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Where to go in March / France in March / Brittany / March

France · Beach

Brittany
in March.

Illustration of Saint-Malo ramparts above the tidal beach
Saint-Malo, BrittanyDestination view, not month-specific.

Is March a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
More overnight stays than February.

March averages 55°F afternoons and 50°F seas, with about 10 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.

Afternoons
55°F
Sea
50°F
Visitor demand
11%of August peak

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.

Overall match

4.5/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather2.5/10Poor
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 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.

Can I swim in March?

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.

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

About 12 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:27Sunset 19:1540°F55°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

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.

Typical afternoon
55°F (13°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
40°F (5°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
50°F (10°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
11h 48m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late March?

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.

Early March 1 March

53°F

Typical afternoon high

40% historical wet-day frequency

Mid March 15 March

55°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Late March 31 March

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.

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
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.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

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

Will it be cheaper?

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.

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 (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

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 5 rain days52013: 14 rain days142014: 10 rain days102015: 7 rain days72016: 11 rain days112017: 10 rain days102018: 22 rain days222019: 10 rain days102020: 10 rain days102021: 5 rain days52022: 11 rain days112023: 17 rain days172024: 14 rain days142025: 6 rain days62025
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
5 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
3 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
201156°F6
201259°F5
201351°F14
201456°F10
201554°F7
201652°F11
201758°F10
201852°F22
201956°F10
202055°F10
202155°F5
202258°F11
202356°F17
202456°F14
202556°F6

Checked against 86 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
Afternoons51°F55°F60°F
Sea50°F50°F53°F
Rain days12108
Overnight demand9%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.

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 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 →
March compared with another month
Typical conditionsMarchFebruary
Afternoons55°F51°F
Nights40°F39°F
Sea50°F50°F
Rain days1012
Visitor seasonLow seasonOff season
Overall / 104.53.2
Month rank#8#10
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.0#1150°F39°F52°F141.0Off season
February3.2#1051°F39°F50°F121.2Off season
March4.5#855°F40°F50°F102.5Low season
April5.9#760°F43°F53°F84.3Low season
May6.2#465°F47°F56°F95.6Moderate season
June6.6#271°F53°F60°F76.8Moderate season
July6.5#374°F55°F62°F88.1Busy season
August5.9#674°F55°F64°F77.9Peak season
September7.0#170°F53°F63°F77.2Moderate season
October6.2#563°F49°F60°F124.7Low season
November4.2#956°F44°F58°F132.2Off season
December3.0#1252°F42°F54°F141.0Off 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

Better March weather than Brittany

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.

All of France in March · Everywhere in March

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

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 checked86 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 day7
Busiest month hereAugust · 63
Visitors as share of people present0.7%
Rank among Europe's regions this month39th percentile
Domestic share of nights90%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights57
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 used3.5 million
Statistical regionFRH0 · 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.