Bengaluru Weather in May

May: warm and changeable

May feels hot, sticky and increasingly unsettled. The high reaches 33°C, but April is hotter, with a 35°C high. Rain falls on 15 days, often bringing a welcome break from the heat. Cloudy skies and just under five hours of daily sun can make the weather feel less bright than you'd expect.

Visit Cubbon Park or the Lalbagh gardens earlier in the day, then spend the warmer hours in the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum. Keep plans flexible: showers can interrupt outdoor sightseeing, so don't count on a dry afternoon at Nandi Hills. June is cooler and less rainy, while December and January are Bengaluru's best months overall.

Holidays and city life

May Day is a public holiday in Karnataka, and Buddha Purnima may also fall in May. The exact date changes each year. Indian schools are on summer break around this time, so family outings can be busier, even as Bengaluru sees fewer visitors than during its peak winter months.

If you hate crowds, May can suit you better than December or January. Hotels may cost less than in those popular months, though school-holiday demand can keep some places busy.

Make the rain work

Travelling with kids? Pair a morning at Lalbagh with an indoor museum visit, rather than planning a full day outside.

If rain catches you near MG Road, duck into the nearby shops or cafés and wait it out; showers can make traffic slow across the city. For a local snack, try a masala dosa at MTR near Lalbagh, then visit the gardens when the weather clears. The cooler spell after rain can make a walk around the glasshouse more pleasant than an exposed afternoon outing.