Where to go with the family in May?
The 15 best destinations for a family trip in May, ranked on the weather actually recorded.
For a family trip in May, we kept child-friendly destinations in their best season, no more than nine hours' flight from Western Europe. Temperatures and rainfall are real records, averaged from 2015 to 2024 at each destination's reference point, and the sea is measured at the nearest coastal point. 15 destinations pass this filter, in Europe, Africa and Asia. Top of the ranking: Valletta (22 °C in the afternoon, 3 days of rain, sea at 18 °C).
The ranking at a glance
| # | Destination | Afternoon | Rainy days | Sea (°C) | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇲🇹 Valletta | 22 °C | 3 | 18 °C | €80-140 a day |
| 2 | 🇵🇹 The Algarve | 25 °C | 4 | 16 °C | €70-120 a day |
| 3 | 🇪🇸 Andalusia | 29 °C | 4 | 19 °C | €70-120 a day |
| 4 | 🇫🇷 Corsica | 21 °C | 7 | 18 °C | €100-170 a day |
| 5 | 🇮🇹 Sicily | 23 °C | 5 | 18 °C | €70-120 a day |
| 6 | 🇬🇷 The Cyclades | 22 °C | 3 | 19 °C | €90-160 a day |
| 7 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 27 °C | 6 | 21 °C | €35-60 a day |
| 8 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 28 °C | 1 | - | €60-110 a day |
| 9 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 30 °C | 4 | 17 °C | €40-70 a day |
| 10 | 🇹🇷 Bodrum | 25 °C | 5 | 20 °C | €70-130 a day |
| 11 | 🇪🇬 The Egyptian Red Sea | 31 °C | 0 | 25 °C | €50-110 a day |
| 12 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 26 °C | 0 | 23 °C | €40-80 a day |
| 13 | 🇭🇷 Dubrovnik | 22 °C | 10 | 19 °C | €80-130 a day |
| 14 | 🇭🇺 Budapest | 21 °C | 11 | - | €55-95 a day |
| 15 | 🇦🇱 Albania | 24 °C | 12 | 20 °C | €40-70 a day |
The 15 destinations in detail
City1 🇲🇹 Valletta
🌡️ 22 °C in the afternoon, 3 days of rain, sea at 18 °C · 💶 €80-140 a day
Built by the Knights of St John after the siege of 1565, Valletta sits on a peninsula measuring 900 metres by 600, laid out in a grid above the Grand Harbour. A little over five thousand inhabitants, bastions of golden limestone and stepped streets that plunge towards the water.
Region2 🇵🇹 The Algarve
🌡️ 25 °C in the afternoon, 4 days of rain, sea at 16 °C · 💶 €70-120 a day
The Algarve means ochre cliffs dropping onto hidden coves, Benagil cave reached by kayak, and whitewashed fishing villages. Portugal's most spectacular coastline.
Region3 🇪🇸 Andalusia
🌡️ 29 °C in the afternoon, 4 days of rain, sea at 19 °C · 💶 €70-120 a day
Andalusia is best experienced behind the wheel, from the Mezquita of Córdoba to the cliffs of Ronda, from the flower-filled patios of Granada to the wild coves of Cabo de Gata. Between white villages clinging to the Sierra, you stop for a gazpacho, a vertiginous walkway on the Caminito del Rey or a night of flamenco in Jerez. A road trip that feels a world away, yet only a short flight from much of Europe.
Region4 🇫🇷 Corsica
🌡️ 21 °C in the afternoon, 7 days of rain, sea at 18 °C · 💶 €100-170 a day
The Isle of Beauty lives up to its name: from the white cliffs of Bonifacio to the red calanques of Piana, Corsica packs in landscapes the mainland can only envy. You swim in the translucent water of Palombaggia in the morning, hike beneath the Aiguilles de Bavella in the afternoon and dine on charcuterie and brocciu in a mountain village in the evening. A mountain in the sea, quite literally.
Region5 🇮🇹 Sicily
🌡️ 23 °C in the afternoon, 5 days of rain, sea at 18 °C · 💶 €70-120 a day
Sicily means Etna smoking in the distance, the Greek temples of Agrigento, the noisy markets of Palermo and beaches that are still wild. A generous island, at the table as everywhere else.
