Where to go in May
May is one of the most underrated months to travel. Schools are back, the summer-holiday crowds have dispersed, and a long list of destinations — from Bali to Broome — are hitting their absolute prime. Whether you're after tropical beaches, outback adventures, or a classic European-style Australian autumn, May delivers beautifully. Here's where to go.April is one of the best travel months of the year. The Northern Hemisphere is bursting into spring, Australia's east coast is settling into a gorgeous early autumn, and a long list of destinations are at or near their seasonal best. Plus, when Easter falls in April in addition to the Anzac Day off, it’s packed with public holidays. However, when school holidays fill up to half the month, it's a popular time to travel, so planning ahead pays off. Here's where to go.
Bali
Bali is one of the world's most beloved destinations for good reason — extraordinary temples, terraced rice paddies, world-class surf, a thriving wellness scene, and an energy that somehow manages to feel both vibrant and deeply peaceful.
Why go to Bali in April?
May marks the start of Bali's dry season, bringing warm sunny days around 29°C, low humidity, and calm seas that are perfect for diving and snorkelling — all before the peak July–August crowds and prices arrive. It's widely considered one of the best months to visit.
Fiji
Fiji is one of the Pacific's most breathtaking destinations — 333 islands offering powder-white beaches, exceptional diving on world-class coral reefs, warm and genuinely welcoming local culture, and a pace of life so relaxed it's almost contagious.
Why go to Fiji in May?
May marks the beginning of Fiji's dry season, with temperatures of 21–28°C, clear skies, low humidity, and excellent underwater visibility for snorkelling and scuba diving — all before the peak Australian winter school holiday crowds of June and July arrive and push prices up.
Hawaii
Hawaii is one of those destinations that genuinely lives up to the hype — dramatic volcanic landscapes, iconic surf, rich Polynesian culture, world-class snorkelling, and beaches that span from jet-black to blinding white.
Why go to Hawaii in May?
May is an excellent time to visit: the humpback whale season has concluded (peak runs January–March), meaning crowds ease off noticeably, prices drop from the winter peak, and the weather settles into warm, reliably sunny conditions of around 27°C across the islands — perfect for hiking, beach days, and road trips.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is one of Australia's most extraordinary destinations — ancient Aboriginal culture, World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, dramatic gorges and waterholes in Katherine, and the sheer scale of the outback landscape that makes it unlike anywhere else on earth.
Why go to Northern Territory in May?
May is the beginning of the Top End's dry season, when the rains ease, the roads open, temperatures drop to a very comfortable 20–33°C, and Kakadu's waterfalls, wetlands, and wildlife come into their own. It's one of the best times of year to explore this remarkable part of Australia.
Cairns
Cairns is the gateway to two of Australia's greatest natural wonders — the Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree Rainforest — and a destination that packs an extraordinary amount of natural adventure into a compact, relaxed tropical city.
Why go to Cairns in May?
May is one of the best months to visit, marking the start of Cairns' dry season with temperatures dropping from the summer heat to a very pleasant 22–28°C, low humidity, and outstanding visibility on the reef for snorkelling and diving. Stinger season is also behind you, opening up swimming at the city beaches and islands.
Broome
Broome is one of Australia's most romantic and distinctive destinations — a pearling-town turned travel icon, sitting where the red pindan cliffs of the Kimberley meet the turquoise Indian Ocean, with 22 kilometres of Cable Beach among the most beautiful stretches of sand in the country.
Why go to Broome in May?
May marks the beginning of Broome's dry season, with warm days around 29°C, zero humidity, clear skies, and calm evenings ideal for camel rides at sunset — and the Staircase to the Moon, the full-moon phenomenon over Roebuck Bay's tidal flats, begins its May–October season. The Broome Turf Club Racing season also kicks off with the first race day on 23 May 2026.
Borneo
Borneo is one of the world's last great wildlife frontiers — ancient rainforest, wild orangutans, pygmy elephants, and some of Southeast Asia's finest diving off islands like Sipadan and Lankayan.
Why go to Borneo in May?
May is an outstanding time to visit, with conditions still firmly in the dry season, whale sharks present around Lankayan Island, and Pesta Kaamatan — Sabah's spectacular indigenous Harvest Festival, with rice wine, traditional music, and the Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant — celebrated across the state all month, culminating in a major event on 30–31 May. The Borneo Jazz Festival also typically falls in May, bringing international artists to Miri in Sarawak.
New South Wales
New South Wales is Australia's most visited state, offering Sydney's world-famous harbour, the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley wine region, stunning coastal national parks, and hundreds of kilometres of varied coastline.
Why go to New South Wales in May?
May brings beautiful mid-autumn conditions across NSW — warm days of 18–22°C, low humidity, crisp evenings, and the ocean still retaining enough summer warmth for swimming at northern beaches. Schools are back in session, accommodation prices have eased from the holiday peak, and popular destinations from Byron Bay to the South Coast are at their most relaxed.
Adelaide
Adelaide is one of Australia's most rewarding city destinations — an elegant, compact city with world-class restaurants, the Barossa, Clare Valley, and McLaren Vale wine regions on the doorstep, and a cultural confidence that comes from hosting more major arts festivals per capita than arguably any city in the country.
Why go to Adelaide in May?
May brings lovely mid-autumn conditions of around 18–22°C, and while the March festival season has wound down, the wine regions are in beautiful post-harvest form — the vines are golden, cellar doors are quiet, and the produce on restaurant tables is exceptional.
Sydney
Sydney is one of the world's genuinely great cities — a spectacular harbour, iconic beaches at Bondi and Manly, extraordinary dining, world-class galleries, and a liveability that makes it easy to fall in love with.
Why go to Sydney in April?
May is one of Sydney's most enjoyable months: crisp, clear autumn days of around 19–22°C, brilliant blue skies, low humidity, and the harbour and coastal walks at their most photogenic in the clean autumn light. Vivid Sydney — the city's spectacular festival of light, music, and ideas — typically runs across May and June, transforming the CBD and harbour foreshore into an after-dark spectacle.
Byron Bay
Byron Bay is Australia's most iconic northern beach town — brilliant surf, world-class restaurants, morning markets, the Cape Byron lighthouse walk, and a creative, easy-going atmosphere that rewards those who slow down and settle in.
Why go to Byron Bay in May?
May brings glorious warm autumn days around 24°C, the ocean still inviting for swimming and surfing, and the town notably quieter and more affordable than the school holiday period. It's one of Byron's most enjoyable times to visit.
Brisbane
Brisbane is Queensland's subtropical capital — a warm, outdoor-focused city with excellent dining, a thriving arts scene along South Bank, and easy access to some of Australia's most famous beach destinations.
Why go to Brisbane in May?
May brings ideal conditions to the city: temperatures of around 25°C, noticeably lower humidity than summer, clear blue days, and a pace to the city that's genuinely enjoyable. Brisbane is at its best in autumn and winter, and May marks the start of that extended sweet spot.
Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is Australia's most famous sun-and-surf destination — 57 kilometres of sandy beaches, legendary surf breaks, theme parks, and a restaurant and nightlife scene that stretches well beyond the sand.
Why go to Gold Coast in May?
May brings some of the Gold Coast's most comfortable conditions: temperatures of around 24°C, low humidity, and blue skies, with the school-holiday crowds well and truly gone. It's a genuinely pleasant time to be on the beach without the January intensity.
