Best Places to Go for a May Bank Holiday
Five long-weekend escapes, plus the booking decisions that help you make three nights feel like a proper holiday.
A May bank holiday can give you a proper change of scene without using a full week of annual leave. The trick is picking somewhere that fits the time you have. Three nights in a walkable city may be more relaxing than a supposedly cheap resort escape with a long transfer, a late arrival and an early return flight.
Our five ideas are Palma, Lisbon, Athens, Antalya and Dubrovnik. They each have a different advantage: Palma for a city-and-beach mix, Lisbon for food and neighbourhoods, Athens for history, Antalya for warmer resort weather and Dubrovnik for a beautiful compact Old Town.
First: which May bank holiday are you travelling on?
In the UK there are normally two May bank holidays: the early May bank holiday at the beginning of the month and the spring bank holiday towards the end. They are not interchangeable travel dates. Late May is generally closer to summer conditions, but in many areas it also overlaps with school half-term, which can push up demand for flights and family accommodation. Dates and entitlements vary across the UK, so use the official UK bank holiday calendar and school holiday guidance before choosing flights.
At a glance: the best May bank holiday destination for you
- Palma, Mallorca: best for a little of everything, including old-town streets, waterfront walks and easy beach options.
- Lisbon, Portugal: best for city life, food, viewpoints and a flexible long weekend.
- Athens, Greece: best for history, neighbourhood dining and memorable sights in a compact itinerary.
- Antalya, Türkiye: best for the prospect of warmer beach weather, particularly on a four-night-or-longer trip.
- Dubrovnik, Croatia: best for atmospheric walls, sea views and a special three-night break.
Explore holidays departing on your dates
TripsByDate shows advertised package holidays across its wider inventory. The changing options below are not necessarily Christmas-week departures or packages to these five destinations. Use them as starting points, then compare your own dates and check the final price, availability and festive arrangements with the provider.
SEN • 7 nights
AI · easyJet holidays
MAN • 7 nightsRO · Hays Travel
SEN • 7 nightsSkiworld
MAN • 7 nightsHB · SkilineA three-night break: count the hours, not just the nights
Imagine two packages with the same price. One lands at midday on Friday and returns Monday evening; the other arrives late Friday and leaves early Monday. Both advertise three nights, but the first can deliver almost two extra days of usable holiday. Look at airport-to-hotel transfers, time-zone changes, check-in and check-out, and how far your accommodation is from the sights you actually want to visit.
A practical rule: for a two- or three-night escape, prioritise a direct flight, a short transfer and one well-chosen base. If a destination involves four hours in the air plus a lengthy onward journey, consider adding another night or saving it for a longer trip.
1. Palma, Mallorca: best for a compact beach-and-city escape
Palma offers a particularly satisfying May weekend because its harbour, architecture, markets, tapas streets and promenade can fill two full days without a hire car. You get the feel of a Mediterranean island holiday while staying somewhere that works as a city break. Early May is especially good for exploring; by late May, warmer weather can make a beach afternoon more tempting. Sea swimming may still feel cool.
Where to stay: choose Palma's centre if your priority is restaurants, museums and walking between sights. Stay nearer the beach if you want more pool and sand time, but calculate the transport cost of going back into town.
Weekend idea: Friday evening stroll and tapas; Saturday morning at Palma Cathedral and around the old town, followed by the seafront; Sunday for a nearby beach, market or slow lunch before flying home.
Easy-to-miss detail: Palma Cathedral is normally closed to tourist visits on Sundays, and Saturday visiting hours are shorter than weekdays. If the cathedral matters to you, check its official visitor schedule and book around it rather than relying on Sunday.
2. Lisbon, Portugal: best for food, viewpoints and neighbourhood exploring
Lisbon rewards short trips because you can spend a whole weekend wandering Alfama, Baixa, Chiado and the riverside without needing an ambitious sightseeing schedule. In May the longer daylight hours are particularly useful for scenic viewpoints and leisurely evening meals. It is better described as a city break with possible sunshine than a guaranteed beach holiday.