Region6 🇬🇷 The Cyclades
🌡️ 22 °C in the afternoon, 3 days of rain, sea at 19 °C · 💶 €90-160 a day
Some 220 islands south-east of Athens, 24 of them inhabited, arranged in a circle around the sanctuary of Delos. Santorini's black caldera, the farmed valleys of Naxos, the white rocks of Milos: the scenery changes with every crossing, but the villages are whitewashed everywhere.
Countries7 🇹🇳 Tunisia
🌡️ 27 °C in the afternoon, 6 days of rain, sea at 21 °C · 💶 €35-60 a day
Tunisia means the blue and white lanes of Sidi Bou Said, the ruins of Carthage facing the sea, and the gates of the Sahara in the south. Beaches and history within easy reach of Europe, on a small budget.
Countries8 🇯🇴 Jordan
🌡️ 28 °C in the afternoon, 1 day of rain · 💶 €60-110 a day
Jordan means Petra emerging at the end of the Siq, a night in a Wadi Rum camp and floating in the Dead Sea. Ancient wonders and lunar landscapes in a single trip, safe and welcoming.
Countries9 🇲🇦 Morocco
🌡️ 30 °C in the afternoon, 4 days of rain, sea at 17 °C · 💶 €40-70 a day
Morocco is the hubbub of Jemaa el-Fna square in Marrakech, the passes of the Atlas and a night beneath the stars in the dunes. A complete change of scene a short flight from Europe, over a glass of mint tea.
City10 🇹🇷 Bodrum
🌡️ 25 °C in the afternoon, 5 days of rain, sea at 20 °C · 💶 €70-130 a day
Bodrum is ancient Halicarnassus: a Hospitaller castle built from the stones of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and a 13,000-seat Greek theatre above the bay. Around it lies a 30 km peninsula of fishing villages, wooden gulets and the Yalıkavak marina.
Region11 🇪🇬 The Egyptian Red Sea
🌡️ 31 °C in the afternoon, 0 days of rain, sea at 25 °C · 💶 €50-110 a day
Egypt's Red Sea means 1,000 km of coast down to the Sudanese border, with Sinai opposite, reefs that begin five metres from the shore and water at 22°C in January. Around five hours' direct flight from much of Europe, resorts under €100 and dives such as the Thistlegorm or Ras Mohammed.
Countries12 🇸🇳 Senegal
🌡️ 26 °C in the afternoon, 0 days of rain, sea at 23 °C · 💶 €40-80 a day
Senegal means the memory of Gorée Island, the waters of the Pink Lake and the pirogues of the Sine-Saloum Delta. A land of teranga, warm and French-speaking, on the threshold of West Africa.
City13 🇭🇷 Dubrovnik
🌡️ 22 °C in the afternoon, 10 days of rain, sea at 19 °C · 💶 €80-130 a day
Dubrovnik means a walk around the walls above the red roofs, the Stradun polished by the centuries, and a swim at the foot of the fortifications. The old town is best enjoyed early in the morning, before the cruise ships arrive.
City14 🇭🇺 Budapest
🌡️ 21 °C in the afternoon, 11 days of rain · 💶 €55-95 a day
The Danube splits the city into two worlds: regal Buda, with its castle and Fisherman's Bastion, facing party-loving Pest, with its Belle Époque cafes and the ruin bars of the Jewish quarter. In between, you lounge in the Széchenyi Baths, admire the illuminated Parliament from a boat and dine on goulash for a handful of forints. Budapest is Vienna, only more affordable and more alive.
Countries15 🇦🇱 Albania
🌡️ 24 °C in the afternoon, 12 days of rain, sea at 20 °C · 💶 €40-70 a day
Albania means the turquoise water of Ksamil on the Riviera, the stone lanes of Gjirokastër, and the wild peaks around Theth. The rising star of the Balkans, still unspoilt and affordable.
Frequently asked questions
Where to go with the family in May?
Valletta, The Algarve, Andalusia, Corsica and Sicily top our ranking for a family trip in May. In first place, Valletta: 22 °C in the afternoon, 3 days of rain, sea at 18 °C on average over 2015-2024.
Which is the closest family-friendly destination in May?
Corsica, about 1h40 by air from Paris, with 21 °C in the afternoon, 7 days of rain, sea at 18 °C in May.
Where does it rain least in May among these destinations?
The Egyptian Red Sea: 0 days of rain on average in May, with 31 °C in the afternoon.
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