Amsterdam · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Amsterdam in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Amsterdam is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 5h 18m each way by air. Without flying, it is Kalmar, Sweden, 14.1 h of sun a day, about 14h 42m each way by train, for about 13× less carbon (25.9 kg CO₂e return against 336 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Amsterdam

Ranked on sunshine in May alone, among well-known places (a Wikivoyage travel guide and at least 40,000 Wikipedia readers a year), one per area and at most three per country. The carbon is shown, not used to choose: the list further down is the other question, how much sunshine each extra kilogram buys.

Sundsvall, Sweden15.1 h · 11.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.0 °Cair ≈ 5h 18m · 336 kg CO₂e return
Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 391 kg CO₂e return
Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 442 kg CO₂e return
Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 388 kg CO₂e return
Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 24m · 367 kg CO₂e return
Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 24m · 349 kg CO₂e return
Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 30m · 378 kg CO₂e return
Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 24m · 352 kg CO₂e return
Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 18m · 335 kg CO₂e return
Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 30m · 383 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Kalmar is 14.1 h for 25.9 kg — about 13× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.

Kalmar, Sweden14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 9.2 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 25.9 kg CO₂e return
Halmstad, Sweden13.9 h · 13.7 °C · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 12.0 °Crail ≈ 12h 6m · 20.7 kg CO₂e return
Tønsberg, Norway13.9 h · 13.0 °C · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 11.8 °Crail ≈ 14h 6m · 24.8 kg CO₂e return
Helsingborg, Sweden13.7 h · 13.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.0 °Crail ≈ 11h 24m · 19.2 kg CO₂e return
Gothenburg, Sweden13.6 h · 13.4 °C · 1.8 mm rain a day · sea 12.1 °Crail ≈ 12h 42m · 22.0 kg CO₂e return
Copenhagen, Denmark13.4 h · 12.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 10.7 °Crail ≈ 11h · 18.3 kg CO₂e return

≈ is the model's estimate (air times include getting to and through the airport); ✓ is a rail journey checked against a real timetable, with the date it was checked. Temperatures are historical daily means for 2023–2024, averaged across day and night, so afternoons run warmer.

The low-carbon trade-off

The sunniest place you can reach from Amsterdam in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 367 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Maaseik at 4.6 kg — 80× less carbon, for 4.4 hours less sunshine.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else this site covers is both sunnier in May and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Amsterdam. Pick one to compare.

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Amsterdam. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Örnsköldsvik can only be reached by air — 367 kg CO₂e, in 5h 24m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 43.0 kg in 23h — 9× less carbon for 17h 36m more travelling.

May from Amsterdam — 7 destinations on the frontier, 5 without flying.
Destination	How	CO₂e return	Temp	Sun/day	Rain/day	Journey
Maaseik, Belgium	Rail	4.6 kg	14.5 °C	10.7 h	3.6 mm	4h 12m
Coesfeld, Germany	Rail	4.8 kg	14.5 °C	11.7 h	3.1 mm	4h 18m
Kiel, Germany	Rail	12.1 kg	13.2 °C	12.3 h	1.9 mm	7h 54m
Svendborg, Denmark	Rail	14.2 kg	12.5 °C	13.0 h	1.6 mm	8h 54m
Allerød Municipality, Denmark	Rail	18.4 kg	13.3 °C	13.8 h	0.7 mm	11h
Visby, Sweden	Air	260 kg	12.7 °C	14.4 h	0.6 mm	4h 54m
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden	Air	367 kg	9.0 °C	15.1 h	0.5 mm	5h 24m

Warm is not the same as pleasant, which is why sunshine and rainfall are shown alongside temperature. All three are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024.

Where the curve breaks

The frontier is gentle until it isn't. Going from Allerød Municipality (18.4 kg, 13.8 h) to Visby (260 kg, 14.4 h) buys 0.6 hours more sunshine for an extra 241 kg — 403 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

MaaseikBelgium4.6 kg CO₂e return14.5 °C · 10.7 h sun · 4h 12m by railmild and bright Allerød MunicipalityDenmark18.4 kg CO₂e return13.3 °C · 13.8 h sun · 11h by railmild and bright

ÖrnsköldsvikSweden367 kg CO₂e return9.0 °C · 15.1 h sun · 5h 24m by aircold but bright

The same month, asked differently

May answers differently depending on what you are after, and the lists genuinely diverge: the brightest places are not the hottest, and in summer the useful question stops being where is warm at all.

Where to stay in Örnsköldsvik

Places to stay in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Örnsköldsvik →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.

Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.

Other months from Amsterdam

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Maaseik: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Örnsköldsvik: Montage by Moralist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sundsvall: User:Ö1thpe0807 (image 1), User:I99limpan (image2), User:Larskallin (image3), Hans Lindqvist (image 4-5), Calle Eklund (, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Umeå: Jonipoon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Luleå: Andreas Harnemo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tallinn: Hiiumaamudeliklubi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Helsinki: Old Pionear, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pärnu: Kristian Pikner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Riga: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kalmar: L.G.foto, Kiwijo2000, ginandtonique, Sniper Zeta and Shrek_38 Collage by Moralist., CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Halmstad: Boberger. Photo: Bengt Oberger, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tønsberg: Copyright © Krg This photo was taken by Karl Ragnar Gjertsen. Please credit this photo Karl Ragnar Gjertsen in the immed, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Helsingborg: Jsdo1980, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Gothenburg: Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Copenhagen: Pudelek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Amsterdam in May?

Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 367 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 24m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere sunny from Amsterdam in May without flying?

Yes. Allerød Municipality reaches 13.8 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 11h (modelled), emitting 18.4 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Amsterdam to Örnsköldsvik produce?

367 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by air. That uses the UK Government's 2026 conversion factors, including radiative forcing for flights.

Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 conversion factors applied to great-circle distance, with radiative forcing included for flights. Rail journey times are modelled estimates, not timetabled services. Full method · download the data.