The cost of living may seem like it’s never going down, but there are still affordable holidays you can take in May 2024. Three of them, we’ve included right here. This month, our recommended places to go are packed with culture, the arts, history, and, of course, good food. (It wouldn’t be a holiday without it!)
Whether you want to stay close to home or head across the globe, we’ve uncovered some of the cheapest places to visit in May both near and far.
3 cheapest places to visit in May for Australians
Sydney, New South Wales
The combo of affordable flights (starting at well below $100 return), low-priced accommodation and plenty of free events happening for Vivid make Sydney one of the cheapest places to visit in May within Australia.
Not only is it cheap to visit Sydney outside of the summer months, it’s also a fantastic time to come. The end of May marks the beginning of the annual Vivid Sydney festival, when the city is illuminated with brilliant light displays and there’s plenty of events happening for the whole family.
How cheap will it be once I get to Sydney?
- Hotels: We’re seeing hotels around Central Station, which offers easy access to anywhere in town, for $150-$200 per night in May. Compare this to summer, when rooms can be easily double that.
- Tours/Activities: There’s plenty to do in Sydney for free including checking out most of the Vivid lights, wandering around the Royal Botanic Gardens and taking in the view from the sidewalk across the Harbour Bridge. Otherwise, a visit to Taronga Zoo will be about $45 (if you buy it online in advance) and a cruise to see the Vivid lights can start at $18 with Groupon.
- Food: During Vivid, we’ve found there’s plenty of food trucks offering eats for $15-$20. Otherwise, we expect to pay $20-$25 in more budget-friendly restaurants around the city or pay around $50-$150 when we visit higher end eateries.
Seoul, South Korea
South Korea is totally the new Japan. Or at least it seems that way. Lately, travellers are descending on Seoul in droves.
There now more cheap flights available in May to the fast-paced city that, like Tokyo, is known for its rich culture, delicious cuisine and curious blend of old-meets-new. Jetstar earlier this year launched another direct link to the South Korean capital from Brisbane, shuttling as many as 100,000 additional travellers on the route each year.
And thanks to the excess of cheap flights to Seoul, you can actually fly to South Korea from four cities for less than $500 return. Sure, at this price you will be flying on budget airlines like Scoot and Air Asia, but you’ll be saving a lot. Full-service airlines are almost double the price.
How cheap will it be once I get to Seoul?
- Hotels: As long as you’re not after a stay at a brand-name or chain hotel, there’s plenty of stays for $50-$75 per night.
- Tours/Activities: Admission to the Gyeongbokgung Palace is about $3 (3,000 won) and trips to the DMZ at the North Korean border are about $55-$60.
- Food: While it’s been more than 10 years since we’ve been to Seoul, according to Numbeo you can still get meals in restaurants for around the $10 mark.
Athens, Greece
Historic sites, crystalline waters and mouth-watering cuisine are just some of the draws to Greece. Prices are another. Return flights from Australia are available in May for less than $1000 from multiple cities making it one of the cheapest European destinations for us to visit.
May is not just a cheap time to visit Greece, but we think it’s also one of the best. The summer crowds tend to descend upon the ancient ruins and idyllic Greek isles from June, so you’ll be contending with fewer tourists for hotel rooms (and they won’t be crowing your pictures).
While slightly later than May, we’ve been in early June and the weather was quite warm and the Aegean was ripe for swimming. So, we’d happily visit in May, too.
How cheap will it be once I get to Athens?
- Hotels: While a bit more expensive than when we last visited about 15 years ago, we found hotels in Athens available in May for $125-$150 per night.
- Tours/Activities: Admission to the Acropolis is about $32 (€20), while roaming the colourful streets of Plaka and Monastiraki is free.
- Food: While the days of €2 gyros on the street are unfortunately over, you should still be able to find meals in Athens for €10 at an inexpensive local restaurant.
Is May an expensive time to travel?
Generally no; May isn’t an expensive time to travel. Being between the peak summer seasons in each hemisphere, May is a shoulder season month just about everywhere. That means you’ll avoid peak-season prices just about anywhere you go. It’s not yet hot enough in Europe to attract droves of tourists to the Mediterranean’s beaches and not quite cool enough in New Zealand to ski.
There’s less demand for flights and hotels which keeps costs down. So, if you’re looking for a bargain, it’s a fantastic time to travel.
As we mentioned above, you can get some incredible airfares to Greece. Being so far south in Europe, beach season starts much earlier. You’ll typically get temperatures in the mid-20s in the city in May.
