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Spain by month

Where to go in Spain in May

39 of 48 places fit May

See Lanzarote

39 of 48 places fit May

Fit means a score of 75 or more out of 100 for May on warmth, sun, sea, rain and crowds, with no departure city.

May is the widest month on our map: 39 of 48 places fit, more than in any other month. Days run from 17° in Cangas de Onís to 28° in Sevilla, and Granada and Málaga both reach 25°. On Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, rain is down to under one day. For twelve days at the start of May, Córdoba's residents open their flower-filled patios to visitors, a festival on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. Ronda at 22° and Albarracín at 21° suit long walks. The catch: the sea has not caught up, with only 5 of 36 coastal places at 20° or more (est.), and Tenerife warmest at about 21° (est.).

Places that fit May, in order: 10 of 39 shown

Ranked by the same neutral score for every visitor: warmth, sun, sea, rain and crowds, with no departure city. At most 3 places from one stretch of coast or island group. A guide, a partner link or a payment never changes the order.

  4. Photo: Benreis, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Rank 4Full guide

    Níjar

    In May the daytime average is 22 degrees. Rain falls on about 2 days in May.

    Good months
    9
    Day air
    22°
    Sea
    19° est.
    Hotels full
    28% est.
  5. Photo: Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Rank 5Full guide

    Cádiz

    In May the daytime average is 23 degrees. You can expect around 11 hours of sun a day.

    Good months
    9
    Day air
    23°
    Sea
    19° est.
    Hotels full
    62% est.

Also fits May

  1. Photo: LANOEL, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Rank 6Full guide

    Benalmádena

    In May the daytime average is 21 degrees. You can expect around 10 hours of sun a day.

    Good months
    7
    Day air
    21°
    Sea
    18° est.
    Hotels full
    72% est.
  3. Photo: Fernando, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Rank 8Full guide

    Málaga

    In May the daytime average is 25 degrees. You can expect around 10 hours of sun a day.

    Good months
    8
    Day air
    25°
    Sea
    18° est.
    Hotels full
    71% est.
  4. Photo: Drefer, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Rank 9Full guide

    Torrevieja

    In May the daytime average is 25 degrees. You can expect around 10 hours of sun a day.

    Good months
    8
    Day air
    25°
    Sea
    19° est.
    Hotels full
    13% est.
How we ranked this

Each place gets a score out of 100 for May from its monthly climate, sea and crowd figures. Places with fewer data points are listed after places with full data. Sea and crowd figures are estimates and marked est.

Spain by month, on the map

One dot per place. Choose a month and what to show; the dot's size and colour follow the scale in the legend.

In May: warmest sea in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura (est.); quietest in Torrevieja, Calp and Mijas (est.).

Madrid: no sea figure, inlandSevilla: no sea figure, inlandGranada: no sea figure, inlandCórdoba: no sea figure, inlandBilbao: no sea figure, inlandSantiago de Compostela: no sea figure, inlandToledo: no sea figure, inlandRonda: no sea figure, inlandCangas de Onís: no sea figure, inlandTorla-Ordesa: no sea figure, inlandCapileira: no sea figure, inlandAlbarracín: no sea figure, inlandLlanes: 16 °C EST.Sanxenxo: 16 °C EST.Donostia/San Sebastián: 17 °C EST.Lloret de Mar: 18 °C EST.Tossa de Mar: 18 °C EST.Estepona: 18 °C EST.Marbella: 18 °C EST.Barcelona: 18 °C EST.Fuengirola: 18 °C EST.Tarifa: 18 °C EST.Sitges: 18 °C EST.Torremolinos: 18 °C EST.Salou: 18 °C EST.Benalmádena: 18 °C EST.Mijas: 18 °C EST.Málaga: 18 °C EST.Nerja: 19 °C EST.Almuñécar: 19 °C EST.Menorca: 19 °C EST.Níjar: 19 °C EST.Dénia: 19 °C EST.Xàbia/Jávea: 19 °C EST.Mallorca: 19 °C EST.València: 19 °C EST.Calp: 19 °C EST.Cádiz: 19 °C EST.Ibiza: 19 °C EST.Mojácar: 19 °C EST.Peníscola/Peñíscola: 19 °C EST.Torrevieja: 19 °C EST.Benidorm: 19 °C EST.Alacant/Alicante: 20 °C EST.Lanzarote: 20 °C EST.Fuerteventura: 20 °C EST.Gran Canaria: 21 °C EST.Tenerife: 21 °C EST.

Map controls: arrow keys move the map, plus and minus zoom, 0 resets. Shift with an arrow key or Home and End move between places.

