Best Honeymoon Destinations in May

Bali comes into its dry season in May, which is why it works so well right after a wedding. Ubud is green and inland, with rice terraces, waterfalls and villas that have their own pool, while Seminyak and Nusa Dua bring beach clubs, seafood grills on the sand and long evenings. Add two nights on Nusa Penida for the cliffs. Packages average around Rs 42,000 per person, and flights go via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

Known For : Dal Lake Gulmarg Gondola Houseboat Stay

If the wedding was in April or May and there is no time to sort visas, Kashmir is the answer. Packages average around Rs 13,000 per person. The valley is at its greenest, the Mughal gardens in Srinagar are in flower, and a houseboat on Dal Lake costs a fraction of an overseas resort. Gulmarg and Pahalgam are an easy two nights each, and the gondola runs through the month.

Best Time: March - June; September - November

45 Kashmir Attractions

Turkey in May is warm enough for the Aegean coast and still cool enough to walk Istanbul all day. The Cappadocia balloons fly on most mornings and the tulips are still out in the city parks. A week splits neatly into Istanbul, Cappadocia and either Antalya or Bodrum, and it is the cheapest of the strong European options.

Known For : Pangong Lake Khardung La Leh Palace

May is when Ladakh opens up again. Flights to Leh run all year, but the road passes in from Srinagar and Manali usually clear during the month, so check before planning to drive in. Pangong and Nubra are quiet this early, the light is hard and clean, and couples often have the guesthouses to themselves. Packages average around Rs 23,000 per person. Allow two days in Leh to acclimatise.

Best Time: April - Mid-July

72 Ladakh Attractions

Italy is far easier in May than in July. The Amalfi Coast ferries are running, Positano and Ravello are busy without being full, and the Cinque Terre trails are walkable before the heat sets in. Rome, Florence and Venice sit within one train journey of each other, so ten days can cover cities and coast.

Known For : Seven Coloured Earth of Chamarel Le Morne Brabant Underwater Waterfall

Mauritius is in its shoulder season in May, between the summer rain and the winter wind, and rates fall accordingly. Most resorts sit on their own stretch of lagoon, so a couple can spend three days doing very little and two on the Chamarel waterfall, Black River Gorges and the Port Louis market. It suits a resort holiday rather than an itinerary.

Best Time: April to December

147 Mauritius Attractions

Greece in May gives couples the islands before the crowds and the ferry timetables already at full strength. The caldera walk from Fira to Oia on Santorini is comfortable at this temperature, the Mykonos beach clubs are open but calm, and Athens can be done in two days without wilting. Book the caldera-view rooms early, they go first.

Sri Lanka in May depends entirely on which coast you book. The southwest monsoon reaches the west and south from late May into June, so Bentota and Mirissa are a first-half-of-the-month trip, while Trincomalee, Passikudah and the east coast are only now coming into their best stretch. Kandy, the tea country around Nuwara Eliya and Sigiriya work all month. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

Georgia is one of the cheapest good honeymoons in May. Tbilisi's sulphur baths and balcony houses fill an easy two days, then the drive to Kazbegi runs past Ananuri to a church on a ridge with the Caucasus behind it. The wine estates in Kakheti do tastings and long lunches.

Croatia's Adriatic season starts in May, when the sea is swimmable and Dubrovnik's walls can be walked before noon without queuing. Hvar and Korcula are reachable by catamaran and both have small harbour hotels. Split works well as a base for a couple who want to island hop without repacking.

Spain in May is at its most comfortable, before Andalusia turns severe. Seville and Granada are the pair worth doing, with the Alhambra booked weeks ahead, and Barcelona adds a coast and a food scene. High-speed trains make a two-city honeymoon simple, which is not true of most European itineraries.

Known For : Anse Lazio Snorkeling in Seychelles Sunbathing in Seychelles

May is the changeover month in the Seychelles, between the two trade winds, and the sea is usually at its calmest. Praslin's Anse Lazio and La Digue's Anse Source d'Argent are the two beaches couples come for, and both fit into one day of ferries. It suits couples who want quiet over nightlife.

