bigfootwanders
Where to go in March / France in March / Auvergne / March

France · Mountains

Auvergne
in March.

Illustration of Volcanic hills of the Chaîne des Puys near Clermont-Ferrand
Chaîne des Puys, AuvergneDestination view, not month-specific.

Is March a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than February.

March averages 56°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.

Afternoons
56°F
Rain days
10
Visitor demand
18%of August peak

Historical Auvergne regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Clermont-Ferrand; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.2/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#6 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather6.1/10Good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; France-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your March

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 56°F (13°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 12 hours of daylight.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 12 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:02Sunset 18:5236°F56°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:02 and sets about 18:52 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 56°F (13°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical March.

Typical afternoon
56°F (13°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
11h 50m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late March?

Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 51°F on the 1st, versus 59°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 34% to 29% between those dates.

Early March 1 March

51°F

Typical afternoon high

34% historical wet-day frequency

Mid March 15 March

56°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Late March 31 March

59°F

Typical afternoon high

29% 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.

Daily calendar & holiday datesMarch 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

March 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
151°251°351°452°552°653°753°
854°954°1054°1154°1255°1355°1456°
1556°1656°1756°1856°1956°2056°2157°
2257°2357°2458°2558°2658°2758°2858°
2958°3058°3159°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 52°F (11°C) in the first week to 58°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 27–37%.

No school holidays here in March 2027. 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%, Netherlands 38%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. March averages 18% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than February.

Overnight stays across Auvergne do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little 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.

France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does March vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 51°F (11°C) and 59°F (15°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 56°F (13°C). Rain days ranged from 6 to 16; half the years had 8–12.

Rain days in each March

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 6 rain days62013: 13 rain days132014: 6 rain days62015: 12 rain days122016: 11 rain days112017: 9 rain days92018: 16 rain days162019: 8 rain days82020: 10 rain days102021: 8 rain days82022: 9 rain days92023: 10 rain days102024: 12 rain days122025: 9 rain days92025
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
7 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no March in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
13 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded MarchHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201155°F10
201259°F6
201351°F13
201458°F6
201555°F12
201652°F11
201759°F9
201853°F16
201956°F8
202056°F10
202155°F8
202258°F9
202357°F10
202457°F12
202555°F9

Checked against 126 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

February, March
or April?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsFebMarApr
Afternoons49°F56°F61°F
Rain days10109
Overnight demand21%18%24%

February: Cooler afternoons than March. More overnight demand. February guide →

April: Warmer afternoons than March. More overnight demand. April guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with March Show comparisonHide comparison

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

March or February?

Overnight stays are 21% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the February guide →
March compared with another month
Typical conditionsMarchFebruary
Afternoons56°F49°F
Nights36°F32°F
Rain days1010
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 107.26.7
Month rank#6#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1245°F32°F134.5Low season
February6.7#949°F32°F105.3Low season
March7.2#656°F36°F106.1Low season
April7.6#461°F40°F97.2Low season
May7.5#567°F47°F117.8Moderate season
June7.6#376°F54°F98.5Moderate season
July7.0#780°F57°F78.9Busy season
August6.5#1180°F56°F88.8Peak season
September7.9#172°F50°F88.7Moderate season
October7.7#264°F46°F87.6Low season
November6.9#853°F39°F125.4Low season
December6.6#1048°F35°F124.8Low season

Near here

Nearby places in March

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Auvergne's weather ranks 10 of 28 mountain regions this month. We found no mountain regions outside France with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.

All of France in March · Everywhere in March

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's low season, 18% of the busiest month and 51% below its average month. That means about 9,700 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 90% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 6,000 more: 63 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)66
How our weather was checked126 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day7
Busiest month hereAugust · 40
Visitors as share of people present0.7%
Rank among Europe's regions this month37th percentile
Domestic share of nights90%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights63
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.1%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−6% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.4 million
Statistical regionFRK1 · Auvergne

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.