Where to go in Asia in May: the last spring weeks and the dry south

May at a glance

These six trips are the ones where May's weather works in your favour. The table compares them, with the mid-range cost of a day.

Every daily cost on this page is the mid-range level of the country's trip-cost guide: its all-in total per person, for two people sharing a room, divided by its days. That covers rooms, every meal, local transport, sights, a SIM and a 10% buffer; only the international flight is extra. Each guide prices its own route in the season it names, so the figures show the level of a country, not a quote for your dates. Euro amounts use the rate each guide states.

Japan after Golden Week

May is warm across mainland Japan before the rainy season. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Tokyo a high of 23.6°C, a low of 14.6°C and 139.7 mm of rain, Kyoto a high of 25.1°C and Sapporo a high of 17.9°C. Okinawa is the exception: its rainy season comes earlier, in May and June, and Naha averages 245.3 mm.

Our Japan in 10 days covers Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka; for the north, Hokkaido in 7 days starts in Sapporo.

In Japan, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 150 a day all-in, from our Japan trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

Golden Week is the run of national holidays from Showa Day on 29 April to Children's Day on 5 May, with Constitution Day on 3 May and Greenery Day on 4 May. Expect crowded, fully booked transport in the first days of May. The Japan National Tourism Organization calls the second half of May the calmer time to travel. The Hiroshima Flower Festival is usually held from 3 to 5 May, and the Grand Sumo May Tournament fills two weeks in mid-May at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri is held on 15 May every year, and Asakusa Shrine's Sanja Matsuri runs on the Friday to Sunday around the third Saturday of May. The Japan festivals calendar has this year's dates.

South Korea: Seoul, Jeonju and Busan

May is Korea's other best spring month, warmer than April. The Korea Meteorological Administration's 1991-2020 normals give Seoul a high of 23.6°C, a low of 13.5°C and 103.6 mm of rain, Busan a high of 22.0°C and Jeju a high of 22.1°C.

Our South Korea in 10 days runs by KTX from Seoul to Jeonju, Yeosu, Busan and Gyeongju; with a week, South Korea in 7 days covers Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan.

In South Korea, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 160 a day all-in, from our South Korea trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

Buddha's Birthday falls on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, usually in May, and temples hang colourful lanterns for it; Seoul's Lotus Lantern Festival has its own dates. Labour Day (1 May) and Children's Day (5 May) are public holidays too, and a holiday that falls on a weekend moves to the next working day. The South Korea festivals calendar has this year's dates.

Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai

For the usual first route through Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, the most comfortable months are April to May and late September to October. In May Beijing averages a high of 26.4°C and a low of 13.2°C with 29 mm of rain, and Shanghai a high of 23.5°C with 115 mm, in the 1961-1990 normals that Taiwan's Central Weather Administration publishes. Shanghai's rain builds towards the plum-rain season, which normally starts about 19 June.

Our China in 10 days covers Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai; China in 7 days keeps to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai.

In China, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 135 a day all-in, from our China trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

The Labour Day break in early May is the one spring week to avoid. By law Labour Day has two days off, 1 and 2 May, and each year the State Council's holiday notice stretches them into a longer break with make-up working days; in 2026 it ran from 1 to 5 May. Treat the break as peak from its first day to its last. The best time to visit China guide has the month-by-month detail.

Uzbekistan and Almaty

May is the warmest of the good spring months on the Silk Road. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals give Samarkand a May mean of 21.1°C, Bukhara 23.3°C and Urgench, near Khiva, 22.7°C, with 7-32 mm of rain. Across the border, Almaty averages a high of 21.7°C and a low of 10.9°C in the World Meteorological Organization's figures.

Our Central Asia in 14 days runs from Tashkent to Bishkek: Samarkand and Bukhara by train, the night Talgo to Almaty and Lake Issyk-Kul. For Uzbekistan alone, Uzbekistan in 10 days adds Khiva and Shahrisabz.

In Uzbekistan, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 95 a day all-in, from our Uzbekistan trip-cost guide. In Kazakhstan it is about EUR 90 a day all-in, from our Kazakhstan trip-cost guide. Both are per person with two sharing a room.

