gWhere to go in May 2022? Halfway between spring and summer, this is the ideal time to discover the major European cities and the Mediterranean basin. In Asia, head for Bali, reopened to tourists, to avoid rain and high heat. China and Japan, two traditional destinations of this period, remain closed to tourists.
In May, the climatic conditions are ideal for cultural and seaside excursions in southern Europe, with beautiful sunny days and pleasant temperatures. If two of the three public holidays in May fall on a Sunday this year 2022, you can still take advantage of Ascension Thursday to plan, for example, a long cultural weekend in Spain, Italy, Portugal or England. In Asia, to avoid seasons and rains and monsoons which are beginning to water the Indian subcontinent, we will opt for the North and East of the continent. In Central Africa and the Middle East, the heat wave is setting in, and only a few countries are really advised.
Finally, in South America, the austral winter is getting off to a gentle start. Classicism or exoticism, trek or breath of sea air, culture or adventure: the lovely month of May satisfies many travel desires.
Where to go in the sun in May?
In May, the temperatures soften in a good number of European countries, the sun warming in particular Spain, or Portugal, and its islands, Madeira and the Azores. In the heart of the Atlantic, these two archipelagos are endowed with lush nature and conceal volcanoes, lakes and natural pools, small typical villages and pebble or sandy beaches on which to contemplate sublime sunsets.
The largest of the Greek islands, Crete also boasts glorious sunshine in May. During a day trip by ferry from mainland Greece or a longer stay, wonder will be at the rendezvous between wild creeks, orchards and vineyards, seaside villages and ancient sites.
The end of May is the best time for a stay in Iceland. A three-hour flight from Paris, the island, its volcanoes and its glaciers benefit from maximum sunshine at this time of year, the mercury however not exceeding 20 degrees.
If Mauritius enjoys a mild climate throughout the year, the month of May, which heralds the start of the austral winter, is the perfect time to take advantage of temperatures varying between 20 and 25 degrees while passing between the drops.
What are the best destinations for the month of May?
In Europe, temperatures are already around 25 degrees in parts of Italy and Spain in May. An ideal climate for planning a hike, a road trip by car or enjoying the beaches. In Asia, Uzbekistan or China will delight lovers of nature and wide open spaces. Our favorite destinations?
Tuscany, for its green green colors illuminated by caressing lights
Portugal, for the flower fields of the Alentejo and the Douro Valley, the city terraces and the beaches of the Algarve
Uzbekistan, for trekkers in flowery landscapes, with a panorama of the snow-capped mountains
The Great Plain of North China, including Beijing, and the Yunnan Plateau, with flowery fields and valleys
Morocco, for flourishing nature and fruit trees in bloom even in the medinas
Where to fly for a cultural weekend in Europe in May?
The month of May, therefore, is one of the most pleasant months to enjoy the Mediterranean basin, which is particularly welcoming: Greece, Turkey, Croatia and its islands, Malta… The end of spring is one of the best times to visit Italy. , where one tastes, in the privilege of solitude, the sweetness of la dolce vita. Quietly, before the high tourist season, you can enjoy the delicious bustle of the thousand-year-old cities of Rome, Florence and Naples. Special mention for Tuscany, sublimated by beautiful green colors and caressing lights, and for the Italian coasts. In the Mediterranean-African climate of the Italian extreme south, spring is even more advanced.
In mainland Greece as in the Greek islands, spring quickly takes on the air of summer. The sea water remains cool, but fans of ancient Greece will love the month of May. In Armenia, we visit churches, monasteries and caravanserais in still mild temperatures.
Those who love flamenco and crave tapas on the terrace will tune into Spanish time. They will find in the land of Cervantes multiple cultural alternatives. In May, we appreciate Spain all the more because we do not yet find the summer crowds there. It is between softness and pleasant warmth that we cross Catalonia (Barcelona, Cadaqués), the beautiful cities of Castile (Madrid, Segovia, Salamanca), and the pearls of Andalusia (Seville, Granada and Cordoba), with gardens beautifully flowered. In 2022, the Feria de Abril in Seville, one of the most authentic festivals in Spain, takes place exceptionally in the first week of May. In Spanish stay, we will therefore rather stay on the land side, in town and in the countryside, because the water remains cool for swimming.
Which European islands to choose in May?
Those who yearn for peace and sea air in May will set sail for the countless islands of Europe.
In Italy, the islands of the Gulf of Naples, with their strong volcanic character, between nature and hydrotherapy, are still bathed in serenity. Let us mention Capri the mythical, Ischia the spa, and Procida the confidential. It is good to travel while smelling the mildness of the Mediterranean spring all along the Amalfi Coast, in the South of La Botte, and as far as Sicily and Sardinia.
A small piece of the Mediterranean world cradled in European and African influences, Malta is ideal in May-June. A good level of sunshine is in the game, and the season is not yet too hot. In addition to the summer heat, you also avoid the crowds in the alleys of Valletta, Mdina and Gozo, dressed in elegant corbelled windows. Possible from April, swimming is already a little easier in May (around 19°C).
In Greece, the Mediterranean dream is lived on the Cyclades, the Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese Islands, or the Saronic Islands.
On the other side of the Mediterranean basin, the Balearic Islands still have the charms of tranquility in spring. The Spanish archipelago offers a great diversity of assets for spring, between seascapes and mountain panoramas, archaeological sites and wild creeks.
For the less chilly and the most impatient for summer, city breaks are extended by the very first sea baths of the year on the beaches of the Balearic Islands, Malta, Crete or Cyprus.