How to spend three nights: get your bearings around Baixa and the river on arrival; explore Alfama and the castle area the next day; choose Belém or a laid-back neighbourhood food day for your final full day. Trying to squeeze Sintra into a short first visit is possible, but it means sacrificing a substantial part of Lisbon itself.
Stay smart: Lisbon has famously steep streets and uneven pavements. A hotel that looks close to everything on a map can still be up a punishing hill; check the gradient and whether you'll rely on taxis, trams or the metro. For visitor ideas and current transport links, use Visit Lisboa.
Best for: couples, friends, independent travellers and anyone who would rather spend money on food and experiences than hotel facilities.
3. Athens, Greece: best for big history without a week-long itinerary
May is a strong time to visit Athens because its open-air ancient sites can be more comfortable to explore before the hottest summer weeks. A well-located hotel around Plaka, Monastiraki, Koukaki or Syntagma means many highlights are within a manageable walk or metro journey.
Weekend idea: visit the Acropolis early in the day, then the Acropolis Museum and Plaka; allow another day for the Ancient Agora, neighbourhood cafés, markets and a sunset viewpoint. Resist adding distant islands or multiple day trips to a two-night stay.
Know before you go: arrange Acropolis tickets through official Greek cultural channels, and confirm the visit date, ticket conditions and operating hours before departure. For the museum's official information, see the Acropolis Museum. May Day on 1 May is a public holiday in Greece and may affect some sites, shops and transport, so an early May trip needs an extra check.
Value tip: pay a little more for a genuinely central base if it saves repeated journeys across the city; on a short break, location can be worth more than a low room rate.
4. Antalya, Türkiye: best for a warm-weather recharge if you have enough time
Of these five choices, Antalya is a particularly tempting option for travellers who prioritise warmer resort weather in May. But the word Antalya covers both a city and a much wider resort region. Some advertised hotels are well outside the centre, so the transfer may be much longer than expected.
Choosing your base matters: stay around Antalya city or nearby Lara if you want a shorter, easier break with dining and a mix of sightseeing and coast. Hotels around Side, Belek or farther along the coast can suit a classic resort holiday, but compare the actual airport transfer before booking.
Try this: if you have four nights, allow one day for Kaleiçi's historic streets and harbour, one for relaxing by the sea, and one for an outing or unstructured resort day. On a brief two-night trip, Antalya may involve more travel than relaxation.
Extra value: the Antalya region includes Roman-era sites such as Perge and Side; the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism museum directory is a useful place to check individual sites before visiting. Ask hotels whether outdoor pools, slides, children's clubs and beach facilities are operating on your dates rather than assuming full summer provision.
5. Dubrovnik, Croatia: best for a memorable three-night Old Town break
Dubrovnik is at its best when you can give its stone streets and sea views some time. May can be an excellent compromise between cooler spring conditions and the busiest part of the summer season, although cruise calls and popular sightseeing days can still make the Old Town feel crowded.
A balanced itinerary: arrive and walk the harbour and old streets; spend your main day exploring the city walls and viewpoints; keep another half-day for a coastal walk, local beach or short excursion if the weather and ferry schedules suit. Plan wall visits for cooler parts of the day and bring water and good shoes.
Accommodation trap: the prettiest apartments aren't always the most convenient. Dubrovnik is steep and full of steps. If you're carrying luggage or have mobility needs, check the exact access route, not just the straight-line distance from the Old Town. The official Dubrovnik Tourist Board is useful for up-to-date visitor guidance.
Make it better: a room outside the walls can work very well if buses are convenient and the route isn't uphill; being right in the centre may be worth the premium if late dinners and early sightseeing are priorities.
Early May or late May: which is better?
Early May can be attractive for sightseeing and quieter-feeling coastal resorts, but don't expect every seasonal attraction or hotel facility to be running at full summer capacity. Keep an eye on 1 May public holidays in destination countries: these are separate from the UK's own bank holiday and can change attraction access.
