Early March 1 March
55°F
Typical afternoon high
35% historical wet-day frequency
Croatia · Beach
Is March a good time?
March averages 58°F afternoons and 56°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later March is typically warmer. Check seasonal openings.
Historical Jadranska Hrvatska regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Croatia's whole Adriatic side, from Istria in the north to Dubrovnik in the far south: Zadar, Split, Hvar and the islands, plus the inland Lika highlands around Plitvice Lakes. These figures describe all of it together.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your March
Afternoons around 58°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 43°F (6°C): a warm coat. About 12 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical March.
The sea averages 56°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
The sun rises about 06:12 and sets about 18:02 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 43°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 58°F (15°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical March.
Early, middle or late?
Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 55°F on the 1st, versus 62°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 35% to 26% between those dates.
55°F
Typical afternoon high
35% historical wet-day frequency
58°F
Typical afternoon high
26% historical wet-day frequency
62°F
Typical afternoon high
26% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Public holidays · 2027: 29 Mar Easter Monday.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155° | 255° | 355° | 455° | 556° | 656° | 756° |
| 857° | 957° | 1057° | 1157° | 1257° | 1358° | 1458° |
| 1558° | 1658° | 1758° | 1859° | 1959° | 2059° | 2159° |
| 2259° | 2360° | 2460° | 2560° | 2661° | 2761° | 2861° |
| 2961° | 3061° | 3162° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 55°F (13°C) in the first week to 61°F (16°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 24–35%.
School-holiday dates for March 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 29 Mar Easter Monday. Elsewhere in March 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 27%, Spain 30%, Italy 19%, France 10%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Off season. March averages 3% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than February. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.
Overnight stays across Jadranska Hrvatska do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
Well below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 54°F (12°C) and 62°F (16°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 58°F (15°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 19; half the years had 6–14.
Rain days in each March
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 56°F | 9 |
| 2012 | 61°F | 1 |
| 2013 | 54°F | 18 |
| 2014 | 60°F | 7 |
| 2015 | 57°F | 7 |
| 2016 | 57°F | 11 |
| 2017 | 62°F | 6 |
| 2018 | 55°F | 19 |
| 2019 | 60°F | 8 |
| 2020 | 58°F | 6 |
| 2021 | 57°F | 4 |
| 2022 | 56°F | 2 |
| 2023 | 59°F | 9 |
| 2024 | 61°F | 14 |
| 2025 | 60°F | 15 |
Checked against official climate averages for Dubrovnik, Hvar, Mali Losinj, Rijeka, Rovinj, Split-Marjan and Zadar. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 53°F | 58°F | 65°F |
| Sea | 56°F | 56°F | 58°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 2% | 3% | 10% |
February: Cooler afternoons than March. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than March. More overnight demand. April guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. March stays as your reference.
April to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than March, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 2% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the February guide →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 58°F | 53°F |
| Nights | 43°F | 39°F |
| Sea | 56°F | 56°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 8 |
| Visitor season | Off season | Off season |
| Overall / 10 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| Month rank | #8 | #11 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.5 | #12 | 50°F | 38°F | 58°F | 11 | 1.5 | Off season |
| February | 3.9 | #11 | 53°F | 39°F | 56°F | 8 | 1.9 | Off season |
| March | 4.8 | #8 | 58°F | 43°F | 56°F | 8 | 3.6 | Off season |
| April | 6.5 | #7 | 65°F | 49°F | 58°F | 8 | 5.8 | Low season |
| May | 7.6 | #3 | 72°F | 56°F | 64°F | 9 | 7.4 | Low season |
| June | 8.1 | #1 | 81°F | 65°F | 72°F | 5 | 9.7 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.4 | #4 | 86°F | 69°F | 77°F | 4 | 9.9 | Peak season |
| August | 7.1 | #5 | 86°F | 68°F | 78°F | 4 | 9.8 | Peak season |
| September | 7.6 | #2 | 77°F | 61°F | 75°F | 8 | 8.6 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.1 | #6 | 68°F | 54°F | 70°F | 9 | 6.6 | Low season |
| November | 4.6 | #9 | 59°F | 47°F | 66°F | 12 | 3.2 | Off season |
| December | 3.9 | #10 | 53°F | 41°F | 61°F | 12 | 2.1 | Off season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
ZagrebCroatia · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 7.4 · Good weather, 57°F (14°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Slavonia & eastern Croatiaabout 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.7 · Good weather, 57°F (14°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Ljubljana, Lake Bled & western Sloveniaabout 140 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Good weather, 56°F (13°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
MarcheItaly · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Fair weather, 59°F (15°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Friuli Venezia GiuliaItaly · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 5.5 · Fair weather, 58°F (14°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Croatia's coast's weather ranks 43 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Croatia have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Croatia's coast.
SicilyItaly · about 470 miles
Good weather (6.0): 5°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (low season), pricier
Meteora, Pelion & the SporadesThessaly · Greece · about 470 miles
Fair weather (4.9): 4°F warmer afternoons
French Riviera & ProvenceFrance · about 480 miles
Good weather (5.1): 3°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, busier for its season (low season), pricier
Western Greeceabout 520 miles
Good weather (5.3): 5°F warmer afternoons, 2 more rain days, busier for its season (low season)
Central Greece & EviaGreece · about 540 miles
Good weather (5.2): 4°F warmer afternoons
It's off season, 3% of the busiest month and 89% below its average month. That means about 28,000 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 26% of them from Croatia itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 8,200 more: 30 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 53 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Dubrovnik, Hvar, Mali Losinj, Rijeka, Rovinj, Split-Marjan and Zadar from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 2°F (0.8°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 21 |
| Busiest month here | August · 642 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.1% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 86th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 26% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 30 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.7% |
| National hotel-price season | Croatia historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−14% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.3 million |
| Statistical region | HR03 · Jadranska Hrvatska |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.