Early March 1 March
53°F
Typical afternoon high
40% historical wet-day frequency
France · Beach
Is March a good time?
March averages 55°F afternoons and 50°F seas, with about 10 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
Historical Bretagne regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Saint-Malo and Rennes; conditions vary within the region.
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 55°F (13°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 40°F (5°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 12 hours of daylight.
The sea averages 50°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 07:27 and sets about 19:15 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 40°F (5°C); afternoons reach about 55°F (13°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical March.
Early, middle or late?
Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 53°F on the 1st, versus 58°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 40% to 31% between those dates.
53°F
Typical afternoon high
40% historical wet-day frequency
55°F
Typical afternoon high
31% historical wet-day frequency
58°F
Typical afternoon high
31% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 153° | 253° | 353° | 453° | 553° | 653° | 754° |
| 854° | 954° | 1054° | 1155° | 1255° | 1355° | 1455° |
| 1555° | 1655° | 1756° | 1856° | 1956° | 2056° | 2156° |
| 2256° | 2356° | 2457° | 2557° | 2657° | 2757° | 2857° |
| 2957° | 3058° | 3158° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 53°F (12°C) in the first week to 57°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 26–42%. Local schools are out 1–7 March 2027.
Schools here are off 1–7 March 2027 (winter holidays). 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.)
Visitor season
Low season. March averages 11% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than February.
Overnight stays across Bretagne do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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 51°F (10°C) and 59°F (15°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 55°F (13°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 22; half the years had 6–14.
Rain days in each March
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 56°F | 6 |
| 2012 | 59°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 51°F | 14 |
| 2014 | 56°F | 10 |
| 2015 | 54°F | 7 |
| 2016 | 52°F | 11 |
| 2017 | 58°F | 10 |
| 2018 | 52°F | 22 |
| 2019 | 56°F | 10 |
| 2020 | 55°F | 10 |
| 2021 | 55°F | 5 |
| 2022 | 58°F | 11 |
| 2023 | 56°F | 17 |
| 2024 | 56°F | 14 |
| 2025 | 56°F | 6 |
Checked against 86 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 51°F | 55°F | 60°F |
| Sea | 50°F | 50°F | 53°F |
| Rain days | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 9% | 11% | 28% |
February: Cooler afternoons and more rain days than March. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and fewer rain days 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 9% 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 | 55°F | 51°F |
| Nights | 40°F | 39°F |
| Sea | 50°F | 50°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 12 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Off season |
| Overall / 10 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
| Month rank | #8 | #10 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.0 | #11 | 50°F | 39°F | 52°F | 14 | 1.0 | Off season |
| February | 3.2 | #10 | 51°F | 39°F | 50°F | 12 | 1.2 | Off season |
| March | 4.5 | #8 | 55°F | 40°F | 50°F | 10 | 2.5 | Low season |
| April | 5.9 | #7 | 60°F | 43°F | 53°F | 8 | 4.3 | Low season |
| May | 6.2 | #4 | 65°F | 47°F | 56°F | 9 | 5.6 | Moderate season |
| June | 6.6 | #2 | 71°F | 53°F | 60°F | 7 | 6.8 | Moderate season |
| July | 6.5 | #3 | 74°F | 55°F | 62°F | 8 | 8.1 | Busy season |
| August | 5.9 | #6 | 74°F | 55°F | 64°F | 7 | 7.9 | Peak season |
| September | 7.0 | #1 | 70°F | 53°F | 63°F | 7 | 7.2 | Moderate season |
| October | 6.2 | #5 | 63°F | 49°F | 60°F | 12 | 4.7 | Low season |
| November | 4.2 | #9 | 56°F | 44°F | 58°F | 13 | 2.2 | Off season |
| December | 3.0 | #12 | 52°F | 42°F | 54°F | 14 | 1.0 | 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.
Elsewhere in Europe
Brittany's weather ranks 50 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Brittany.
CantabriaSpain · about 350 miles
Fair weather (3.7): 6°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
AsturiasSpain · about 370 miles
Fair weather (3.6): 6°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
Porto & northern Portugalabout 520 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 7°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Central Portugalabout 600 miles
Fair weather (4.6): 8°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Liguria & the Cinque TerreItaly · about 610 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 5°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days
It's low season, 11% of the busiest month and 65% below its average month. That means about 25,000 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 14,000 more: 57 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 47 |
| How our weather was checked | 86 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 7 |
| Busiest month here | August · 63 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.7% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 39th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 90% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 57 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.1% |
| National hotel-price season | France historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−6% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 3.5 million |
| Statistical region | FRH0 · Bretagne |
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.