Late May generally means more warmth and beach potential, but the spring bank holiday often comes alongside school half-term in parts of the UK. Family flights and larger rooms can become more competitive. Check the actual school calendar for your area instead of assuming the same half-term dates everywhere.
For a couple travelling without school-age children, the most promising comparison is often both May bank holiday weekends against the ordinary weekends directly before and after them. Sometimes a Friday or Tuesday off work delivers a cheaper and quieter trip than the headline bank holiday dates.
Know which May dates you can travel?
Compare holidays departing when you're free, without searching every destination separately.
Find holidays by dateSeven ways to get more from your May long weekend
- Compare Thursday-to-Sunday and Friday-to-Monday: Monday flights can attract returning bank holiday crowds; moving the break by a day may change the total cost.
- Check two-night versus three-night packages: a cheaper stay is not necessarily better value if flights leave you with only one proper day.
- Compare airports you can realistically reach: add parking, rail tickets and travel time before calling an alternative departure cheaper.
- Keep the airport transfer short: this matters enormously when three nights is all you have. Look at the hotel address, not just the resort name.
- Travel light if it genuinely saves money: cabin-bag rules differ by airline and fare, so check dimensions rather than relying on the phrase 'hand luggage included'.
- Book the one must-see attraction first: the Acropolis, Palma Cathedral or Dubrovnik walls may be the highlight, and bank holiday demand or local holidays can complicate your plans.
- Leave room for weather: May is promising, not a guarantee. Swap beach time and museums between days instead of building a fragile hourly schedule.
How to choose the right style of trip
If you want beach time
Palma or the Antalya region are attractive starting points. Ask whether the beach is practical to reach, whether pools are open, and how much time you'll actually have after travel. Late May generally improves the odds of warmer conditions, but neither sea nor pool temperature is guaranteed.
If you want to eat well and wander
Lisbon and Athens make excellent food-first breaks. Stay near the neighbourhoods you're most interested in; two slow evenings enjoying restaurants can be as satisfying as ticking off ten attractions.
If you want somewhere memorable for an anniversary
Dubrovnik and Palma are strong options for scenery and ambience. Compare room location and views before upgrading to the most expensive hotel, and budget for a good meal or experience rather than simply a premium room category.
If you're travelling as a family
Check children's club schedules, pool heating or opening dates, transfer length and room occupancy. A package advertised for two adults isn't necessarily comparable to a family package with bags and transfers included.
Frequently asked questions about May bank holiday breaks
When are the two May bank holidays?
The UK normally has an early May bank holiday and a spring bank holiday later in the month. Check GOV.UK for the exact dates in the year you're travelling, including any exceptional changes and differences between UK nations.
Where is warmest for a May bank holiday?
Antalya offers a good chance of warmer resort weather among these five, especially towards the end of May, while Palma can offer attractive mild-to-warm conditions. Weather varies by year, and a warm afternoon doesn't guarantee warm sea swimming. Our May holiday guide has more options.
Is a May bank holiday abroad expensive?
It can be, particularly when the break overlaps school half-term or very popular return-flight dates. It isn't automatically expensive everywhere. Compare airports, three-night versus four-night stays and departure days rather than assuming the Monday bank holiday makes the cheapest trip.
Is it worth going to Antalya for three nights?
It can be if the flight timings and hotel transfer are particularly convenient, but four nights or longer often suits the journey better. For a compressed weekend, Palma, Lisbon, Athens or Dubrovnik may offer a simpler experience depending on your UK airport.
Can you swim in the sea in May?
Some travellers do, but sea temperatures warm more slowly than the air. The experience differs across the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Adriatic, and early May often feels cooler than late May. If swimming is essential, choose a hotel with a specifically confirmed heated pool.
More May travel inspiration
Explore Where to Go on Holiday in May, Cheapest Holiday Destinations in May, Best Months for a European City Break, Best Months to Visit Spain, Best Months to Visit Portugal and Best Months to Visit Turkey.
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