Why this guide: about 6,600 people a month search Google for “best places to travel in may” (US, DataForSEO Labs, September 2026). This is the answer we would give a client, written to be booked from.
The short answer
- Best overallGreece, the Amalfi Coast, Provence, Andalusia, Croatia, Turkey's coast
- Value sunPunta Cana, Jamaica, Aruba, Cancun — the cheapest dry-ish weeks of the year
- WildcardsPeru's Sacred Valley, Bali, Japan after Golden Week, Morocco's Atlas, Vancouver and Toronto in blossom
The Mediterranean
Santorini and Mykonos at 24°C with the sea just swimmable, rates at 60–70% of August, and the cruise-ship crowds not yet at full strength; Crete and the Peloponnese greener still. The Amalfi Coast and Capri before the June heat; Puglia's trulli and beaches; Sicily's temples in wildflowers. Provence's lavender is not yet out (late June), but the markets and the Luberon villages are; Andalusia is warm and the Alhambra bookable. Croatia's Dubrovnik and Hvar before the July crowds; Turkey's Lycian coast and Cappadocia at their best.
Beyond Europe
Peru's dry season begins — the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu in clear weather without June–August's queues. Bali's dry season starts (Ubud's rice terraces still green). Japan after Golden Week (from 6 May) is quiet, green and mild — the fresh-greenery season Japanese call shinryoku. Morocco's High Atlas trekking before the heat; Jordan's Petra warm but bearable. The Galápagos in the warm-water season's last weeks.
The value Caribbean
May is the Caribbean's cheapest month with acceptable weather: rain comes as short afternoon bursts, hurricanes are two months off, and all-inclusives in Punta Cana, Jamaica, Aruba and St Lucia run 30–40% below February. Cancun and the Riviera Maya are quiet and warm, with sargassum building on the east-facing beaches. Bermuda's season opens; Bahamas is dry and warm.
North America
Vancouver and Victoria's gardens, Toronto's High Park blossom (late April–early May) and patios, New York's best weather with the Frieze fair, Washington DC before the humidity, Charleston and Savannah's gardens, the national parks (Zion, Yosemite's waterfalls at peak) before the summer crowds. Memorial Day weekend at month's end starts the summer prices.
Booking it
Greece and Amalfi in May book two to three months out — the boutique hotels fill first. The Caribbean can be booked late; the Resort Collection and the engine's Punta Cana and Jamaica pages show the May lows. Peru's Inca Trail permits go on sale in October for the following year. Vacation Packages bundle flights, and the chauffeur booker covers the airports.
Three things to get right
- Greece in May: swimmable sea, half the price, a fraction of the crowd.
- Caribbean all-inclusives are at their annual low — pair with a Sunday–Thursday flight.
- Japan from 6 May is the quiet green season.
