | 51°F | 33°F | 38°F | 5 | 6.0 | Busy season |
| May | 5.9 | #5 | 61°F | 42°F | 45°F | 9 | 7.5 | Busy season |
| June | 6.6 | #1 | 69°F | 51°F | 54°F | 9 | 8.9 | Busy season |
| July | 6.3 | #2 | 73°F | 55°F | 61°F | 10 | 9.5 | Peak season |
| August | 6.2 | #3 | 71°F | 54°F | 63°F | 10 | 9.2 | Peak season |
| September | 6.2 | #4 | 63°F | 48°F | 58°F | 7 | 7.8 | Busy season |
| October | 5.2 | #8 | 52°F | 40°F | 51°F | 10 | 5.5 | Busy season |
| November | 5.0 | #10 | 43°F | 34°F | 46°F | 9 | 4.5 | Busy season |
| December | 5.0 | #11 | 37°F | 29°F | 41°F | 12 | 4.0 | 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.
East Middle Swedenabout 70 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Good weather, 63°F (17°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
ÅlandFinland · about 90 miles
Balanced Overall 4.7 · Fair weather, 53°F (12°C) · Low season · Cost expensive
Dalarna & North Middle Swedenabout 150 miles
Balanced Overall 7.6 · Very good weather, 62°F (17°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Småland & the islandsSweden · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 7.6 · Very good weather, 63°F (17°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than Stockholm
Stockholm's weather ranks 40 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Sweden have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Stockholm.
BerlinGermany · about 520 miles
Very good weather (8.6): 8°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, cheaper
BratislavaSlovakia · about 770 miles
Very good weather (8.7): 10°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
ViennaAustria · about 780 miles
Very good weather (8.6): 9°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
BudapestHungary · about 830 miles
Excellent weather (9.0): 12°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
ZagrebCroatia · about 950 miles
Very good weather (8.7): 12°F warmer afternoons, 4 more rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's busy season, 80% of the busiest month and 11% above its average month.The figures cover the whole Stockholm region, suburbs included. That means about 47,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 63% of them from Sweden itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 5,000 more: 10 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 73 |
| How our weather was checked | 9 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 19 |
| Busiest month here | July · 24 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.9% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 65th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 63% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 10 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.1% |
| Population used | 2.5 million |
| Statistical region | SE11 · Stockholm |
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.