Madrid · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Madrid in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Madrid is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 7h 18m each way by air. Without flying, it is Zaragoza, Spain, 13.1 h of sun a day, about 2h 48m each way by train, for about 87× less carbon (8.1 kg CO₂e return against 708 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Madrid

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 ≈ 7h 18m · 708 kg CO₂e return
Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 763 kg CO₂e return
Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 815 kg CO₂e return
Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 760 kg CO₂e return
Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 7h 24m · 728 kg CO₂e return
Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 18m · 717 kg CO₂e return
Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 24m · 742 kg CO₂e return
Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 7h 18m · 709 kg CO₂e return
Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 6m · 682 kg CO₂e return
Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 24m · 736 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Zaragoza is 13.1 h for 8.1 kg — about 87× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.

Zaragoza, Spain13.1 h · 18.8 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 2h 48m · 8.1 kg CO₂e return
Reus, Spain13.0 h · 18.1 °C · 1.9 mm rain a day · sea 18.2 °Crail ≈ 5h 54m · 12.2 kg CO₂e return
Lleida, Spain13.0 h · 19.1 °C · 1.4 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 5h 12m · 11.4 kg CO₂e return
Huesca, Spain12.9 h · 16.7 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 4h 24m · 9.9 kg CO₂e return
Portimão, Portugal12.6 h · 19.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.8 °Crail ≈ 8h 18m · 16.4 kg CO₂e return
Amadora, Portugal12.4 h · 17.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.8 °Crail ≈ 9h 24m · 15.0 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 Madrid in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 739 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Tomelloso at 4.5 kg — 164× less carbon, for 2.5 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 Madrid. Pick one to compare.

By rail or ferry By air

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

May from Madrid — 5 destinations on the frontier, 2 without flying.
Destination	How	CO₂e return	Temp	Sun/day	Rain/day	Journey
Tomelloso, Spain	Rail	4.5 kg	18.4 °C	12.6 h	1.0 mm	3h 42m
Zaragoza, Spain	Rail	8.1 kg	18.8 °C	13.1 h	0.8 mm	2h 48m
Allerød Municipality, Denmark	Air	523 kg	13.3 °C	13.8 h	0.7 mm	6h 18m
Gävle, Sweden	Air	671 kg	12.6 °C	14.7 h	0.7 mm	7h 6m
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden	Air	739 kg	9.0 °C	15.1 h	0.5 mm	7h 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 Zaragoza (8.1 kg, 13.1 h) to Allerød Municipality (523 kg, 13.8 h) buys 0.7 hours more sunshine for an extra 515 kg — 736 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

TomellosoSpain4.5 kg CO₂e return18.4 °C · 12.6 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm, bright and dry

ZaragozaSpain8.1 kg CO₂e return18.8 °C · 13.1 h sun · 2h 48m by railwarm, bright and dry

ÖrnsköldsvikSweden739 kg CO₂e return9.0 °C · 15.1 h sun · 7h 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 Madrid

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Tomelloso: Zarateman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Zaragoza: Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, Public domain, 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
Lleida: Jorge Franganillo from Barcelona, Spain, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Portimão: Jose A., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Amadora: Dvfernandes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions

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

Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 739 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 24m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Zaragoza reaches 13.1 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 2h 48m (modelled), emitting 8.1 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

739 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.