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Glasgow · May · warmth

Warmest places to go from Glasgow in May

In May, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Glasgow is Aswan, Egypt, averaging 31.5 °C across day and night and 12.0 h sun a day, about 9h 42m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, averaging 17.1 °C across day and night, about 14h 48m each way by train, for about 15× less carbon (74.2 kg CO₂e return against 1,087 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Glasgow

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 42m · 1,087 kg CO₂e return
  2. Luxor, Egypt31.2 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 30m · 1,048 kg CO₂e return
  3. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt30.0 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.5 °Cair ≈ 9h 18m · 1,020 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan28.2 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 9h 12m · 994 kg CO₂e return
  5. Ouarzazate, Morocco23.0 °C · 12.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 12m · 700 kg CO₂e return
  6. Tataouine, Tunisia22.9 °C · 11.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 12m · 702 kg CO₂e return
  7. Marrakesh, Morocco22.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 6m · 682 kg CO₂e return
  8. Adana, Turkey22.0 °C · 11.6 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a dayair ≈ 8h 18m · 909 kg CO₂e return
  9. Nicosia, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.0 °Cair ≈ 8h 24m · 919 kg CO₂e return
  10. Limassol, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 20.3 °Cair ≈ 8h 24m · 925 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 17.1 °C for 74.2 kg — about 15× less carbon than flying to Aswan.

  1. Marseille, France17.1 °C · 11.7 h sun a day · 1.9 mm rain a day · sea 17.1 °Crail ≈ 14h 48m · 74.2 kg CO₂e return
  2. Avignon, France17.1 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 24m · 71.7 kg CO₂e return
  3. Grenoble, France15.7 °C · 9.2 h sun a day · 5.0 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 42m · 69.0 kg CO₂e return
  4. Bordeaux, France15.7 °C · 10.9 h sun a day · 3.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 48m · 66.5 kg CO₂e return
  5. Frankfurt am Main, Germany15.2 °C · 10.9 h sun a day · 2.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 6m · 63.5 kg CO₂e return
  6. Koblenz, Germany14.9 °C · 10.8 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 30m · 61.0 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 warmest place you can reach from Glasgow in May within 15 hours is Edfu, 31.4 °C, costing 1,066 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.3 kg — 87× 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 Glasgow. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, May, departing Glasgow. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.3 kilograms and 12.7 °C; best for warmth Edfu at 1,066 kilograms and 31.4 °C. Whitehaven · 12.3 kgMarseille · 74.2 kgPerpignan · 390 kgEdfu · 1,066 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, May, departing Glasgow. 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 85.2 kg in 23h 36m — 6× less carbon for 17h 36m more travelling.

May from Glasgow — 17 destinations on the frontier, 5 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.3 kg12.7 °C10.7 h3.1 mm3h 42m
Antwerp, BelgiumRail54.0 kg14.2 °C10.4 h4.0 mm11h 12m
Paris, FranceRail54.8 kg14.4 °C10.9 h3.5 mm10h 18m
Strasbourg, FranceRail63.8 kg15.3 °C10.9 h4.0 mm13h 30m
Marseille, FranceRail74.2 kg17.1 °C11.7 h1.9 mm14h 48m
Perpignan, FranceAir390 kg17.9 °C11.3 h1.6 mm5h 36m
Zaragoza, SpainAir402 kg18.8 °C13.1 h0.8 mm5h 36m
Alzira, SpainAir473 kg20.3 °C12.2 h1.3 mm6h
Córdoba, SpainAir503 kg21.3 °C12.2 h1.0 mm6h 12m
Palma del Rio, SpainAir508 kg22.3 °C12.1 h1.2 mm6h 12m
Metlaoui, TunisiaAir650 kg23.8 °C11.8 h0.8 mm6h 54m
Nefta, TunisiaAir658 kg26.0 °C11.6 h0.6 mm7h
Zagora, MoroccoAir715 kg27.6 °C12.4 h0.0 mm7h 18m
Assiut, EgyptAir997 kg29.0 °C11.9 h0.0 mm9h 12m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir1,020 kg30.0 °C12.6 h0.1 mm9h 18m
Luxor, EgyptAir1,048 kg31.2 °C12.0 h0.0 mm9h 30m
Edfu, EgyptAir1,066 kg31.4 °C12.1 h0.0 mm9h 36m

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 Marseille (74.2 kg, 17.1 °C) to Perpignan (390 kg, 17.9 °C) buys 0.8 °C more warmth for an extra 316 kg — 395 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.3 kg CO₂e return12.7 °C · 10.7 h sun · 3h 42m by railmild and brightMarseille, FranceMarseilleFrance74.2 kg CO₂e return17.1 °C · 11.7 h sun · 14h 48m by railwarm overallEdfu, EgyptEdfuEgypt1,066 kg CO₂e return31.4 °C · 12.1 h sun · 9h 36m 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 Glasgow

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Edfu, Egypt, at 31.4 °C. Reaching it emits 1,066 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h 36m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Marseille reaches 17.1 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 48m (modelled), emitting 74.2 kg CO₂e return — though Edfu is warmer still, if you fly.

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

1,066 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.