Month by month
Budapest in May
The best month of the Budapest year, and it is not close.
The figures
- Avg high
- 21.4°C
- Avg low
- 11.5°C
- Sunshine
- 357 h
- Rain
- 71 mm
- Wet days
- 12 days
Thirty-year averages, 1995–2024, computed from daily observations. Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5)
Everything that summer has to work around simply is not a problem yet. The chestnuts on Andrássy are in flower, the terraces are open, the evenings run long enough to walk after dinner, the river is warm to look at and the city is not yet hot, crowded or overpriced.
The Budapest Spring Festival — 2 to 17 May in 2026 — puts classical music, opera, dance and theatre across the city for a fortnight, and Hungarian concert tickets are cheap enough by Western European standards that going twice is a reasonable plan.
The catch is that this is not a secret. Prices climb through the month and by the second half they are approaching summer levels, and the two public holidays fill central hotels. Book early, and if you can only choose between May and September, take whichever you can get.
What to know
- Budapest Spring Festival: 2–17 May 2026.
- 1 May is a public holiday, with events in the City Park and on Margaret Island.
- The chestnuts on Andrássy and the lilac in the Palace Quarter courtyards peak mid-month.
What is on this month
Budapest Spring Festival
Concert halls and venues across the city · 2027-05-02 – 2027-05-17
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.
Bookings made through this map earn us a commission. Your price is unaffected.
Tickets & tours
We may earn a commission from these. It never changes your price.
Read next
Questions about this month
What is the weather like in Budapest in May?
The average daily high is 21.4°C and the average low 11.5°C, with around 71 mm of rain across 12 days and 357 hours of sunshine. These are averages of 30 years of daily observations (1995–2024).
Is May a good time to visit Budapest?
The best month of the Budapest year, and it is not close.
How busy is Budapest in May?
Busy by the standards of the Budapest year, and prices are high. The table on the weather page compares all twelve months side by side.
Before you go
We may earn a commission from these. It never changes your price.