May in Madrid averages highs of 24 °C (76 °F) and lows of 12 °C (53 °F), with about 4 rainy days and 14 h 24 min of daylight.
May weather in Madrid at a glance
average high to low each dot ≈ 3 rainy days
Is May a good time to visit Madrid?
Great time to go: comfortably warm and fairly dry. May is usually high season in Madrid: book rooms early, as prices are typically at their highest.
Our rule: a month scores 2 points for comfortable average highs of 18–28 °C (1 point for 14–18 or 28–32 °C) and 2 points for 5 or fewer rainy days (1 point for 6–10). Average highs above 35 °C or below 8 °C make it a tough month whatever the rain. A rainy day here means 2 mm of rain or more. 4 points = great, 3 = good, 2 = mixed, 0–1 = tough.
Holidays and events in May 2026
- Fri 1 May: Labour Day (Fiesta del trabajo) public holiday
- Sat 2 May: Day of Madrid (Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid) public holiday
- San Isidro festivities around 15 May, Madrid's patron saint event
Banks and many shops close on public holidays, and museums may change their hours, so check before you go.
Things to do in Madrid in May
May's weather suits a mix of outdoor sights and museums, so the open-air ones come first.
- Retiro Park — boating lake and Crystal Palace outdoors
- Plaza Mayor and Mercado de San Miguel outdoors
- Tapas in La Latina — especially on Sunday after El Rastro market outdoors
- Prado Museum — Velázquez and Goya; free in the last two hours indoors
- Royal Palace — and the Almudena cathedral indoors
- Reina Sofía — Picasso's Guernica indoors
Where to stay: Sol or Huertas for sights on foot; Malasaña or Chueca for bars; Salamanca for upmarket.
What to pack for Madrid in May
- Light layers for the day and a jumper for evenings, which cool to 12 °C (53 °F).
- Comfortable walking shoes.
What a day in Madrid costs
| Budget traveller | Mid-range | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical total per person, per day | €55–120 | €150–300 |
Excluding flights. May is usually high season in Madrid: book rooms early, as prices are typically at their highest.
May in nearby cities
| City | High / low | Rainy days | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seville | 28° / 15° | 4 | Good time to go |
| Porto | 20° / 13° | 8 | Good time to go |
| Lisbon | 23° / 14° | 3 | Great time to go |
Want the whole trip planned? Join the Journey waitlist: tell it where, when and your budget, and it plans every day hour by hour.
FAQ
Is May a good time to visit Madrid?
By the numbers, May is a great time to go: comfortably warm and fairly dry, with average highs of 24 °C (76 °F) and about 4 rainy days. May is usually high season in Madrid: book rooms early, as prices are typically at their highest. The best months for weather are May, September.
How warm is Madrid in May?
Average highs are 24 °C (76 °F) and lows 12 °C (53 °F) (2015–2024 averages).
Does it rain a lot in Madrid in May?
Expect about 4 days with 2 mm of rain or more, about 31 mm in total. It is the 5th driest month of the year in Madrid.
Sources: climate averages from Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis, 2015–2024); sea temperatures from the Open-Meteo marine API (2023–2024); public holidays from Nager.Date. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of the month. Averages are a guide, not a forecast. Costs are typical ranges per person per day, excluding flights.