Where to go · May
Top 20 Hotel Destinations for May
May is the moment for the Mediterranean before summer crowds, the start of Bali's dry season and the Kentucky Derby.
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Positano, Campania, Italy
Why May
Seasonal hotels and ferries are open, lemon groves are blooming, and it's warm but less crowded than summer.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); sunny
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- romance
- beach
Where we'd stay: Le Sirenuse. Family-run 18th-century villa above Positano's beach.
Explore Amalfi Coast →
Cernobbio, Lombardy, Italy
Why May
Lakeside gardens are usually in full azalea and rhododendron bloom, and villa hotels have reopened for the season.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); some showers
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- romance
- nature
Where we'd stay: Hotel Asnigo. A four-star stay in Cernobbio, a strong base for Lake Como.
Explore Lake Como →
Oia, South Aegean, Greece
Why May
Warm, sunny days with fewer cruise crowds than June–August, and every caldera hotel is open.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- romance
- beach
Where we'd stay: Katikies Santorini. Whitewashed cliffside suites in Oia with caldera-view pools.
Explore Santorini →
Savelletri di Fasano, Apulia, Italy
Why May
Olive groves are green, wildflowers bloom, and it's warm enough for the beach without summer crowds.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~73°F (23°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- romance
- culture
- beach
Where we'd stay: Borgo Egnazia. Resort built like a traditional Puglian village near the Adriatic.
Explore Puglia →Crillon-le-Brave, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Why May
Markets are full of spring produce, cherry orchards bloom, and it's ideal cycling weather at the foot of Mont Ventoux.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~73°F (23°C); sunny
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- romance
- culture
Where we'd stay: Crillon le Brave. Hilltop village hotel spread across restored stone houses.
Hotels in Crillon-le-Brave →Deià, Balearic Islands, Spain
Why May
Perfect hiking and cycling weather in the Serra de Tramuntana, with the sea warming up before peak season.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~74°F (23°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- adventure
- romance
Where we'd stay: Belmond La Residencia. Mountain-village hotel in Deià with olive groves and orange gardens.
Hotels in Deià →Kanagawa, Japan
Why May
Fresh spring greenery and clear Mount Fuji views come before the June rainy season. Avoid Golden Week in early May.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~68°F (20°C); mild
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- nature
- romance
- culture
Where we'd stay: Gora Kadan. Former imperial summer villa turned ryokan with private onsen baths.
Hotels in Hakone →
8Bali
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Why May
Bali's dry season begins around April–May, with rice terraces still lush and fewer crowds than July–August.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~86°F (30°C); drier
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- culture
- romance
- nature
Where we'd stay: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan. Villas above the Ayung River gorge near Ubud.
Explore Bali →
England, United Kingdom
Why May
Long, mild days, parks in bloom and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, usually held in late May.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~64°F (18°C); showers
- Crowds · season
- High · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: Claridge's. Art Deco Mayfair landmark.
Explore London →
New York, New York, United States
Why May
Central Park is in full bloom and the weather is ideal for walking, before summer heat and humidity.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); mild
- Crowds · season
- High · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: The Mark. Upper East Side hotel steps from Central Park and the Met.
Explore New York City →Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Why May
The season opens with warm days, while the Cannes Film Festival (usually mid-May) pushes up prices along the coast.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~70°F (21°C); sunny
- Crowds · season
- High · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
Where we'd stay: Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel. Belle Époque palace on the tip of Cap-Ferrat with a famous seawater pool.
Hotels in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat →- 12
Sicily
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Why May
Warm spring weather suits Mount Etna hikes and Taormina's ancient Greek theater before summer heat.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~72°F (22°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- culture
- beach
Where we'd stay: San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel. 14th-century convent with gardens overlooking the Ionian Sea.
Hotels in Taormina → 
13Porto
Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal
Why May
Mild spring weather for port lodge tastings and Douro river cruises, before summer crowds.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~68°F (20°C); some showers
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- culture
- city
Where we'd stay: The Yeatman. Wine hotel among the port lodges, with Douro and city views.
Explore Porto →
14Vienna
Austria
Why May
Spring blossoms fill the Prater and palace gardens, and outdoor café season begins.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~68°F (20°C); mild
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- city
- culture
Where we'd stay: Hotel Sacher Wien. Grand hotel opposite the State Opera, home of the original Sachertorte.
Explore Vienna →Cusco, Peru
Why May
The dry season begins in May, with green landscapes after the rains and fewer crowds than June–August.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~70°F (21°C); drier
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- adventure
- culture
Where we'd stay: Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. The only hotel next to the entrance to Machu Picchu.
Hotels in Machu Picchu →
Mahé, Seychelles
Why May
May falls between monsoons, bringing calm seas, clear water and light winds.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~86°F (30°C); calm
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- romance
Where we'd stay: Four Seasons Resort Seychelles. Treehouse-style villas above Petite Anse bay.
Explore Seychelles →
17Kauai
Princeville, Hawaii, United States
Why May
Drier conditions return to Kauai's north shore in late spring, in a quiet window between spring break and summer.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~79°F (26°C); occasional showers
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- beach
- nature
- adventure
Where we'd stay: 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. Sustainably designed resort overlooking Hanalei Bay.
Explore Kauai →Kentucky, United States
Why May
The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May, capping two weeks of the Kentucky Derby Festival.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~75°F (24°C); spring storms
- Crowds · season
- High during Derby · Peak
- Price level
- $$$$
- culture
- city
Where we'd stay: The Brown Hotel. 1923 landmark and birthplace of the Hot Brown sandwich.
Hotels in Louisville →Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, United Kingdom
Why May
Long daylight, spring green and fewer midges than midsummer make May ideal for the Highlands.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~59°F (15°C); changeable
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$$
- nature
- adventure
Where we'd stay: Gleneagles. Historic estate hotel with three championship golf courses.
Hotels in Auchterarder →
20Crete
Elounda, Crete, Greece
Why May
Wildflowers cover the island, the sea is warming, and sites like Knossos are comfortable before summer heat.
- Typical weather
- Highs ~75°F (24°C); dry
- Crowds · season
- Moderate · Shoulder
- Price level
- $$$
- beach
- family
- culture
Where we'd stay: Domes of Elounda, Autograph Collection. A five-star stay in Elounda, a strong base for Crete.
Explore Crete →
This month in sports
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- Kentucky Derby · May 1, 2027
- PGA Championship · May 20, 2027 – May 23, 2027
- Canadian Grand Prix · May 21, 2027 – May 23, 2027
- Preakness Stakes · May 23, 2027First Sunday running, three weeks and a day after the Derby, at a partly reopened Pimlico.
- Cape Town Marathon · May 23, 2027First running as a World Marathon Major.
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- Coca-Cola 600 · May 30, 2027Same day as the Indianapolis 500.