France in May, away from Paris

Pleasant in May

Average high closest to 18–26 °C and fewest rain days (1991–2020 normals).

✈ / ⛴ Coast · Corsica Bonifacio A Genoese citadel perched on white limestone cliffs at the southern tip of Corsica, staring across the strait at Sardinia. High 20 °C · Low 14 °C · 5 rain days 3h36 Town · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Arles A Roman city on the Rhône where Van Gogh painted his brightest year, with an arena still in use and the Camargue at its gates. High 23 °C · Low 12 °C · 5 rain days 6h39 Coast · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Menton The last town on the Riviera before Italy: a Baroque old quarter in ochre and pink, lemon groves, subtropical gardens and Cocteau. High 21 °C · Low 14 °C · 5 rain days 6h18 Coast · Occitanie Collioure A Catalan fishing port where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean, with a sea-washed church tower and the light that gave birth to Fauvism. High 22 °C · Low 13 °C · 5 rain days ✈ / ⛴ Mountains · Corsica Corte The mountain capital of Corsica’s short-lived independent republic: an eagle’s-nest citadel, a student town, and wild gorges at its door. High 23 °C · Low 9 °C · 7 rain days 5h24 Town · Occitanie Carcassonne A medieval fortress city with two rings of walls and dozens of towers on a hill above the Aude, rescued from demolition in the 1850s. High 21 °C · Low 12 °C · 8 rain days 2h33 Coast · Nouvelle-Aquitaine La Rochelle An Atlantic port guarded by medieval towers, with arcaded streets, a stubborn Protestant past and a long tradition of doing things by bike. High 20 °C · Low 11 °C · 8 rain days 2h29 Town · Centre–Val de Loire Chinon A long royal fortress above the Vienne where Henry II died and Joan of Arc met her king, a slate-roofed old town and red wine from cabernet franc. High 21 °C · Low 10 °C · 9 rain days

Signature festivals

• Festival de Cannes — Cannes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The world’s best-known film festival, held every May on the Croisette since its first edition in the autumn of 1946. Most screenings are for accredited professionals, but the town itself, the red carpet and the beach screenings are part of the spectacle.
• Fête de la transhumance en Aubrac — Saint-Chély-d’Aubrac, Occitanie. Around Saint Urban’s day (25 May), Aubrac cattle, decked with flowers and bells, walk up from the Lot valley to their summer pastures, and the hamlet of Aubrac celebrates with music, markets and aligot. The festival was launched in 1981.

Check dates on the official site.

All forty places in May

Wettest in May: Annecy (146 mm), Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (122 mm), Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (120 mm), Arbois (110 mm).