Boysun Bahori (Boysun Spring) is a folklore festival held every year in the first ten days of May in a mountain village of the Boysun district, off the main route. Day of Remembrance and Honour, 9 May, is a public holiday in Uzbekistan. The Eids follow the Islamic calendar and move about 11 days earlier each year. The Uzbekistan festivals calendar has this year's dates.

Bali and Java in the dry season

May is one of the surest dry-season months in southern Indonesia. Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism says that in most of the country, Java and Bali included, the dry season runs from April to October and the wet season from November to March, though it calls both seasons relative. The ministry's Bromo page puts the best sunsets later, from July to October.

Our Bali in 7 days splits the week between Ubud and the south coast; Indonesia in 14 days starts in Yogyakarta and crosses to Bali by ferry.

In Bali, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 90 a day all-in, from our Bali trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room.

Waisak, the Buddhist holy day, falls at a full moon in May or early June, and the government adds collective-leave days around it. If you hope to see ceremonies at Borobudur, check that year's programme nearer the time. Idul Adha and Ascension Day, which move each year, can also fall in May, and Indonesian domestic travel is busy around these long weekends. The Indonesia festivals calendar has this year's dates.

Bhutan's western valleys

March to May and late September to November are Bhutan's classic months. In May, Paro averages a high of 22.0°C, a low of 10.7°C and 57.9 mm of rain, and Thimphu a high of 24.7°C, in the World Meteorological Organization's 1996-2018 figures: summer weather with occasional showers. The National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology warns that the southernmost areas are prone to severe thunderstorms from April to June, so keep to the western valleys. Our best time to visit Bhutan guide goes through the seasons.

Our Bhutan in 7 days covers Thimphu, Punakha and Paro, with the hike to Tiger's Nest.

In Bhutan, a mid-range trip costs about EUR 265 a day all-in, from our Bhutan trip-cost guide, per person with two sharing a room. That includes the Sustainable Development Fee at the rate the guide gives.

Bhutan's big spring festivals, Paro Tshechu among them, usually fall in March or April, so May rooms in the western valleys are easier to find. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and move each year; the Bhutan festivals guide lists the Department of Tourism's dates.

Also good in May

Three more places suit May, with conditions.

• Mongolia, at the start of the season: Ulaanbaatar's May averages a high of 17.9°C and a low of 3.2°C, and Gobi camps open fully from 15 May. See the best time to visit Mongolia guide.
• Northern Vietnam and Nha Trang: Vietnam's tourism board gives Hanoi and Ha Long Bay warm, sunny weather from April to June, and Nha Trang is dry until its September-to-December rains, while Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta start their afternoon downpours in May. See the best time to visit Vietnam guide.
• Sri Lanka for Vesak: Vesak Poya, the full moon that usually falls in May, is a public holiday, and so is the day after it; poya-day rules, such as no alcohol sales, apply. Sri Lanka Tourism says the sea at Mirissa is rougher from May to October, so base yourself inland. See the Sri Lanka festivals calendar.

Where not to go in May, and why

In these places May works against an ordinary trip.

• Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan: the India Meteorological Department's 1991-2020 means give Delhi a May high of 39.9°C and Jaipur 41.1°C. The best time to visit India guide explains why October to March is better.
• Thailand's Andaman coast: the south-west monsoon affects the Andaman from May to October. Samui, Phangan and Tao receive their heavier rain later, especially from October to December; see the best time to visit Thailand guide.
• The Maldives: the Maldives Meteorological Service dates the wet south-west monsoon from mid-May to November.
• Taiwan: Taiwan's Central Weather Administration calls May and June the Mei-Yu season, mostly cloudy to rainy; Taipei averages 239.9 mm in May.
• Hong Kong and Macau: Hong Kong averages 290.6 mm of rain in May and Macau 293.5 mm; Macau's tourism office dates its rainy season from May to September. See the best time to visit Macau guide.
• Cambodia and Laos, if you mind rain: the wet season starts in May, with 128.4 mm in Phnom Penh and 195.1 mm in Vientiane in the 1991-2020 normals.
• Singapore, Malaysia's west coast and Brunei: the inter-monsoon thunderstorms continue; Brunei airport averages 271.8 mm in May.