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Southampton · May · warmth

Warmest places to go from Southampton in May

In May, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Southampton is Aswan, Egypt, averaging 31.5 °C across day and night and 12.0 h sun a day, about 9h 6m each way by air. Without flying, it is Perpignan, France, averaging 17.9 °C across day and night, about 13h 30m each way by train, for about 25× less carbon (38.6 kg CO₂e return against 979 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Southampton

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 6m · 979 kg CO₂e return
  2. Luxor, Egypt31.2 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 54m · 941 kg CO₂e return
  3. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt30.0 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 42m · 920 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan28.2 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 36m · 898 kg CO₂e return
  5. Ouarzazate, Morocco23.0 °C · 12.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 30m · 571 kg CO₂e return
  6. Tataouine, Tunisia22.9 °C · 11.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 30m · 558 kg CO₂e return
  7. Marrakesh, Morocco22.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 24m · 556 kg CO₂e return
  8. Adana, Turkey22.0 °C · 11.6 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a dayair ≈ 7h 54m · 824 kg CO₂e return
  9. Nicosia, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 824 kg CO₂e return
  10. Limassol, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 20.3 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 829 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Perpignan is 17.9 °C for 38.6 kg — about 25× 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 ≈ 13h 30m · 38.6 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France17.7 °C · 11.8 h sun a day · 2.3 mm rain a day · sea 17.4 °Crail ≈ 12h 24m · 39.6 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 12m · 39.3 kg CO₂e return
  4. Avignon, France17.1 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 11h 12m · 36.0 kg CO₂e return
  5. Bellinzona, Switzerland16.3 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · 8.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 35.3 kg CO₂e return
  6. Turin, Italy15.8 °C · 9.6 h sun a day · 7.6 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 12m · 36.1 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 Southampton in May within 15 hours is Edfu, 31.4 °C, costing 960 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Exeter at 12.1 kg — 79× less carbon, for 18.4 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.

ExeterEdfu
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Southampton. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, May, departing Southampton. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Exeter at 12.1 kilograms and 13.0 °C; best for warmth Edfu at 960 kilograms and 31.4 °C. Exeter · 12.1 kgPerpignan · 38.6 kgZaragoza · 259 kgEdfu · 960 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, May, departing Southampton. 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 — 377 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 55.8 kg in 23h — 7× less carbon for 17h 30m more travelling.

May from Southampton — 17 destinations on the frontier, 6 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Exeter, United KingdomRail12.1 kg13.0 °C11.4 h2.7 mm3h 42m
Antwerp, BelgiumRail18.3 kg14.2 °C10.4 h4.0 mm8h
Nijmegen, The NetherlandsRail21.2 kg14.6 °C11.0 h3.5 mm10h 6m
La Rochelle, FranceRail26.6 kg15.6 °C11.3 h3.1 mm12h 18m
Montpellier, FranceRail36.3 kg17.4 °C11.3 h3.3 mm11h 54m
Perpignan, FranceRail38.6 kg17.9 °C11.3 h1.6 mm13h 30m
Zaragoza, SpainAir259 kg18.8 °C13.1 h0.8 mm4h 54m
Alzira, SpainAir329 kg20.3 °C12.2 h1.3 mm5h 12m
Córdoba, SpainAir370 kg21.3 °C12.2 h1.0 mm5h 30m
Palma del Rio, SpainAir377 kg22.3 °C12.1 h1.2 mm5h 30m
Metlaoui, TunisiaAir505 kg23.8 °C11.8 h0.8 mm6h 12m
Nefta, TunisiaAir513 kg26.0 °C11.6 h0.6 mm6h 12m
Zagora, MoroccoAir583 kg27.6 °C12.4 h0.0 mm6h 36m
Assiut, EgyptAir890 kg29.0 °C11.9 h0.0 mm8h 36m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir920 kg30.0 °C12.6 h0.1 mm8h 42m
Luxor, EgyptAir941 kg31.2 °C12.0 h0.0 mm8h 54m
Edfu, EgyptAir960 kg31.4 °C12.1 h0.0 mm9h

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 (38.6 kg, 17.9 °C) to Zaragoza (259 kg, 18.8 °C) buys 0.9 °C more warmth for an extra 220 kg — 245 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Exeter, United KingdomExeterUnited Kingdom12.1 kg CO₂e return13.0 °C · 11.4 h sun · 3h 42m by railmild and brightPerpignan, FrancePerpignanFrance38.6 kg CO₂e return17.9 °C · 11.3 h sun · 13h 30m by railwarm overallEdfu, EgyptEdfuEgypt960 kg CO₂e return31.4 °C · 12.1 h sun · 9h 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 Southampton

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Edfu, Egypt, at 31.4 °C. Reaching it emits 960 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Perpignan reaches 17.9 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 13h 30m (modelled), emitting 38.6 kg CO₂e return — though Edfu is warmer still, if you fly.

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

960 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.