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Edinburgh · May · warmth

Warmest places to go from Edinburgh in May

In May, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Edinburgh is Aswan, Egypt, averaging 31.5 °C across day and night and 12.0 h sun a day, about 9h 36m each way by air. Without flying, it is Montpellier, France, averaging 17.4 °C across day and night, about 14h 54m each way by train, for about 15× less carbon (70.3 kg CO₂e return against 1,075 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Edinburgh

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 36m · 1,075 kg CO₂e return
  2. Luxor, Egypt31.2 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 24m · 1,036 kg CO₂e return
  3. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt30.0 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.5 °Cair ≈ 9h 12m · 1,008 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan28.2 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 9h 6m · 981 kg CO₂e return
  5. Ouarzazate, Morocco23.0 °C · 12.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 12m · 704 kg CO₂e return
  6. Tataouine, Tunisia22.9 °C · 11.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 12m · 696 kg CO₂e return
  7. Marrakesh, Morocco22.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 6m · 687 kg CO₂e return
  8. Adana, Turkey22.0 °C · 11.6 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a dayair ≈ 8h 12m · 894 kg CO₂e return
  9. Nicosia, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.0 °Cair ≈ 8h 18m · 904 kg CO₂e return
  10. Limassol, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 20.3 °Cair ≈ 8h 18m · 911 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Montpellier is 17.4 °C for 70.3 kg — about 15× less carbon than flying to Aswan.

  1. Montpellier, France17.4 °C · 11.3 h sun a day · 3.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 70.3 kg CO₂e return
  2. Marseille, France17.1 °C · 11.7 h sun a day · 1.9 mm rain a day · sea 17.1 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 72.5 kg CO₂e return
  3. Avignon, France17.1 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 12m · 70.0 kg CO₂e return
  4. Bordeaux, France15.7 °C · 10.9 h sun a day · 3.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 42m · 64.8 kg CO₂e return
  5. Frankfurt am Main, Germany15.2 °C · 10.9 h sun a day · 2.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h · 61.7 kg CO₂e return
  6. Koblenz, Germany14.9 °C · 10.8 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 24m · 59.3 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 Edinburgh in May within 15 hours is Edfu, 31.4 °C, costing 1,055 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.7 kg — 83× less carbon, for 18.7 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.

WhitehavenEdfu
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Edinburgh. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, May, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.7 kilograms and 12.7 °C; best for warmth Edfu at 1,055 kilograms and 31.4 °C. Whitehaven · 12.7 kgMontpellier · 70.3 kgPerpignan · 387 kgEdfu · 1,055 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Alzira can only be reached by air — 473 kg CO₂e, in 6h. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 83.5 kg in 23h 30m — 6× less carbon for 17h 30m more travelling.

May from Edinburgh — 17 destinations on the frontier, 5 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.7 kg12.7 °C10.7 h3.1 mm3h 48m
Antwerp, BelgiumRail52.2 kg14.2 °C10.4 h4.0 mm11h 6m
Paris, FranceRail53.1 kg14.4 °C10.9 h3.5 mm10h 12m
Strasbourg, FranceRail62.1 kg15.3 °C10.9 h4.0 mm13h 24m
Montpellier, FranceRail70.3 kg17.4 °C11.3 h3.3 mm14h 54m
Perpignan, FranceAir387 kg17.9 °C11.3 h1.6 mm5h 30m
Zaragoza, SpainAir402 kg18.8 °C13.1 h0.8 mm5h 36m
Alzira, SpainAir473 kg20.3 °C12.2 h1.3 mm6h
Córdoba, SpainAir506 kg21.3 °C12.2 h1.0 mm6h 12m
Palma del Rio, SpainAir512 kg22.3 °C12.1 h1.2 mm6h 12m
Metlaoui, TunisiaAir645 kg23.8 °C11.8 h0.8 mm6h 54m
Nefta, TunisiaAir653 kg26.0 °C11.6 h0.6 mm7h
Zagora, MoroccoAir718 kg27.6 °C12.4 h0.0 mm7h 18m
Assiut, EgyptAir985 kg29.0 °C11.9 h0.0 mm9h 6m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir1,008 kg30.0 °C12.6 h0.1 mm9h 12m
Luxor, EgyptAir1,036 kg31.2 °C12.0 h0.0 mm9h 24m
Edfu, EgyptAir1,055 kg31.4 °C12.1 h0.0 mm9h 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 Montpellier (70.3 kg, 17.4 °C) to Perpignan (387 kg, 17.9 °C) buys 0.5 °C more warmth for an extra 316 kg — 633 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.7 kg CO₂e return12.7 °C · 10.7 h sun · 3h 48m by railmild and brightMontpellier, FranceMontpellierFrance70.3 kg CO₂e return17.4 °C · 11.3 h sun · 14h 54m by railwarm but wetEdfu, EgyptEdfuEgypt1,055 kg CO₂e return31.4 °C · 12.1 h sun · 9h 30m 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 Edinburgh

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

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 (modelled).

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

Yes. Montpellier reaches 17.4 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 54m (modelled), emitting 70.3 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.