Month by month
Vienna in May
One of the two best months of the year: long light, garden terraces and the Festwochen.
The figures
- Avg high
- 20.7°C
- Avg low
- 10.7°C
- Sunshine
- 248 h
- Rain
- 79 mm
Official climate normals 1991–2020, measured at the Hohe Warte station (19th district). Highs and lows are means of the daily maximum and minimum; snow is the monthly total of new snow. Source: GeoSphere Austria / City of Vienna — Wien-Hohe Warte 1991–2020 (CC-BY 4.0)
May is Vienna at its most generous. Average highs are around 21°C, there are eight hours of sunshine a day, the Volksgarten roses are out and every Schanigarten — the café terraces on the pavement — is set up. It is also, statistically, one of the wetter months, with short heavy showers rather than grey days.
The Wiener Festwochen, the city's big arts festival of theatre, music and performance, normally runs from mid-May into June. The Staatsoper, Musikverein and Konzerthaus are still in season, so a spring trip can combine open-air evenings with a full concert calendar.
Visitors know all this: hotel prices rise, the Schönbrunn and Hofburg time slots sell out earlier, and the long weekends around Ascension and Whitsun are busy. Book the palaces and the Opera well ahead.
What to know
- Wiener Festwochen normally runs mid-May to June; the programme is published in spring.
- Ascension Day and Whit Monday are public holidays in Austria; shops close.
- May has one of the highest average rainfall totals of the year — pack a light umbrella.
What is on this month
Wiener Festwochen
Theatres and venues across Vienna · 2027-05-15 – 2027-06-21
Where to stay
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, apartments and hostels, so you can judge the walk from here rather than guess from an address.
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Tickets & tours
Skip-the-line tickets, tours and experiences bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
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Questions about this month
What is the weather like in Vienna in May?
The average daily high is 20.7°C and the average low 10.7°C, with around 79 mm of precipitation and 248 hours of sunshine in the month. These are the official 1991–2020 climate normals, measured at the Hohe Warte station.
Is May a good time to visit Vienna?
One of the two best months of the year: long light, garden terraces and the Festwochen.
How busy is Vienna in May?
Busy by the standards of the Vienna year, and prices are high. The table on the weather page compares all twelve months side by side.
Before you go
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