Sunniest places to go from Brussels in May
The sunniest place you can reach from Brussels in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik at 15.1 h, costing 409 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Nijmegen at 4.5 kg — 91× less carbon for 4.1 h less.
Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both sunnier in May and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.
By rail or ferry By air
What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Karlstad can only be reached by air — 279 kg CO₂e, in 5h. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 32.8 kg in 17h 12m — 9× less carbon for 12h 12m more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nijmegen, The Netherlands | Rail | 4.5 kg | 14.6 °C | 11.0 h | 3.5 mm | 4h 6m |
| Arnhem, The Netherlands | Rail | 4.9 kg | 14.4 °C | 11.2 h | 2.8 mm | 4h 18m |
| Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Rail | 5.1 kg | 13.9 °C | 11.6 h | 3.9 mm | 4h 24m |
| Medemblik, The Netherlands | Rail | 6.5 kg | 13.7 °C | 12.1 h | 3.0 mm | 5h |
| Wismar, Germany | Rail | 17.4 kg | 14.0 °C | 12.6 h | 1.7 mm | 10h 6m |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | Rail | 22.6 kg | 12.7 °C | 13.4 h | 0.6 mm | 12h 30m |
| Allerød Municipality, Denmark | Rail | 22.7 kg | 13.3 °C | 13.8 h | 0.7 mm | 12h 30m |
| Karlstad, Sweden | Air | 279 kg | 13.6 °C | 14.3 h | 1.1 mm | 5h |
| Örnsköldsvik, Sweden | Air | 409 kg | 9.0 °C | 15.1 h | 0.5 mm | 5h 42m |
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 (22.7 kg, 13.8 h) to Karlstad (279 kg, 14.3 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 257 kg — 513 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.
The pick of them
If you'd rather have heat than sunshine
May answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Brussels in May are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.
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.
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 Brussels
May from elsewhere
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Brussels
- Cardiff
- Copenhagen
- Dublin
- Edinburgh
- Frankfurt
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Lisbon
- Liverpool
- London
- Madrid
- Manchester
- Milan
- Munich
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Oslo
- Paris
- Prague
- Rome
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Stockholm
- Vienna
- Warsaw
- Zurich
Questions
Where is the sunniest place to go from Brussels in May?
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 409 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 42m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere sunny from Brussels in May without flying?
Yes. Allerød Municipality reaches 13.8 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 12h 30m, emitting 22.7 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Brussels to Örnsköldsvik produce?
409 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.