Where to go hiking in May?
May is a good time to go to Portugal, which boasts its raw nature and the charm of rurality. The skies are clearing, by about twenty degrees. Country flowers are blooming and city terraces are also blooming. Even if some precipitation remains possible, the weather is mild and nature displays a beautiful shades of green. Spring is therefore a gentle experience, from Lisbon to the countryside in full bloom. On the beaches of the Algarve, it’s a taste of summer, with the tranquility of the low season as a bonus. Inland, in the Alentejo and the Douro Valley, the vegetation is reborn and the beds are adorned with flowers. We hike in the green nature and the flower fields of the Alentejo, in the sierras of the Algarve. If swimming is difficult on the Atlantic coast (15°C on average), it is possible in the Algarve, in the Mediterranean (around 21°C).
In California, it’s time to enjoy the interior before the scorching summer. We follow the slender roads of the desert hinterland of Los Angeles, dotted with flowers. We stop in Palm Springs, before crossing the famous Death Valley, dotted with wild flowers, and where the heat is still bearable. Over the month of May, the National Parks of the American West reopen, as well as their roads, and the rangers resume service. We will not neglect an essential stopover in San Francisco: the fog has dissipated, leaving wide beaches of sunshine, and the summer crowds are not yet parading in front of the Victorian houses.
Where to go on an adventure in the great outdoors in May?
For the escape option hike, Uzbekistan at the end of spring is synonymous with landscapes in bloom. Exoticism and enchantment are guaranteed during treks in the desert and in the flowery valleys, with still snow-capped peaks on the horizon. In Jordan, spring is in full swing, the temperatures are mild, and nature is draped in green.
In South America, Bolivia is a beautiful end-of-spring destination, sunny and pleasantly warm, although cooler in the high altitude cities. We travel pleasantly in the highlands of the Andes, to discover the andenes, the agricultural terraces on the mountainside, green in May. The Amazon is between the excess rain of the wet season and the peak temperatures of the dry season. In Peru, with the austral winter begins the best season to explore the Andes and the Inca remains of Macchu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. In the Galápagos Islands, the rainy season sees long periods of sunshine prevailing between showers.
Caution in Asia, because in the Southeast and the Indian subcontinent, the seasons and rains and monsoons arrive. We will therefore prefer northern Asia (northern China, the southern coast being subject to strong heat and abundant rainfall), and eastern Asia (Japan and South Korea). Indonesia, including Bali, is just starting the dry season (from May to October), and is an exception in Southeast Asia.
In Central Asia, the temperatures are getting warmer, and this is the period when the lights and the skies are the most beautiful. By a mild and rather sunny weather, it is one of the best seasons to appreciate the landscapes of rural China. We begin to travel really pleasantly in the great plain of North China, where Beijing is located, and in central China, on the Yunnan plateau, where Kunming is nicknamed “City of Eternal Spring”. Around the Great Wall, the groves display a bright green, the fields and the valleys are studded with flowers. In the south of China, the climate is subtropical, the sky is more charged and more rainy. In Vietnam, in the midst of rice transplanting, the waters shimmer in the rice terraces of the northern mountains, which display a bright green.
Where to go in Africa in May?
The heat wave is rising in North Africa, while in southern Africa, winter is setting in.
In the Maghreb, the warming of temperatures has as its corollary an already possible swimming, for example in Tunisia. Between winter and summer, Morocco also offers an oasis of enchantment. Spring allows you to travel to various regions of the kingdom: nature is in full bloom, especially in the Atlas Mountains. From the sea to the mountains, passing through the imperial cities, their riads and palm groves, the days are radiant without excessive heat. In the coastal cities of the North, with a Mediterranean climate, it is already hot, but not excessively, and excursions in the dunes of the Sahara are still possible. For beach lovers, although the Gulf Stream does not warm Morocco’s Atlantic coastline, swimming is already possible at this time of year, as well as water sports.
Cape Verde remains pleasant in May, with clear skies and ideal temperatures. The same is true for the Seychelles, in transition between wet and dry seasons, and exposed to good sunshine. The weather is relatively dry in most of Madagascar, especially in the West and North of the island, with a beautiful and pleasant sun. The beach weather is just as favourable.
To get as close as possible to the animal kingdom in the savannahs, it is an excellent period for Zimbabwe, in the dry season. We will scrutinize the famous Big Five. As for the Victoria Falls (on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia), they are always at their maximum flow, extraordinary power in this so-called “high water” period.
We can also turn to Namibia. After the wet season, the austral winter begins, dry, by around twenty degrees. The nights are not yet too cold. Conditions are favorable for a safari in national parks, such as Etosha. In general, many animal species are visible (elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, etc.), in the midst of flourishing vegetation. As a bonus, it is the beginning of the flowering of the quiver trees or Kokerboom (Aloidendron dichotomum). In the Kalahari Desert, you can see lions, reptiles and meerkats; in the canyon of the Fish river, reptiles, leopards and zebras, without forgetting endemic birds of southern Africa. Attention, it is also the beginning of the high tourist season.
In Reunion too, the austral winter or “cool” season begins. The cyclones have moved away, and it is the beginning of the dry season. The orange and guava trees distill their sweet fragrances in the verdant cirques, and visibility is good in the Plaine des Palmistes. The sea is warm (around 25°C), and air and water temperatures are similar. We will rather avoid the east of the island, always subject to more intense rainfall, to favor the west coast.
