May is the month the year tips from spring into summer. The first weekend is a public holiday, the second is the city's own fiesta for its patron saint, and by the last one people are swimming. It is also the month most residents actually file the tax return they opened in April.
This is the May entry in our month-by-month series, between April and June. For the far end of the summer, read what August is like.
The weather in May
AEMET's normals for the Valencia city station give May an average of 19.0C, with highs of 23.4C and lows of 14.6C. Rainfall is 39mm (about 1.5 in) over about four days, and sunshine reaches around 258 hours, so the month is mostly long bright days with the occasional afternoon storm. By the last week highs regularly pass 25C.
The sea climbs from about 17C at the start of the month to 19C or 20C by the end, which is when the first real swims happen. The whole year is in our climate guide, and the figures come from AEMET's published normals; the AEMET beach forecast gives the live water temperature.
The Mare de Déu dels Desemparats
Photo: Vicente Mocholi Grau, CC BY-SA 4.0
The second Sunday of May is the feast of the Mare de Déu dels Desemparats (), the patron of Valencia. The Missa de Descoberta is said at five in the morning in the Plaça de la Mare de Déu, and mid-morning the image is carried the short distance from her basilica to the cathedral through a crowd so dense the procession takes far longer than the route suggests. There is a mascletà in the Plaça de l'Ajuntament that afternoon and fireworks the night before.
For a resident the practical points are simple. The old town is impassable from early morning on the Sunday, the flower carpet in the square is worth a look the day before, and the whole weekend is one of the few times the city centre feels like a village.
The beach season opens
Photo: Enric, CC BY-SA 3.0
May is when the beach stops being a place to walk and becomes a place to stay. The chiringuitos on the Malva-rosa and the Cabanyal reopen fully, the lifeguard service begins, and on a warm weekend the sand is busy by late morning. The water is still fresh, but the last two weeks of May usually bring the first proper swim of the year.
If you are choosing where to go, our guide to Valencia's beaches compares the city beaches with the quieter ones south of the port. The kitesurfing guide is for the days the wind picks up.
What to eat in May
May is the hinge in the market too. The huerta's spring crops, broad beans, peas, new potatoes and the first courgettes, are at their best in the first half of the month, and from late May the earliest tomatoes arrive. Citrus is over, and an orange sold in May is unlikely to have come from anywhere near Valencia.
This is also the start of the clóchinas () season, the small Valencian mussels that are only sold from about May to August and are eaten steamed with lemon in every bar along the port. Our huerta guide has the seasonal table.
What changes for residents
1 May is a national holiday, and with the patron saint's Sunday the following weekend, the month starts with two long weekends in a row. Expect appointment slots in the first ten days to be scarce and the roads out of the city to be slow on the Friday evenings.
The tax return is in full swing. The Agencia Tributaria's telephone filing service opens in early May for anyone who prefers not to file online, and the deadline of 30 June starts to feel real. If you are self-employed, the autónomo guide covers the quarterly returns that also fall in this period, and our tax guide explains the annual one.
If you are moving this month
May is the other month we recommend for a move, and for most people it is the better of the two. The weather is warm without being hot, the admin offices are fully staffed once the holidays pass, and the rental market has not yet been squeezed by the summer. Start with the moving to Valencia guide and our note on the best time of year to move, and let the admin support service take the appointments off your list.
May is the month people fall for Valencia, and the month we would pick if we could only choose one. Get the tax return done, see the Mare de Déu weekend at least once, and have your first swim before the crowds do. June, with Corpus, the Nit de Sant Joan and the end of the school year, is next.
Photo: 19Tarrestnom65, CC BY-SA 4.0
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About the author
Michael Bastin
Founder, ValenciaMove - Valencia since 2016
Michael has lived in Valencia since 2016 and helps people move here.
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