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Brussels · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Brussels in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Brussels is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 5h 30m each way by air. Without flying, it is Halmstad, Sweden, 13.9 h of sun a day, about 14h 24m each way by train, for about 15× less carbon (25.2 kg CO₂e return against 378 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Brussels

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.

  1. Sundsvall, Sweden15.1 h · 11.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.0 °Cair ≈ 5h 30m · 378 kg CO₂e return
  2. Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 433 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 6h 6m · 485 kg CO₂e return
  4. Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 429 kg CO₂e return
  5. Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 402 kg CO₂e return
  6. Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 36m · 388 kg CO₂e return
  7. Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 414 kg CO₂e return
  8. Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 30m · 386 kg CO₂e return
  9. Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 24m · 366 kg CO₂e return
  10. Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 42m · 416 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Halmstad is 13.9 h for 25.2 kg — about 15× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.

  1. Halmstad, Sweden13.9 h · 13.7 °C · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 12.0 °Crail ≈ 14h 24m · 25.2 kg CO₂e return
  2. Helsingborg, Sweden13.7 h · 13.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.0 °Crail ≈ 13h 36m · 23.6 kg CO₂e return
  3. Copenhagen, Denmark13.4 h · 12.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 10.7 °Crail ≈ 13h 6m · 22.6 kg CO₂e return
  4. Świnoujście, Poland13.2 h · 14.6 °C · mostly dry · sea 12.9 °Crail ≈ 12h 12m · 22.2 kg CO₂e return
  5. Aalborg, Denmark13.1 h · 13.3 °C · 1.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 18m · 23.0 kg CO₂e return
  6. Zaragoza, Spain13.1 h · 18.8 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 12h 30m · 32.4 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 Brussels in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 409 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Nijmegen at 4.5 kg — 91× less carbon, for 4.1 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.

NijmegenÖrnsköldsvik
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Brussels. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Brussels. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.9 destinations. Lowest carbon Nijmegen at 4.5 kilograms and 11.0 h; best for sunshine Örnsköldsvik at 409 kilograms and 15.1 h. Nijmegen · 4.5 kgAllerød Municipality · 22.7 kgVisby · 296 kgÖrnsköldsvik · 409 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Visby can only be reached by air — 296 kg CO₂e, in 5h 6m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 34.7 kg in 19h — 9× less carbon for 13h 54m more travelling.

May from Brussels — 9 destinations on the frontier, 7 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Nijmegen, The NetherlandsRail4.5 kg14.6 °C11.0 h3.5 mm4h 12m
Arnhem, The NetherlandsRail4.9 kg14.4 °C11.2 h2.8 mm4h 24m
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsRail5.1 kg13.9 °C11.6 h3.9 mm3h 24m
Medemblik, The NetherlandsRail6.5 kg13.7 °C12.1 h3.0 mm4h 42m
Wismar, GermanyRail17.4 kg14.0 °C12.6 h1.7 mm10h 24m
Copenhagen, DenmarkRail22.6 kg12.7 °C13.4 h0.6 mm13h 6m
Allerød Municipality, DenmarkRail22.7 kg13.3 °C13.8 h0.7 mm13h 6m
Visby, SwedenAir296 kg12.7 °C14.4 h0.6 mm5h 6m
Örnsköldsvik, SwedenAir409 kg9.0 °C15.1 h0.5 mm5h 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 Visby (296 kg, 14.4 h) buys 0.6 hours more sunshine for an extra 273 kg — 455 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

NijmegenThe Netherlands4.5 kg CO₂e return14.6 °C · 11.0 h sun · 4h 12m by railmild and brightAllerød MunicipalityDenmark22.7 kg CO₂e return13.3 °C · 13.8 h sun · 13h 6m by railmild and brightÖrnsköldsvik, SwedenÖrnsköldsvikSweden409 kg CO₂e return9.0 °C · 15.1 h sun · 5h 42m 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 Brussels

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

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 (modelled).

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 13h 6m (modelled), 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.