Best Time: April to May, September to October

96 Seychelles Attractions

Vietnam in May splits north and south. The central coast is in its dry stretch, so Da Nang, the lantern-lit old town at Hoi An and the beaches at Nha Trang are the strongest part of the country right now. Halong Bay is warm and hazy, and the south is starting to get afternoon rain. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

The Maldives shifts from the dry northeast monsoon to the wet southwest monsoon during April and May, so a May honeymoon here is cheaper and less predictable than a January one. Early May is usually still settled. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person, and the discounting gets a couple into a water villa that is out of reach in season. Ask which side of the atoll the house reef sits on.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

Bhutan's pre-monsoon window runs through May, warm in Paro and Thimphu with rhododendrons out on the passes and some haze in the valleys. The climb to the Tiger's Nest is comfortable at this temperature. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person. Entry is simpler for Indian passport holders than almost anywhere else, though the daily fee and permit rules do change, so confirm before booking.

Baku in May is dry and mild, and the honeymoon works because the country is small. The old walled city and the Caspian promenade take a day, Gobustan's rock carvings and the mud volcanoes another, and the drive up to Gabala and Sheki gives two nights of forest and river. Food and drivers cost little, so a week there stretches further than a week in Europe.

Known For : Djemaa el-Fna Medina Souks Stay in a Traditional Riad

Marrakech is at its best in May, before the summer heat makes the medina hard work. A riad with a courtyard pool is the thing to book, and the souks, Bahia Palace and Jardin Majorelle fill two days. Add three nights in the Atlas mountains or one in the Agafay desert.

Best Time: March to April and October to November

33 Marrakech Attractions

May is the month for Uzbekistan, warm and dry before the summer becomes punishing. The Registan in Samarkand, Bukhara's old town and the walled centre at Khiva are three of the most photographed places in Central Asia and still see few Indian couples. Trains between the cities are fast and comfortable.

Known For : Praca do Comercio Ajuda National Palace Tram 28 Lisbon

Lisbon in May is warm without being hot, which matters in a city built on hills. The tram out to Belem, the tiled streets of Alfama and a day trip to the palaces at Sintra make a full three days, and the rooftop bars stay open late. A Lisbon trip is usually paired with Porto and the Algarve.

Best Time: March to October

24 Lisbon Attractions

Known For : Prague Castle Charles Bridge Old Town Square Prague

Prague suits couples who would rather walk a city than lie on a beach. May is when the gardens below the castle open up and the Charles Bridge can be crossed early in the morning without a crowd. Old Town Square, a Vltava cruise and an evening concert in one of the churches fill three days easily. Most packages here are sold as multi-city European tours rather than Prague on its own.

Best Time: April to October

48 Prague Attractions

Known For : Eiffel Tower Jardin du Luxembourg Montmartre

Paris in May has the gardens at the Tuileries and the Luxembourg in flower and evenings long enough for a walk along the Seine after dinner. Two nights is not enough. Four lets a couple do the Louvre, Montmartre and a day at Versailles without rushing. Almost every package sold from India pairs Paris with Switzerland or Amsterdam rather than selling it alone.

Best Time: April - early October

62 Paris Attractions

May is Thailand's hottest and cheapest month, just ahead of the rains, so this is a value choice rather than a weather one. Stay where the sea is: Krabi and Koh Samui hold up better than an inland trip, and Samui's own wet season comes later than Phuket's. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person, the lowest on this list for a beach honeymoon.

Known For : Radhanagar Beach Cellular Jail Scuba Diving In Andaman

The Andamans are heading into the monsoon in May. Onset over the Bay of Bengal happens during the month, so the first half is usually calm and the second half can mean rough crossings to Havelock and cancelled ferries. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person. Worth it for a short, cheap trip booked early in the month, not for a fortnight.

Best Time: October to June

81 Andaman Attractions

Known For : Mussoorie Mall Road Lal Tibba Kempty Falls

Mussoorie is a two-night honeymoon rather than a holiday, and May is its busiest month because the plains are unbearable. Mall Road and Gun Hill are crowded, but Landour above the town is not, and that is where the good small hotels are. Kashmir costs about the same and gives a couple far more.

Best Time: September to June

36 Mussoorie Attractions

Hawaii is the outlier here, worth it only if a couple has two clear weeks and the paperwork already in hand. May is dry and quiet between the winter and summer peaks, Maui and Kauai are the two islands to choose, and the Road to Hana and the Haleakala sunrise are the drives that justify the distance. No packages are sold from India, so this is a book-it-yourself honeymoon.

4 Attractions