Best places to travel in March

March is a month of firsts: the first warm terrace days in Lisbon and Seville, the first cherry blossom in Kyoto and spring in the Kathmandu valley. It’s still shoulder season almost everywhere, so prices and crowds haven’t caught up yet.

These are the best places to travel in March, picked from our city guides using each one’s weather, crowds and daily costs.

🌍 The best places to travel in March

📍 Seville, Spain

☀️ 22° average high👥 busy💶 about €42 a day

Seville in March smells of orange blossom, at about 22°, before the city fills up for Holy Week and the Feria. Flamenco, a Moorish palace still used by the king and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world are all here. It’s getting busy and costs about €42 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Lisbon, Portugal

☀️ 18° average high👥 quiet💶 about €45 a day

Our Lisbon guide puts it simply: spring arrives early. At about 18° with lengthening days, March is good value and not yet crowded in the city of seven hills, yellow trams and tiled facades. It’s also the hostel capital of Europe, and a shoestring day is about €45.

📍 Kyoto, Japan

☀️ 14° average high👥 busy💶 about €48 a day

The cherry blossom starts in Kyoto in March, at about 14°. A thousand years as the imperial capital left 1,600 temples, vermilion shrine gates, a bamboo grove and geisha districts. It’s busy and gets busier into April. Budget about €48 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Kathmandu, Nepal

☀️ 25° average high👥 busy💶 about €17 a day

Spring and Holi both arrive in Kathmandu in March, at about 25°. Every trek is arranged in Thamel, and three royal Durbar Squares are within an hour of each other in this chaotic, magical valley city. At about €17 a day, it’s one of the best-value picks of the month.

📍 Petra, Jordan

☀️ 18° average high👥 busy💶 about €55 a day

Spring in Petra means highs of about 18°, ideal for the long walk through the siq to a rose-red city carved into sandstone, far bigger than the one facade everyone has seen. Our guide says two days is the minimum. Plan on about €55 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Valletta, Malta

☀️ 18° average high👥 quiet💶 about €42 a day

Wildflowers and few visitors: that’s March in Valletta, at about 18°. The Knights of St John built this baroque capital on a peninsula between two harbours, and it’s still one of the smallest capitals in Europe. Budget about €42 a day.

📍 Siargao, Philippines

☀️ 30° average high👥 busy💶 about €23 a day

Siargao starts to dry out in March, at about 30°. The surf island has a famous reef break at Cloud 9, palm forests, lagoons and rock pools, and the liveliest backpacker scene in the Philippines. A shoestring day is about €23.

📍 Reykjavik, Iceland

☀️ 4° average high👥 very busy💶 about €77 a day

For something completely different, our Reykjavik guide calls March the sweet spot: the northern lights are still visible and daylight is coming back. It’s cold, at about 4°, and busy for it. Iceland is expensive, at about €77 a day on a shoestring, but geothermal pools and every tour on the island start here.

🏙️ Best city breaks in March

Our city break guides with good weather in March, the most hostels first.

1. 1BarcelonaSpain17°, quiet
2. 2RomeItaly16°, fairly busy
3. 3KathmanduNepal25°, busy
4. 4ParisFrance12°, fairly busy
5. 5DubaiUnited Arab Emirates28°, busy
6. 6MadridSpain16°, quiet

💸 Cheapest places to travel in March

Good weather in March and the lowest shoestring budget.

1. 1VaranasiIndia€13 a day
2. 2PushkarIndia€13 a day
3. 3AmritsarIndia€13 a day
4. 4HanoiVietnam€15 a day
5. 5VientianeLaos€15 a day
6. 6DarjeelingIndia€15 a day

🤫 Quietest places to visit in March

Good weather and quiet or very quiet in March, from each guide’s month-by-month table.

1. 1Chiang RaiThailand33°, very quiet
2. 2SantoriniGreece16°, very quiet
3. 3San SebastiánSpain15°, very quiet
4. 4SkopjeNorth Macedonia13°, very quiet
5. 5OhridNorth Macedonia12°, very quiet
6. 6BilbaoSpain17°, very quiet