Sea (coastal), °CEST.
  • <16
  • 16-17
  • 18-20
  • 21-23
  • 24+

Estimate: sea and crowd figures are modelled, not measured.

Show as table
Figures for May, ordered by sea (coastal)
PlaceSun, h per dayAir high, °CSea, °C (est.)Crowds, % (est.)
Tenerife9.2222171
Gran Canaria7.3232168
Fuerteventura9.2242061
Lanzarote9.5242069
Alacant/Alicante9.7252068
Benidorm9.7251973
Torrevieja9.6251913
Peníscola/Peñíscola8.7261952
Ibiza9.1231968
Mojácar9.9261935
Cádiz10.5231962
Calp9.7241920
Mallorca9.5231973
València8.6241970
Dénia8.9251955
Xàbia/Jávea8.9251955
Menorca9.0221962
Níjar9.9221928
Almuñécar9.5231949
Nerja9.5241966
Benalmádena9.7211872
Málaga9.7251871
Mijas9.7201824
Salou8.5241869
Torremolinos9.7241877
Sitges8.3221851
Fuengirola9.7231866
Tarifa9.7201843
Barcelona8.7211873
Marbella9.7221860
Estepona9.4221858
Lloret de Mar7.4241863
Tossa de Mar7.4241863
Donostia/San Sebastián6.2201771
Sanxenxo7.9211638
Llanes5.5181629
Albarracín8.621–40
Bilbao5.721–66
Cangas de Onís5.417–41
Capileira9.520––
Córdoba9.628–73
Granada9.525–69
Madrid9.523–66
Ronda–22–61
Santiago de Compostela6.420–71
Sevilla9.928–75
Toledo9.625–66
Torla-Ordesa–19––

Figures: the same monthly data as the place pages. Outline: Natural Earth, public domain.

May in numbers

  • Day highs run from 17 °C in Cangas de Onís to 28 °C in Sevilla.
  • The sea is warmest in Tenerife, about 21 °C (est.). 5 of 36 coastal places have sea at 20 °C or warmer (est.).
  • Among places with full data, hotels are about 13% full in Torrevieja and 77% in Torremolinos (est.).
  • Rain falls on 0 to 13 days: fewest in Fuerteventura, most in Santiago de Compostela.

What changes from April

  • Day highs are on average 3° higher than in April, across 48 places.
  • Sea is on average 2° higher than in April (est.), across 36 coastal places.
  • Hotels are on average 2 points fuller than in April (est.).
  • There are on average 1 fewer rainy days than in April, across 45 places.
  • New among the first five: Níjar and Cádiz.
  • Out of the first five: Torrevieja and Alacant/Alicante.
  • 39 places fit May, against 28 in April.

What each place suits, from the data

Beach days

Coastal places with a beach count and sea at 20 °C or warmer (est.), in ranking order.

More: Beach days

Hiking and mountains

Mountain and inland places with day highs of 28 °C or lower, in ranking order.

More: Hiking and mountains

Cities

City places in ranking order, with day highs and hotel fullness (est.).

  • Cádiz Day air 23 °C. Hotels 62% full (est.)
  • Málaga Day air 25 °C. Hotels 71% full (est.)
  • Granada Day air 25 °C. Hotels 69% full (est.)
  • València Day air 24 °C. Hotels 70% full (est.)
  • Toledo Day air 25 °C. Hotels 66% full (est.)
More: Cities

Direct flights from your city

Routes flown in May last year (Eurostat passenger counts, at least 1000 passengers a month), not a timetable.

  • London: 10 of the places in this list
  • Manchester: 9 of the places in this list
  • Edinburgh: 7 of the places in this list
  • Dublin: 7 of the places in this list
  • Stockholm: 4 of the places in this list
  • Gothenburg: 4 of the places in this list
  • Copenhagen: 5 of the places in this list
  • Oslo: 5 of the places in this list
  • Helsinki: 4 of the places in this list

Questions about Spain in May

How hot is Spain in May?
Day highs run from 17 °C in Cangas de Onís to 28 °C in Sevilla (AEMET monthly averages).
Is the sea warm enough to swim in May?
The warmest sea is in Tenerife, about 21 °C (est.). 5 of 36 coastal places have sea at 20 °C or warmer (est.).
Where is quieter in May?
Among places with full data, Torrevieja has the lowest hotel fullness, about 13% (est.).
Does it rain in Spain in May?
Rain falls on 0 to 13 days in May, depending on the place: fewest in Fuerteventura, most in Santiago de Compostela.
Which places fit May most?
In our neutral ranking: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Mojácar, Níjar and Cádiz.

Sources: AEMET monthly climate averages; sea temperature and hotel fullness are estimates; routes from Eurostat. Figures built 2026-11-08.