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Cardiff · May · warmth

Warmest places to go from Cardiff in May

In May, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Cardiff is Aswan, Egypt, averaging 31.5 °C across day and night and 12.0 h sun a day, about 9h 18m each way by air. Without flying, it is Perpignan, France, averaging 17.9 °C across day and night, about 14h 6m each way by train, for about 22× less carbon (46.7 kg CO₂e return against 1,011 kg).

Every city at once, with and without flying: where is hot in May.

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Cardiff

Ranked on warmth 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 warmth each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Aswan, Egypt31.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 18m · 1,011 kg CO₂e return
  2. Luxor, Egypt31.2 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h · 974 kg CO₂e return
  3. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt30.0 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 54m · 953 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan28.2 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 48m · 931 kg CO₂e return
  5. Ouarzazate, Morocco23.0 °C · 12.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 36m · 580 kg CO₂e return
  6. Tataouine, Tunisia22.9 °C · 11.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 36m · 589 kg CO₂e return
  7. Marrakesh, Morocco22.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 30m · 564 kg CO₂e return
  8. Adana, Turkey22.0 °C · 11.6 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a dayair ≈ 8h · 858 kg CO₂e return
  9. Nicosia, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.0 °Cair ≈ 8h 6m · 859 kg CO₂e return
  10. Limassol, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 20.3 °Cair ≈ 8h 6m · 863 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Perpignan is 17.9 °C for 46.7 kg — about 22× less carbon than flying to Aswan.

  1. Perpignan, France17.9 °C · 11.3 h sun a day · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 16.0 °Crail ≈ 14h 6m · 46.7 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France17.7 °C · 11.8 h sun a day · 2.3 mm rain a day · sea 17.4 °Crail ≈ 13h · 47.6 kg CO₂e return
  3. Nice, France17.6 °C · 11.5 h sun a day · 2.4 mm rain a day · sea 17.8 °Crail ≈ 14h 48m · 47.3 kg CO₂e return
  4. Avignon, France17.1 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 11h 48m · 44.1 kg CO₂e return
  5. Turin, Italy15.8 °C · 9.6 h sun a day · 7.6 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 48m · 44.1 kg CO₂e return
  6. Heidelberg, Germany15.2 °C · 10.3 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 18m · 36.6 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 warmest place you can reach from Cardiff in May within 15 hours is Edfu, 31.4 °C, costing 992 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Portsmouth at 13.2 kg — 75× less carbon, for 18.1 degrees less warmth.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else this site covers is both warmer in May and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

PortsmouthEdfu
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Cardiff. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, May, departing Cardiff. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Portsmouth at 13.2 kilograms and 13.3 °C; best for warmth Edfu at 992 kilograms and 31.4 °C. Portsmouth · 13.2 kgPerpignan · 46.7 kgZaragoza · 278 kgEdfu · 992 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, May, departing Cardiff. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Palma del Rio can only be reached by air — 388 kg CO₂e, in 5h 36m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 63.8 kg in 23h 36m — 6× less carbon for 18h more travelling.

May from Cardiff — 17 destinations on the frontier, 6 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Portsmouth, United KingdomRail13.2 kg13.3 °C11.3 h2.0 mm3h 54m
Paris, FranceRail27.1 kg14.4 °C10.9 h3.5 mm7h 42m
Angers, FranceRail30.3 kg14.8 °C10.5 h3.1 mm12h 12m
La Rochelle, FranceRail34.7 kg15.6 °C11.3 h3.1 mm12h 54m
Montpellier, FranceRail44.4 kg17.4 °C11.3 h3.3 mm12h 30m
Perpignan, FranceRail46.7 kg17.9 °C11.3 h1.6 mm14h 6m
Zaragoza, SpainAir278 kg18.8 °C13.1 h0.8 mm5h
Alzira, SpainAir349 kg20.3 °C12.2 h1.3 mm5h 18m
Córdoba, SpainAir381 kg21.3 °C12.2 h1.0 mm5h 30m
Palma del Rio, SpainAir388 kg22.3 °C12.1 h1.2 mm5h 36m
Metlaoui, TunisiaAir534 kg23.8 °C11.8 h0.8 mm6h 18m
Nefta, TunisiaAir541 kg26.0 °C11.6 h0.6 mm6h 24m
Zagora, MoroccoAir594 kg27.6 °C12.4 h0.0 mm6h 36m
Assiut, EgyptAir923 kg29.0 °C11.9 h0.0 mm8h 48m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir953 kg30.0 °C12.6 h0.1 mm8h 54m
Luxor, EgyptAir974 kg31.2 °C12.0 h0.0 mm9h
Edfu, EgyptAir992 kg31.4 °C12.1 h0.0 mm9h 12m

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 Perpignan (46.7 kg, 17.9 °C) to Zaragoza (278 kg, 18.8 °C) buys 0.9 °C more warmth for an extra 232 kg — 257 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Portsmouth, United KingdomPortsmouthUnited Kingdom13.2 kg CO₂e return13.3 °C · 11.3 h sun · 3h 54m by railmild and brightPerpignan, FrancePerpignanFrance46.7 kg CO₂e return17.9 °C · 11.3 h sun · 14h 6m by railwarm overallEdfu, EgyptEdfuEgypt992 kg CO₂e return31.4 °C · 12.1 h sun · 9h 12m by airwarm, bright and dry

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 Edfu

Places to stay in Edfu, Egypt, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Edfu →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 Cardiff

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the warmest place to go from Cardiff in May?

Edfu, Egypt, at 31.4 °C. Reaching it emits 992 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h 12m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere warm from Cardiff in May without flying?

Yes. Perpignan reaches 17.9 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 6m (modelled), emitting 46.7 kg CO₂e return — though Edfu is warmer still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Cardiff to Edfu produce?

992 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.