Sunniest places to go from Munich in May
In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Munich is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 5h 42m each way by air. Without flying, it is Kalmar, Sweden, 14.1 h of sun a day, about 13h 36m each way by train, for about 14× less carbon (29.5 kg CO₂e return against 409 kg).
The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Munich
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 42m · 409 kg CO₂e return
Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 458 kg CO₂e return
Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 6h 12m · 512 kg CO₂e return- Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 446 kg CO₂e return
Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 30m · 382 kg CO₂e return- Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 30m · 385 kg CO₂e return
Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 400 kg CO₂e return
Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 24m · 358 kg CO₂e return
Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 12m · 325 kg CO₂e return- Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 30m · 381 kg CO₂e return
Without flying
The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Kalmar is 14.1 h for 29.5 kg — about 14× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.
Kalmar, Sweden14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 9.2 °Crail ≈ 13h 36m · 29.5 kg CO₂e return
Halmstad, Sweden13.9 h · 13.7 °C · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 12.0 °Crail ≈ 13h 6m · 28.1 kg CO₂e return
Helsingborg, Sweden13.7 h · 13.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.0 °Crail ≈ 12h 6m · 26.1 kg CO₂e return
Gothenburg, Sweden13.6 h · 13.4 °C · 1.8 mm rain a day · sea 12.1 °Crail ≈ 14h 54m · 31.4 kg CO₂e return
Copenhagen, Denmark13.4 h · 12.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 10.7 °Crail ≈ 11h 30m · 24.8 kg CO₂e return
Gdansk, Poland13.2 h · 13.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.2 °Crail ≈ 12h 18m · 25.0 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 Munich in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 438 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Nuremberg at 4.5 kg — 97× less carbon, for 5.0 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.
By rail or ferry By air
What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Visby can only be reached by air — 289 kg CO₂e, in 5h. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 33.9 kg in 15h 48m — 9× less carbon for 10h 48m more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuremberg, Germany | Rail | 4.5 kg | 14.7 °C | 10.1 h | 2.5 mm | 2h 36m |
| Forchheim, Germany | Rail | 5.3 kg | 14.6 °C | 10.4 h | 2.6 mm | 3h 36m |
| Strasbourg, France | Rail | 8.5 kg | 15.3 °C | 10.9 h | 4.0 mm | 6h 6m |
| Riesa, Germany | Rail | 11.0 kg | 15.0 °C | 11.5 h | 1.1 mm | 6h 54m |
| Liberec, Czechia | Rail | 11.4 kg | 13.9 °C | 12.1 h | 1.9 mm | 7h 36m |
| Eberswalde, Germany | Rail | 16.1 kg | 15.1 °C | 12.8 h | 1.3 mm | 6h 36m |
| Świnoujście, Poland | Rail | 19.7 kg | 14.6 °C | 13.2 h | 0.9 mm | 8h 48m |
| Allerød Municipality, Denmark | Rail | 25.4 kg | 13.3 °C | 13.8 h | 0.7 mm | 11h 54m |
| Visby, Sweden | Air | 289 kg | 12.7 °C | 14.4 h | 0.6 mm | 5h |
| Örnsköldsvik, Sweden | Air | 438 kg | 9.0 °C | 15.1 h | 0.5 mm | 5h 48m |
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 (25.4 kg, 13.8 h) to Visby (289 kg, 14.4 h) buys 0.6 hours more sunshine for an extra 263 kg — 439 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.
The pick of them
ÖrnsköldsvikSweden438 kg CO₂e returncold but brightThe 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 Munich
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
Photo credits
- 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
- 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
- Gdansk: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-2_(s%C3%A4%C3%A4t%C3%B6).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Questions
Where is the sunniest place to go from Munich in May?
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 438 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 48m each way by air (modelled).
Can I get somewhere sunny from Munich in May without flying?
Yes. Allerød Municipality reaches 13.8 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 11h 54m (modelled), emitting 25.4 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Munich to Örnsköldsvik produce?
438 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.