Where to go in May by RV or camper: road trips

Where to go in May by RV or camper? May may well be the best month for road trips in Europe: long days, fresh green landscapes, warm afternoons and campgrounds that are open but not yet full. The Mediterranean, the Atlantic coast and the lower mountain regions are lovely now, while some high passes are still closed. In the US, almost the whole country is pleasant, and in Australia winter is approaching.

The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in May, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: public holidays such as Ascension, and often Pentecost, create long weekends in many European countries when campgrounds get busy. Travel midweek or book ahead for those days, and check whether the high passes on your route have already opened.

How we work: data and estimates

FAQs

Is May a good month for a motorhome trip?

Yes, often one of the best. The days are long, nature is lush and green, and many destinations are warm but not hot. Campgrounds are open and still relatively empty outside holiday weekends. Just keep in mind that some high mountain passes and high-altitude campgrounds only open in late May or June.

Are mountain passes open in May?

Lower passes usually are, but many high alpine passes and mountain roads in the US Rockies only open in late May or June, depending on the snow. Before you go, check the pass status with the local road authority and plan an alternative route in case a pass is still closed.

How are the routes for May chosen?

Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 814 routes are rated “good” in May. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.

USA · 316 routes

Oregon Coast on US-101

Giant baskets and infinity rooms: a Midwest oddities run

North Cascades Highway

The Blue Ridge Parkway, end to end

Rainier and St. Helens volcano loop

Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood

Utah's five national parks, in one loop from Las Vegas

Lake Tahoe loop

Sequoia and Yosemite

Utah Scenic Byway 12

San Juan Skyway

Top of the Rockies to Aspen

High Road to Taos

Route 66, part two: Oklahoma City to the Pacific

Natchez Trace Parkway

Route 66, part one: Chicago to Oklahoma City

Great River Road: the upper Mississippi

Arkansas Ozarks

Lake Michigan's dune coast

Outer Banks

Highway 1: San Francisco to Santa Monica

Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego

Lassen Volcanic loop: Burney Falls to the mud pots

Yosemite end to end: sequoias, Glacier Point and Tioga Road

Europe · 422 routes

Tuscany and Lazio by motorhome

Sicily loop: temples, Etna and Baroque towns

Riviera di Ponente: Genoa to the French border

Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta

Bergamo, Lake Iseo and the Valcamonica rock art

Sardinia’s Orientale Sarda

Brenta Dolomites and the Val di Non

Friuli: from the Adriatic lagoons to the Julian Alps

Palladian villas and the Prosecco hills

Puglia: trulli, white towns and the heel of Italy

Po Delta: lagoons, abbeys and Ferrara

Montefeltro: Rimini to Urbino and Gradara

Conero Riviera and the Frasassi caves

Cilento and Maratea: the quiet side of Campania

Monti Sibillini: Ascoli to the flowering plain

Trabocchi Coast to the Molise and Abruzzo mountains

Gargano: forest, cliffs and sea stacks

Castles and ravines of the Alta Murgia

Basilicata: Matera, ghost towns and the Lucanian Dolomites

Lake Garda loop

Calabria’s Coast of the Gods

Pollino and Sila: Calabria’s mountain heart

Western Sicily: Segesta, Erice and the salt pans

Inland Sicily: mosaics, majolica and the Madonie

Oceania · 76 routes

From the Bay of Islands to Cape Reinga and back

The Kauri Coast and Hokianga from Kaikohe to Matakohe

Three days in the Bay of Islands: Waitangi to Kerikeri

Auckland and the wild Waitākere west coast beaches

Auckland to Whangārei by the north-east coast

The Coromandel Peninsula loop from Thames to Waihī

Waikato circuit: Hobbiton, Waitomo caves, Kawhia and Raglan

Two days along the Bay of Plenty from Waihī to Te Kaha

The East Cape road from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne

Rotorua, Taupō and Tongariro: a volcanic plateau road trip

Waitomo caves and the SH3 coast road to New Plymouth

Around Mt Taranaki on the Surf Highway and mountain roads

The Forgotten World Highway from Stratford to Taumarunui

The Whanganui River Road from Whanganui to Ōhakune

Taihape to Wellington through Manawatū and the Kāpiti Coast

Red gorges, ghost gums and starry skies – by camper along the Red Centre Way to Uluṟu

Sugar cane, the Coral Sea and cassowaries – up the Queensland coast by camper to Cape Tribulation

Limestone pillars, shell beaches and whale sharks – the Coral Coast by camper from Perth to Ningaloo

Kauri giants, treaty country and the end of the world – Northland's Twin Coast by campervan

Pōhutukawa, geysers and volcanic cones – by campervan through Coromandel, Rotorua and the Volcanic Plateau

Riesling slopes, copper towns and quartzite walls – by camper from Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges

Sea lions, granite sculptures and vineyard slopes – by camper across the Fleurieu Peninsula to Kangaroo Island

Karri giants, granite coves and beach kangaroos – by campervan through Western Australia’s South West to Esperance

Pelicans, lighthouses and rainforest – up the north coast of New South Wales to Byron Bay by camper

Other months

FAQs