Early May 1 May
64°F
Typical afternoon high
48% historical wet-day frequency
Switzerland · Mountains
Zurich
in May.
Is May a good time?
Mild days.
A steady visitor season.
May averages 67°F afternoons, with about 13 rain days. Later May is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 67°F
- Rain days
- 13
- Visitor demand
- 88%of July peak
Historical Zürich regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day.
Overall match
6.0/10 · scores & prioritiesThis weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather7.4/10Very good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Switzerland-wide price level
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 67°F (19°C): light layers; nights around 47°F (8°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 13 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 15 hours of daylight.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 15 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 05:50 and sets about 20:53 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 47°F (8°C); afternoons reach about 67°F (19°C). Expect rain on about 13 days in a typical May.
Typical afternoon
67°F (19°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Mays
Night low
47°F (8°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
15h 04m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late May?
Late May is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 64°F on the 1st, versus 71°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 48% to 39% between those dates.
Mid May 15 May
67°F
Typical afternoon high
44% historical wet-day frequency
Late May 31 May
71°F
Typical afternoon high
39% 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; 17 May Pentecost Monday.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164° | 264° | |||||
| 364° | 465° | 565° | 665° | 765° | 865° | 965° |
| 1065° | 1166° | 1266° | 1366° | 1467° | 1567° | 1667° |
| 1767° | 1867° | 1967° | 2067° | 2168° | 2268° | 2369° |
| 2469° | 2569° | 2670° | 2770° | 2871° | 2971° | 3071° |
| 3171° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 65°F (18°C) in the first week to 70°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 36–50%. Local schools are out 1–8 May 2027.
Schools here are off 1–8 May 2027 (Ascension bridge and spring holidays). Public holidays: 1 May Labour Day; 6 May Ascension Day; 17 May Pentecost Monday. 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?
Steady all year. May averages 88% of July's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Zürich 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. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Switzerland as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 171 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington Dulles and 5 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
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 62°F (16°C) and 72°F (22°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 67°F (19°C). Rain days ranged from 7 to 20; half the years had 11–16.
Rain days in each May
Rain days
13
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
20 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 | 72°F | 7 |
| 2012 | 69°F | 12 |
| 2013 | 62°F | 20 |
| 2014 | 65°F | 15 |
| 2015 | 67°F | 15 |
| 2016 | 66°F | 13 |
| 2017 | 69°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 71°F | 13 |
| 2019 | 62°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 68°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 62°F | 20 |
| 2022 | 72°F | 11 |
| 2023 | 68°F | 14 |
| 2024 | 67°F | 16 |
| 2025 | 67°F | 13 |
Checked against 7 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
April, May
or June?
| Typical conditions | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 61°F | 67°F | 76°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 13 | 13 |
| Overnight demand | 75% | 88% | 98% |
April: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than May. April guide →
June: Warmer afternoons than May. June guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.
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.
Hotel stays vary little through the year. July and September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than May.
Your comparison
May or April?
Overnight stays vary little through the year.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the April guide →| Typical conditions | May | April |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 67°F | 61°F |
| Nights | 47°F | 40°F |
| Rain days | 13 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| Month rank | #5 | #6 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.4 | #12 | 43°F | 29°F | 13 | 4.1 | Steady all year |
| February | 4.9 | #10 | 47°F | 29°F | 9 | 4.9 | Steady all year |
| March | 5.3 | #8 | 54°F | 34°F | 10 | 6.0 | Steady all year |
| April | 5.8 | #6 | 61°F | 40°F | 9 | 7.0 | Steady all year |
| May | 6.0 | #5 | 67°F | 47°F | 13 | 7.4 | Steady all year |
| June | 6.4 | #4 | 76°F | 55°F | 13 | 8.2 | Steady all year |
| July | 6.5 | #1 | 78°F | 58°F | 13 | 8.4 | Steady all year |
| August | 6.5 | #3 | 78°F | 57°F | 10 | 8.2 | Steady all year |
| September | 6.5 | #2 | 70°F | 50°F | 10 | 8.4 | Steady all year |
| October | 5.8 | #7 | 62°F | 44°F | 11 | 7.0 | Steady all year |
| November | 4.9 | #9 | 51°F | 36°F | 10 | 5.1 | Steady all year |
| December | 4.5 | #11 | 45°F | 31°F | 15 | 4.3 | Steady all year |
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.
Basel & northwest Switzerlandabout 30 miles
Balanced Overall 6.0 · Very good weather, 68°F (20°C) · Steady all year · Cost expensive
Lucerne & central Switzerlandabout 30 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Busy season · Cost expensive
TyrolInnsbruck · Austria · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 7.0 · Good weather, 65°F (18°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Very good weather, 73°F (23°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Munich & Upper BavariaGermany · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Very good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better May weather than Zurich
Zurich's weather ranks 15 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Switzerland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Zurich.
La RiojaSpain · about 650 miles
Very good weather (8.6): 5°F warmer afternoons, 8 fewer rain days, cheaper
Sofia & the southwestBulgaria · about 800 miles
Excellent weather (9.0): 4°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
Western MacedoniaGreece · about 800 miles
Excellent weather (9.5): 7°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, cheaper
EpirusGreece · about 810 miles
Excellent weather (9.4): 8°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 88% of the busiest and 10% above average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 22,000 overnight visitors on a typical May night across the region, 41% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 3,800 more: 18 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 72 |
| How our weather was checked | 7 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 14 |
| Busiest month here | July · 15 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.3% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 47th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 41% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 18 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.6% |
| National hotel-price season | Switzerland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.6 million |
| Statistical region | CH04 · Zürich |
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. Full method · this region's data.