Istanbul weather in May
Temperature, sea and sunshine in May: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in May
Excellent
Best time to visit: May – September
What is the weather like in Istanbul in May?
In May, Istanbul is mild: daytime highs average 20 °C, and nights cool down to about 14 °C. The sea averages 16.1 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. The sun shines for around 8 hours a day. Rain falls on about 6 days, adding up to 33 mm. All in all, May is an excellent month for a holiday in Istanbul.
May compared
How the weather changes from April to June. Tap a month to open it.
More details for May
- Daylight
- 14 h 27 min05:47 – 20:14
- UV index
- 9 · very highclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or more
- Wind
- 19 km/haverage daily peak
- Cloud cover
- 45 %on average
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or more
- Snow days
- 0 days1 cm or more of fresh snow
- Time zone
- UTC+3Europe/Istanbul
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %100 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %88 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %84 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.
What to pack in May
- Wetsuit for longer swims
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses & sun hat
- A jumper for the evenings
Istanbul in May: quick answers
Is Istanbul hot in May?
No. In May, Istanbul is mild: daytime highs average 20 °C and nights drop to about 14 °C.
Can you swim in Istanbul in May?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in May the sea averages just 16.1 °C. Comfortable swimming is possible from June to September.
Does it rain much in Istanbul in May?
Rain falls on about 6 days, adding up to 33 mm.
Istanbul month by month
The whole year in IstanbulAll destinations: TurkeyWhere to go in MaySea temperature in May
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)