TRIPNTRAVEL OS
Answered · checked 11 November 2026
The short answer
May 2027 is excellent for Jungfraujoch, Capri, Lake Como, Paris and the Cannes Film Festival, 11 to 22 May. It is the wrong month for the Swiss palace hotels: Mont Cervin Palace in Zermatt reopens on 17 June and Gstaad Palace on 20 June. High Alpine passes, Mykonos nightlife and Sardinia's beach clubs wake up between late May and July, so route around them.
The Alpine palaces run two seasons, winter and high summer, and close in between. Where a 2027 date is not yet published, the 2026 pattern is shown and labelled.
| Place | In May | Opens | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mont Cervin Palace, Zermatt | Closed from 11 April | 17 June 2027 | Hotel's published season |
| Gstaad Palace | Closed since 7 March | 20 June 2027 | Hotel's published season |
| Badrutt's Palace, St Moritz | Closed | Early June; 5 June in 2026 | 2026 pattern |
| Furka, Grimsel and Susten passes | Usually snowbound | 28 May, 28 May and 6 June in 2026 | 2026 pattern |
| Mykonos beach clubs and nightlife | Quiet until late May | About 25 May | 2026 pattern |
| Sardinia's Costa Smeralda clubs | Closed | Mid June to July | 2026 pattern |
| Experience | May 2027 status | What to do instead | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallée Blanche ski run, Chamonix | Ski season ends 2 May | Aiguille du Midi lift, spring season to 30 May | Operator's 2027 dates |
| Step into the Void, Aiguille du Midi | Open from 1 May | Go on a clear morning | Operator's 2027 dates |
| Colosseum by night, Rome | Not running | Daytime underground and arena floor | Summer only; 7 July to 29 September in 2026 |
| Canyoning, Interlaken | Season starts in May | Plan it for June; May snowmelt can cancel on the morning | Operator season, May to October |
| Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria | Opens early May | Check the road's live status | Road authority pattern |
| Dolomites lifts, Val Gardena | Mostly closed | Ortisei to Seiser Alm gondola ran from 1 May in 2026 | 2026 pattern; main lifts from 6 June |
Mykonos opens in stages. Cavo Paradiso held its 2026 opening on 9 May and Scorpios its opening party on 10 May, but most beach clubs and restaurants fill out only from about 25 May, and Nammos listed weekly beach-club days from 31 May. Ibiza is the better party island for May: in 2026 Pacha opened on 24 April, Hï on 25 April, Ushuaïa on 26 April, DC10 on 27 April and Amnesia on 9 May. 2027 dates will follow from January to March.
Sardinia is a summer island. Cala di Volpe reopened on 16 April in 2026 and Romazzino reopens on 27 May 2027, but Twiga Porto Cervo reopened only on 12 June in 2026 and the clubs run from July. Choose Sardinia for June onwards, not May.
Questions, answered
Many mountain palaces are. Mont Cervin Palace in Zermatt closes from 11 April and reopens 17 June 2027, Gstaad Palace reopens 20 June 2027, and Badrutt's Palace in St Moritz opened 5 June in 2026. Lake hotels such as Bürgenstock run all year.
Yes. Jungfraujoch and its Ice Palace are open every day of the year. Seat reservations are compulsory from 1 May to 31 October 2027, so book the train in advance.
Partly. Cavo Paradiso opened on 9 May and Scorpios held its opening party on 10 May in 2026, but the island is fully awake only from about 25 May, when the main beach clubs and restaurants run daily.
Only on the first two days: the ski season ends 2 May 2027. The Aiguille du Midi lift runs its spring season to 30 May, and Step into the Void opens from 1 May.
No. Night openings are a summer programme; in 2026 they ran 7 July to 29 September. The daytime underground and arena floor visits run in May.
Most of the high ones are not. In 2026 the Furka and Grimsel passes opened on 28 May and the Susten on 6 June; the Gotthard's old Tremola road opened 16 May. Plan pass drives for June.
Keep reading
Sample itinerariesFor a family of four in late May and early June 2027, the strongest 15-night shape is Lake Lucerne for glaciers, Capri for the sea, a private villa on Lake Como, then a helicopter into Monaco for the Grand Prix weekend of 4 to 6 June.
What it costsA private, properly luxurious Switzerland journey from India costs ₹9 lakh to ₹22 lakh or more for two for seven nights, land only: five-star lake and mountain hotels, first-class rail or a private driver, and the Glacier Express.
