Warmest places to go from Edinburgh in May
The warmest place you can reach from Edinburgh in May within 15 hours is Edfu at 31.4 °C, costing 1,055 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Inverness at 14.6 kg — 72× less carbon for 19.2 °C less.
Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both warmer 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 Perpignan can only be reached by air — 387 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 72.6 kg in 23h 6m — 5× less carbon for 17h 36m more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness, United Kingdom | Rail | 14.6 kg | 12.2 °C | 9.1 h | 1.9 mm | 4h 30m |
| Kendal, United Kingdom | Rail | 14.7 kg | 12.8 °C | 9.7 h | 3.2 mm | 4h 30m |
| Paris, France | Rail | 53.1 kg | 14.4 °C | 10.9 h | 3.5 mm | 14h |
| Nijmegen, The Netherlands | Rail | 55.1 kg | 14.6 °C | 11.0 h | 3.5 mm | 15h |
| Mainz, Germany | Air | 255 kg | 15.3 °C | 10.6 h | 2.9 mm | 4h 54m |
| Bellinzona, Switzerland | Air | 346 kg | 16.3 °C | 9.4 h | 8.3 mm | 5h 18m |
| Montpellier, France | Air | 368 kg | 17.4 °C | 11.3 h | 3.3 mm | 5h 24m |
| Perpignan, France | Air | 387 kg | 17.9 °C | 11.3 h | 1.6 mm | 5h 30m |
| Zaragoza, Spain | Air | 402 kg | 18.8 °C | 13.1 h | 0.8 mm | 5h 36m |
| Alzira, Spain | Air | 473 kg | 20.3 °C | 12.2 h | 1.3 mm | 6h |
| Seville, Spain | Air | 522 kg | 21.7 °C | 12.3 h | 0.8 mm | 6h 18m |
| Kairouan, Tunisia | Air | 621 kg | 21.8 °C | 11.0 h | 1.7 mm | 6h 48m |
| Gafsa, Tunisia | Air | 645 kg | 22.9 °C | 11.7 h | 1.2 mm | 6h 54m |
| Metlaoui, Tunisia | Air | 645 kg | 23.8 °C | 11.8 h | 0.8 mm | 6h 54m |
| Tozeur, Tunisia | Air | 654 kg | 25.8 °C | 11.6 h | 0.6 mm | 7h |
| Moulay Ali Cherif, Morocco | Air | 690 kg | 26.6 °C | 12.1 h | 0.1 mm | 7h 12m |
| Zagora, Morocco | Air | 718 kg | 27.6 °C | 12.4 h | 0.0 mm | 7h 18m |
| Assiut, Egypt | Air | 985 kg | 29.0 °C | 11.9 h | 0.0 mm | 9h 6m |
| Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | Air | 1,008 kg | 30.0 °C | 12.6 h | 0.1 mm | 9h 12m |
| Luxor, Egypt | Air | 1,036 kg | 31.2 °C | 12.0 h | 0.0 mm | 9h 24m |
| Edfu, Egypt | Air | 1,055 kg | 31.4 °C | 12.1 h | 0.0 mm | 9h 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 Seville (522 kg, 21.7 °C) to Kairouan (621 kg, 21.8 °C) buys 0.1 °C more warmth for an extra 98.9 kg — 989 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.
The pick of them
If you'd rather have sunshine than heat
May answers differently depending on what you're after. The sunniest destinations from Edinburgh in May are a different list — the brightest places are not always the hottest, and in winter the difference is large.
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.
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 Edinburgh
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
Questions
Where is the warmest place to go from Edinburgh in May?
Edfu, Egypt, at 31.4 °C. Reaching it emits 1,055 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h 30m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere warm from Edinburgh in May without flying?
Yes. Nijmegen reaches 14.6 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 15h, emitting 55.1 kg CO₂e return — though Edfu is warmer still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Edinburgh to Edfu produce?
1,055 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.