If you’re wondering what to pack for a Mediterranean holiday, or more generally, how to dress in the South of France in spring read on!
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What Clothes to Wear in the South of France in May
Recently, I travelled with my husband to the South of France for just under a month. We spent most of our time travelling around Provence and the Riviera. We chose not to hire a car but travelled instead by trains and busses. It was a wonderful time of year to be there, and although my actual preparation for what to pack took ages, I was pleased in the end with the packing decisions I made to equip me for an active sightseeing holiday in the South of France in May.
This wasn’t a trip that required high fashion gear, but rather a holiday which would need practical, easy to wear, comfortable travel clothes that could be layered, as I was packing for France in spring which can have more variable weather conditions than say, mid summer.
I hope my packing guide and the following packing list for the South of France in May is helpful for you too. Let me know if you’d like the actual list below emailed to you.
Just a note … I’ll also write a follow-up blog post with our itinerary. Please drop me a comment in the comment section if you’d like a pdf of the itinerary emailed to you, then you can print it out.
South of France Weather in May
Friends have been asking me: “Is it warm in the South of France in May?” And I’ve replied that yes, when we visited it was reasonably warm in the day, but it could be chilly at night, and to be honest, overall, the further south you go, the warmer it gets.
When we travelled, the weather was perfect for walking and sightseeing, rarely getting over about 23 degrees Celcius and never dropping below about 13 degrees Celcius. It was still a little too cool for us to want to swim.
In my opinion, May is a fantastic time to travel in France, because it’s shoulder season which means not too crowded. Plus, the vagaries of spring weather have pretty much stabilised, and the heat of summer hasn’t yet descended, so you don’t need really heavy layers, or heavy rain gear, and you don’t have to worry about the lack of air conditioning in hotel rooms or rented apartments!
What to Wear in South of France in May
My packing was very much focussed on the following:-
Lightweight – as in packing light and making sure that most outfits could be interchangeable because I would be lugging my suitcase on and off public transport. My case weighed in at 13kgs.
Packing clothes which could be layered.
Making sure that most of my clothes didn’t need ironing, and were easy to wash.
Packing practical items that I would feel comfortable in all day.
Denying my desire for ‘show pony’ outfits which I kept to the minimum. (The v-neck ‘cat’ tee below was purchased in L’Isle sur la Sorgue, and I took with me a beautiful linen blouse in emerald green that could be worn with my navy linen pants and black jeans.)
I took a long time choosing my most comfortable dresses in breathable fabrics which could be worn in the day with sneakers, and then dressed up at night and worn with sandals for evenings out.
For outerwear I packed one lightweight (black) activewear jacket that would (just about) go with everything, and one lightweight fleece jumper which could be worn out walking, and one lightweight denim overshirt.
My Spring Travel Wardrobe France
Packing List
- Active wear pants – black
- Aksana leggings * in charcoal (XCVI)
- Christabel top * in navy (XCVI)
- Short sleeved black tee, pink, blue tee
- Long sleeved pink tee
- Long sleeved relaxed white tee.
- Long sleeve UV blocking green tee, and white ‘vest’ tee (didn’t wear either)
- Navy linen crop pants (Travel & Living Collection)
- Show pony emerald linen blouse (Travel and Living Collection)
- Black lightweight stretch jeans.
- Animal print long sleeved shirt * (Styling You The Label)
- Silky black long sleeved shirt * (Styling You The Label)
- Animal print joggie pants * (Styling You The Label)
- Bold poppy maxi dress (Adrift)
- Blue summer midi dress (Salty Crush)
- Vintage yellow print midi dress (3rd Story)
- Emerald knee length dress * (Fella Hamilton)
- Lightweight denim jacket
- Activewear black jacket (with zip and hood)
- 2 sun hats (beige * Fella Hamilton, and blue Kathmandu)
- 3 x sneakers – black and white (Asics and Puma soft ride – I love these)
- 1 pair walking sandals (Teva)
- 3 silk scarves
- Rainproof poncho
- Black canvas travel handbag with sturdy shoulder strap and lots of compartments. It was important also that it would fit a small bottle of water.
- Straw handbag to wear with dresses.
- One swimsuit, one lightweight sarong.
- Pants, socks, bras, medical necessities, toiletries.
Capsule Wardrobe for South of France holiday
If you’re looking for a truly capsule wardrobe, and want to pack only the most essential travel items for France in May, then my tips would be to pack clothes in just two or three neutral colours, such as white, navy, black, cream or ivory which can all work together. Make sure everything can be washed together and doesn’t need ironing.
- One pair of capri pants
- One pair of lightweight jeans
- Two Tee shirts
- Two long sleeve shirt/blouses with buttons and collar
- One swimsuit
- One Sarong
- Two summer dresses
- One outerlayer – cardigan, jumper, sweatshirt, lightweight jacket that will go with everything.
- One poncho or lightweight rainjacket.
- One pair of comfortable sneakers and one pair of comfortable sandals.
What are The Best Shoes to Pack for South of France?
The best shoes to pack are sneakers! Everywhere I looked, and didn’t look, women were wearing sneakers in all different colors. White sneakers were the most prominent worn with maxi, mini and midi dresses, shorts, cut-offs and jeans.
I packed three pairs of sneakers – a sturdy pair for walking (Asics), a soft-ride comfy pair for lounging about in (Puma), and a comfortable black pair also for walking long distances.
I would also suggest a good pair of walking sandals. I packed a pair of nude Teva sandals which could be worn for sightseeing and were also suitable to wear with a dress in the evenings.
What worked? What didn’t work?
I didn’t wear my fleece jumper, nor my long sleeve (50 UPV) green tee for walking, which I may have needed if the weather had been cooler or if the UV had been higher. However, they were maybe items, and if we’d decided to do more walking or hiking, I may have needed them.
I also didn’t wear my short bike shorts as we didn’t do any bicycling either. Again, they could have come in handy had we hired bikes, so I don’t regret packing them.
My dresses worked really well. I wore them all. They were most practical on warm days out when we were sightseeing in the coastal towns and hilltop villages of the Riviera.
I made sure they were dresses that I was happy to wear sneakers with, because these days we tend to walk and walk and walk when we’ve got new places and sights to discover!
French Riviera Travel Tips
The French Riviera can be incredibly glamorous and glitzy, it depends where you go. We visited Cannes just as the International Film festival was taking place, and I felt thoroughly under-dressed! Even so, there were plenty of places we could walk and dine and not look out of place even in our travel clothes.
Stylish Outfits for a French Holiday in May
If you are going to stay in fancy hotels and dine out at Michelin star restaurants then you will definitely need to pack some stylish outfits.
Concentrate on dresses in breathable fabrics that are easy to launder, that can be dressed up and night, and if possible can be worn during the day as well. Linen is of course lovely, but it creases. Rayon is an option, polyester is likely to make you sweat, a good cotton is also fine, silk is easy to pack and it’s cool to wear. You decide!
Wide leg pants in floaty materials worn with crop tops or romantic blouses make good travel companions for stylish occasions on the Riviera.
I thought I would find occasions to wear my dresses with sandals and fashion jewellery in the evenings, but I just didn’t wear jewellery as it was never really necessary (except for the small necklace I always wear around my neck). The restaurants and bars we visited were lovely, but all pretty casual. I think my tip here is to not really worry about dressing up, unless of course you really want to, because casual and comfortable, is very on trend.
All my outfits were practical, rather than fashionable. I needed to live, walk, hike, bend, jump on and off busses and trains, and drink Aperol Spritzes at sunset!
I hope this post has helped you decide what to pack if you’re travelling by bus and train through France, and look forward to any hints, tips and suggestions you might like to add in the comments section.
Until next time!
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