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Rome · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Rome in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Rome is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 6h 36m each way by air. Without flying, it is Barcelona, Spain, 12.5 h of sun a day, about 14h 24m each way by train, for about 23× less carbon (25.4 kg CO₂e return against 579 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Rome

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 ≈ 6h 36m · 579 kg CO₂e return
  2. Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 6h 48m · 626 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 7h 6m · 680 kg CO₂e return
  4. Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 6h 42m · 612 kg CO₂e return
  5. Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 6h 18m · 535 kg CO₂e return
  6. Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 24m · 545 kg CO₂e return
  7. Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 6h 24m · 554 kg CO₂e return
  8. Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 6h 12m · 507 kg CO₂e return
  9. Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 6h · 469 kg CO₂e return
  10. Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 18m · 524 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Barcelona is 12.5 h for 25.4 kg — about 23× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.

  1. Barcelona, Spain12.5 h · 17.2 °C · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 17.8 °Crail ≈ 14h 24m · 25.4 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France11.8 h · 17.7 °C · 2.3 mm rain a day · sea 17.4 °Crail ≈ 10h · 16.4 kg CO₂e return
  3. Marseille, France11.7 h · 17.1 °C · 1.9 mm rain a day · sea 17.1 °Crail ≈ 10h 42m · 17.8 kg CO₂e return
  4. Zadar, Croatia11.7 h · 18.1 °C · 4.4 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 9h 18m · 9.8 kg CO₂e return
  5. Girona, Spain11.6 h · 17.2 °C · 3.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 36m · 23.6 kg CO₂e return
  6. Nice, France11.5 h · 17.6 °C · 2.4 mm rain a day · sea 17.8 °Crail ≈ 8h 48m · 14.0 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 Rome in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 607 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Grosseto at 4.4 kg — 138× less carbon, for 3.9 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.

GrossetoÖrnsköldsvik
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Rome. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Rome. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.8 destinations. Lowest carbon Grosseto at 4.4 kilograms and 11.2 h; best for sunshine Örnsköldsvik at 607 kilograms and 15.1 h. Grosseto · 4.4 kgBarcelona · 25.4 kgLleida · 248 kgÖrnsköldsvik · 607 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Gdynia can only be reached by air — 370 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 43.4 kg in 22h 18m — 9× less carbon for 16h 48m more travelling.

May from Rome — 8 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Grosseto, ItalyRail4.4 kg17.6 °C11.2 h3.4 mm3h 42m
Zadar, CroatiaRail9.8 kg18.1 °C11.7 h4.4 mm9h 18m
Barcelona, SpainRail25.4 kg17.2 °C12.5 h2.0 mm14h 24m
Lleida, SpainAir248 kg19.1 °C13.0 h1.4 mm4h 48m
Gdynia, PolandAir370 kg13.9 °C13.4 h0.6 mm5h 30m
Karlskrona, SwedenAir403 kg13.1 °C14.2 h0.6 mm5h 36m
Visby, SwedenAir452 kg12.7 °C14.4 h0.6 mm5h 54m
Örnsköldsvik, SwedenAir607 kg9.0 °C15.1 h0.5 mm6h 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 Barcelona (25.4 kg, 12.5 h) to Lleida (248 kg, 13.0 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 223 kg — 445 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

GrossetoItaly4.4 kg CO₂e return17.6 °C · 11.2 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm but wetBarcelonaSpain25.4 kg CO₂e return17.2 °C · 12.5 h sun · 14h 24m by railwarm overallÖrnsköldsvik, SwedenÖrnsköldsvikSweden607 kg CO₂e return9.0 °C · 15.1 h sun · 6h 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 Rome

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 607 kg CO₂e return, travelling 6h 42m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Barcelona reaches 12.5 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 24m (modelled), emitting 25.4 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

607 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.