Edinburgh · Month comparison

September vs May

May ranks #1 overall vs September at #8. Edinburgh's most pleasant surprise — genuinely mild, long days, and the city at its most liveable before the Fringe transforms it.

Edinburgh September — colourful buildings line a street with people walking in the post-Fringe city

September

#8 of 12 months

Strong option

The Fringe ends and Edinburgh exhales — good weather lingers, prices drop sharply, and the city remembers it's a real place.

  • ↑The transition from Fringe-peak to post-Fringe normal happens in the first week of September: prices drop noticeably, the Royal Mile clears, and the city's restaurants and pubs return to being genuinely enjoyable rather than perpetually overloaded
  • ↑Weather remains mild at 16°C — early autumn in Edinburgh can deliver some of the year's most atmospheric days, with low clear light, the smell of the first frosts approaching, and Arthur's Seat in early autumn colour
Edinburgh May — the city viewed from an elevated position with Edinburgh Castle visible in spring light

May

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Edinburgh's most pleasant surprise — genuinely mild, long days, and the city at its most liveable before the Fringe transforms it.

  • ↑The best weather-to-crowd ratio in Edinburgh's year: 15°C, 6.5 sunshine hours daily, and the city still at low season crowd levels — Arthur's Seat, the Royal Mile, and the Water of Leith walkway all enjoyed in relative peace
  • ↑The Royal Botanic Garden in May is at its peak — rhododendrons, flowering trees, and immaculate lawns that the cold winter months make impossible to appreciate; free to enter
FactorSeptemberMay
Weather score
6
7
Value score
6
7
Crowd score
6
7
Events score
4
5
Atmosphere
6
7
Avg high temp16°C15°C
Monthly rain65mm52mm
Daily sunshine4.8hrs6.5hrs

September trade-offs

  • ↓The event energy of August disappears completely and quickly; September can feel flat for those who arrived for the festival atmosphere
  • ↓Prices, while lower than August's peaks, remain at moderate levels in early September; the real bargains return in October and November
  • ↓Autumn weather begins to assert itself in late September — rain increases and temperatures start their long descent toward winter

May trade-offs

  • ↓Prices begin climbing from the spring floor; May is affordable but noticeably more expensive than January–March
  • ↓The weather, while improved, remains distinctly Scottish — cold snaps and grey weeks can arrive at any point through May; pack for variable conditions
  • ↓No headline events: May is the city between its main festival peaks; excellent for the city itself but not an event-driven visit
See all 12 months for Edinburgh →September in detail →May in detail →
Scores compare months within Edinburgh. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →