The sun, month by month
Sunrise and sunset in Barcelona in May
On May 1 in Barcelona the sun rises at 06:49 and sets at 20:47; on day 31 it rises at 06:21 and sets at 21:17. Over the month the day grows 58 minutes longer.
In Barcelona (41.4° latitude), May 2026 has 31 days whose sun rises at 06:49 and sets at 20:47 on the 1st, and at 06:21 and 21:17 on the 31th. Mid-month the day lasts 14 h 29 min and the sun reaches 67° above the horizon. Vitamin D synthesis is possible between 11:00 and 18:00, which is when the UV index reaches at least 3: at the best moment of the day about 7 minutes are enough for a mid-range skin phototype with a quarter of the body exposed to make around 1000 IU.
Where does the sun rise and set in Barcelona in May?
Mid-May in Barcelona: the sun rises in the northeast — a bearing of 64°, measured from true north — and sets in the northwest, at 296°. That is 26° north of due east at sunrise, and the same 26° north of due west at sunset. From the 1st to the last day of the month both points shift 10° north.
Approximate bearings: they can be a couple of degrees out. They are measured from true north, not the north a phone compass points to.
Day by day
All times are local to Barcelona. Dawn and dusk mark civil twilight.
| Day | Dawn | Sunrise | Sunset | Dusk | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 06:19 | 06:49 | 20:47 | 21:17 | 13 h 58 min |
| 2 | 06:18 | 06:48 | 20:48 | 21:19 | 14 h 00 min |
| 3 | 06:17 | 06:47 | 20:50 | 21:20 | 14 h 03 min |
| 4 | 06:15 | 06:45 | 20:51 | 21:21 | 14 h 05 min |
| 5 | 06:14 | 06:44 | 20:52 | 21:22 | 14 h 08 min |
| 6 | 06:12 | 06:43 | 20:53 | 21:23 | 14 h 10 min |
| 7 | 06:11 | 06:42 | 20:54 | 21:25 | 14 h 12 min |
| 8 | 06:10 | 06:41 | 20:55 | 21:26 | 14 h 14 min |
| 9 | 06:09 | 06:39 | 20:56 | 21:27 | 14 h 17 min |
| 10 | 06:07 | 06:38 | 20:57 | 21:28 | 14 h 19 min |
| 11 | 06:06 | 06:37 | 20:58 | 21:29 | 14 h 21 min |
| 12 | 06:05 | 06:36 | 20:59 | 21:30 | 14 h 23 min |
| 13 | 06:04 | 06:35 | 21:00 | 21:31 | 14 h 25 min |
| 14 | 06:03 | 06:34 | 21:01 | 21:33 | 14 h 27 min |
| 15 | 06:01 | 06:33 | 21:02 | 21:34 | 14 h 29 min |
| 16 | 06:00 | 06:32 | 21:03 | 21:35 | 14 h 31 min |
| 17 | 05:59 | 06:31 | 21:04 | 21:36 | 14 h 33 min |
| 18 | 05:58 | 06:30 | 21:05 | 21:37 | 14 h 35 min |
| 19 | 05:57 | 06:29 | 21:06 | 21:38 | 14 h 37 min |
| 20 | 05:56 | 06:28 | 21:07 | 21:39 | 14 h 39 min |
| 21 | 05:55 | 06:27 | 21:08 | 21:40 | 14 h 41 min |
| 22 | 05:54 | 06:27 | 21:09 | 21:41 | 14 h 43 min |
| 23 | 05:53 | 06:26 | 21:10 | 21:42 | 14 h 44 min |
| 24 | 05:53 | 06:25 | 21:11 | 21:43 | 14 h 46 min |
| 25 | 05:52 | 06:24 | 21:12 | 21:44 | 14 h 48 min |
| 26 | 05:51 | 06:24 | 21:13 | 21:45 | 14 h 49 min |
| 27 | 05:50 | 06:23 | 21:14 | 21:46 | 14 h 51 min |
| 28 | 05:50 | 06:22 | 21:14 | 21:47 | 14 h 52 min |
| 29 | 05:49 | 06:22 | 21:15 | 21:48 | 14 h 54 min |
| 30 | 05:48 | 06:21 | 21:16 | 21:49 | 14 h 55 min |
| 31 | 05:48 | 06:21 | 21:17 | 21:50 | 14 h 56 min |
Approximate astronomical values: they can shift a minute or two from year to year.
What about vitamin D in May?
In May, the typical synthesis window in Barcelona runs from 11:00 to 18:00: with medium skin and a t-shirt, ~7 min at the best moment is enough.
See the Barcelona vitamin D guideCommon questions about the sun in Barcelona in May
- Where does the sun set in Barcelona in May?
- Mid-May in Barcelona: the sun sets in the northwest, a bearing of 296° measured from true north, which is 26° north of due west. It rises in the northeast, at 64°. Over the month both points shift 10° north.
- How much daylight does Barcelona gain in May?
- Over May the day gets 58 minutes longer in Barcelona: on May 1 the sun rises at 06:49 and sets at 20:47, and on day 31 it rises at 06:21 and sets at 21:17.
- How many hours of daylight does Barcelona get in May?
- In mid-May the day lasts 14 h 29 min in Barcelona, from sunrise at 06:33 to sunset at 21:02. The table has the day length for each of the 31 days of the month.
- What time does it start to get light in Barcelona in May?
- In mid-May the sky starts to get light at 06:01 in Barcelona, when the sun is 6° below the horizon, and the sun itself does not rise until 06:33. The “Dawn” column of the table gives that time for every day of the month.
- What time does it get dark in Barcelona in May?
- It's not the same time as sunset. In mid-May in Barcelona the sun sets at 21:02, but there is still light: civil twilight does not end until 21:34, when the sun reaches 6° below the horizon and usable outdoor light runs out. The “Dusk” column of the table gives that time day by day.
- What time of day can you make vitamin D in Barcelona in May?
- In mid-May, between 11:00 and 18:00: that is the stretch of the day when the UV index reaches 3 in Barcelona, the minimum for the skin to make vitamin D. At the best moment of the day about 7 minutes are enough for a mid-range skin phototype with a quarter of the body exposed to make around 1000 IU.