Prague · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Prague in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Prague 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 Visby, Sweden, 14.4 h of sun a day, about 14h 42m each way by train, for about 13× less carbon (25.9 kg CO₂e return against 347 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Prague

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 · 347 kg CO₂e return
Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 394 kg CO₂e return
Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 448 kg CO₂e return
Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 30m · 380 kg CO₂e return
Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 6m · 309 kg CO₂e return
Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 12m · 315 kg CO₂e return
Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 12m · 327 kg CO₂e return
Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h · 284 kg CO₂e return
Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 4h 48m · 250 kg CO₂e return
Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 6m · 306 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Visby is 14.4 h for 25.9 kg — about 13× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.

Visby, Sweden14.4 h · 12.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 7.5 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 25.9 kg CO₂e return
Kalmar, Sweden14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 9.2 °Crail ≈ 12h 42m · 21.9 kg CO₂e return
Halmstad, Sweden13.9 h · 13.7 °C · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 12.0 °Crail ≈ 12h 42m · 21.8 kg CO₂e return
Helsingborg, Sweden13.7 h · 13.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.0 °Crail ≈ 11h 42m · 19.8 kg CO₂e return
Copenhagen, Denmark13.4 h · 12.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 10.7 °Crail ≈ 11h 12m · 18.7 kg CO₂e return
Gdansk, Poland13.2 h · 13.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.2 °Crail ≈ 10h · 16.4 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 Prague in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 375 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Wałbrzych at 4.5 kg — 83× less carbon, for 3.4 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 Prague. Pick one to compare.

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Örnsköldsvik can only be reached by air — 375 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 44.0 kg in 23h 30m — 9× less carbon for 18h more travelling.

May from Prague — 7 destinations on the frontier, 6 without flying.
Destination	How	CO₂e return	Temp	Sun/day	Rain/day	Journey
Wałbrzych, Poland	Rail	4.5 kg	13.2 °C	11.7 h	2.0 mm	4h 12m
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany	Rail	7.4 kg	15.6 °C	12.3 h	1.7 mm	5h 36m
Strausberg, Germany	Rail	8.2 kg	15.1 °C	12.8 h	1.6 mm	6h
Świnoujście, Poland	Rail	12.5 kg	14.6 °C	13.2 h	0.9 mm	8h 12m
Allerød Municipality, Denmark	Rail	19.4 kg	13.3 °C	13.8 h	0.7 mm	11h 30m
Visby, Sweden	Rail	25.9 kg	12.7 °C	14.4 h	0.6 mm	14h 42m
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden	Air	375 kg	9.0 °C	15.1 h	0.5 mm	5h 30m

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 Visby (25.9 kg, 14.4 h) to Örnsköldsvik (375 kg, 15.1 h) buys 0.7 hours more sunshine for an extra 349 kg — 499 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

WałbrzychPoland4.5 kg CO₂e return13.2 °C · 11.7 h sun · 4h 12m by railmild and bright

VisbySweden25.9 kg CO₂e return12.7 °C · 14.4 h sun · 14h 42m by railmild and bright

ÖrnsköldsvikSweden375 kg CO₂e return9.0 °C · 15.1 h sun · 5h 30m 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 Prague

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Wałbrzych: Jar.ciurus, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, via Wikimedia Commons
Visby: Żeglarz, 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
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
Copenhagen: Pudelek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Gdansk: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions

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

Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 375 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 30m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Visby reaches 14.4 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m (modelled), emitting 25.9 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

375 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.