Bordeaux · Month comparison

December vs May

May ranks #1 overall vs December at #6. Bordeaux Wine Festival Marathon prep — the city in spring with vineyards green and rates still soft.

Bordeaux December — Allées de Tourny Christmas market lights

December

#6 of 12 months

Strong option

Marché de Noël and Allées de Tourny lights — a calmer alternative to Strasbourg.

  • ↑Marché de Noël on Allées de Tourny — 150 chalets with Aquitaine producers
  • ↑Christmas illuminations along the entire Cours de l'Intendance
Bordeaux May — Médoc vineyard rows in full green

May

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Bordeaux Wine Festival Marathon prep — the city in spring with vineyards green and rates still soft.

  • ↑Vineyards in full leaf, châteaux at their photogenic peak
  • ↑21°C dry afternoons — perfect for Médoc cycling route
FactorDecemberMay
Weather score
4
9
Value score
9
7
Crowd score
9
7
Events score
8
9
Atmosphere
9
10
Avg high temp11°C21°C
Monthly rain105mm80mm
Daily sunshine3hrs7hrs

December trade-offs

  • ↓Christmas week 40% hotel premium in central
  • ↓105mm rain plus the year's shortest days

May trade-offs

  • ↓Bank holiday weekends (Ascension, Pentecost) push hotels 30%
  • ↓First wine-tour bus convoys appear at Saint-Émilion
See all 12 months for Bordeaux →December in detail →May in detail →
Scores compare months within Bordeaux. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →