Heal & Rest
Find a retreatPlan my retreatEnquire

When to go · May

Wellness retreats in May

In May, 7 of our 15 wellness destinations are in their preferred season — Bhutan, Ubud, Baden-Baden and Karlovy Vary and more — and 3 more are good alternatives.

AprilJune
A walker on a high ridge in the Bhutanese Himalaya

At their best

7 places in season in May

  1. A walker on a high ridge in the Bhutanese Himalaya

    01 Bhutan · Asia

    Bhutan

    • About 23°C by day
    • Sowa Rigpa

    Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the only two settled-weather windows and they differ. Spring gives rhododendron across the hillsides and warming valleys; autumn gives the clearest skies of the year and the festivals. The monsoon closes the passes in July and August, and January is beautiful and extremely cold.

    Bhutan in full
  2. A temple standing on water in Bali

    02 Indonesia · Asia

    Ubud

    • About 30°C by day
    • Yoga
    • US$1,200per person

    April to September is the dry season and the only period we quote for. Ubud sits inland at elevation in jungle and catches noticeably more rain than the coast; December to February is the wettest stretch, and mould is a genuine consideration in an open-sided hall over a month-long stay.

    Ubud in full
  3. Sunlight through the trees of the Black Forest

    03 Germany · Europe

    Baden-Baden

    • About 20°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    Late spring and early autumn give the Lichtentaler Allee gardens, the Festspielhaus season and mild walking weather without August heat or the deep grey of a Rhine-valley winter. The baths themselves are indoors and open all year, so a January cure is perfectly possible — it is the walking half of the prescription that suffers.

    Baden-Baden in full
  4. Rooftops and towers of a Bohemian spa town

    04 Czechia · Europe

    Karlovy Vary

    • About 18°C by day
    • The thermal kur

    The cure is a walking cure — colonnade to colonnade, six to eight glasses a day — so it wants dry, mild weather. May, June, September and October are the window. Avoid early July for the film festival, and November to February for a cold valley and a walk that becomes an endurance test.

    Karlovy Vary in full
  5. Atlantic surf running onto a wide Breton beach

    05 France · Europe

    Quiberon

    • About 16°C by day
    • Thalassotherapy

    April to June and September to October: the Côte Sauvage walking, the sea light and the best programme availability all fall then. August is French national-holiday saturation on a peninsula with one road. Bretons themselves often take a cure in November, when the sea is grey and the point is the water rather than the view — and it is a third cheaper.

    Quiberon in full
  6. An Alpine lake below mountains on the Swiss shore

    06 Switzerland · Europe

    Montreux

    • About 20°C by day
    • Longevity

    Late spring and early autumn give the lakeside walking and the Lavaux vineyards at their best, which matters because the programmes leave a lot of free afternoons. July is the Jazz Festival and the town is full. January is quiet and heavily discounted if a grey lake does not bother you.

    Montreux in full
  7. An Alpine meadow above the Inn valley

    07 Austria · Europe

    Tyrol

    • About 20°C by day
    • The Mayr cure, The thermal kur
    • US$5,350per person

    May to September is the window, because the graded walking that the doctors prescribe needs open paths and long light. November is the Alpine Zwischensaison and much of the valley closes. Winter courses run and work perfectly well — you simply do the walking on cleared paths in the cold.

    Tyrol in full
Travelling in May?

Tell us your dates and what you need — we will shortlist the right place and programme for May, free.

Plan a May retreat WhatsApp

Good alternatives

Also worth considering in May

Programmes

What you could book for May

Refine in the finder

May, answered

Questions about travelling in May

Where is best for The Mayr cure in May?
Tyrol (Austria) is in its preferred season for The Mayr cure in May.
Where is best for Onsen in May?
None of our Onsen destinations is at its best in May, but Beppu (Japan) is a good alternative.
Where is best for Yoga in May?
Ubud (Indonesia) is in its preferred season for Yoga in May. The Nicoya peninsula (Costa Rica) is a good alternative.
Where is best for The thermal kur in May?
Baden-Baden (Germany), Karlovy Vary (Czechia) and Tyrol (Austria) are in their preferred season for The thermal kur in May.
Where should I avoid in May?
We would suggest another month for Kerala, Rishikesh, The Ayurveda coast, Okinawa and Bad Gastein — the season there is less suited to a wellness stay in May. Each destination page explains why.