Early March 1 March
58°F
Typical afternoon high
24% historical wet-day frequency
France · Beach
French Riviera & Provence
in March.
Is March a good time?
Mild days.
Similar overnight stays to February.
March averages 61°F afternoons and 57°F seas, with about 5 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 61°F
- Sea
- 57°F
- Visitor demand
- 23%of August peak
Historical Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Nice, Marseille, Cannes, Avignon and Saint-Tropez; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
6.6/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather5.1/10Good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of 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 61°F (16°C): light layers; nights around 44°F (6°C): a warm coat. About 12 hours of daylight. About 5 rain days in a typical March.
Can I swim in March?
The sea averages 57°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.
The sun rises about 06:50 and sets about 18:41 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 44°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 61°F (16°C). Expect rain on about 5 days in a typical March.
Typical afternoon
61°F (16°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
44°F (6°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
57°F (14°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
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 58°F on the 1st, versus 64°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 24% to 17% between those dates.
Mid March 15 March
61°F
Typical afternoon high
18% historical wet-day frequency
Late March 31 March
64°F
Typical afternoon high
17% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158° | 258° | 358° | 458° | 559° | 659° | 760° |
| 860° | 960° | 1060° | 1160° | 1261° | 1361° | 1461° |
| 1561° | 1662° | 1762° | 1862° | 1962° | 2062° | 2162° |
| 2262° | 2363° | 2463° | 2563° | 2663° | 2764° | 2864° |
| 2964° | 3064° | 3164° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 59°F (15°C) in the first week to 64°F (18°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 17–24%. 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, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Low season. March averages 23% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to February.
Overnight stays across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of 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.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
None recorded this month
runs April to October; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
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 57°F (14°C) and 65°F (19°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 61°F (16°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 13; half the years had 2–10.
Rain days in each March
Rain days
5
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
10 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
12 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded MarchHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 59°F | 7 |
| 2012 | 65°F | 2 |
| 2013 | 57°F | 13 |
| 2014 | 62°F | 2 |
| 2015 | 61°F | 8 |
| 2016 | 60°F | 4 |
| 2017 | 64°F | 5 |
| 2018 | 58°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 64°F | 1 |
| 2020 | 61°F | 5 |
| 2021 | 61°F | 1 |
| 2022 | 61°F | 4 |
| 2023 | 63°F | 3 |
| 2024 | 62°F | 11 |
| 2025 | 61°F | 10 |
Checked against 151 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
February, March
or April?
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 56°F | 61°F | 67°F |
| Sea | 56°F | 57°F | 59°F |
| Rain days | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Overnight demand | 22% | 23% | 38% |
February: Cooler afternoons than March. 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.
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 22% 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 →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 61°F | 56°F |
| Nights | 44°F | 40°F |
| Sea | 57°F | 56°F |
| Rain days | 5 | 6 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 6.6 | 5.8 |
| Month rank | #8 | #10 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.2 | #12 | 54°F | 40°F | 57°F | 5 | 3.2 | Low season |
| February | 5.8 | #10 | 56°F | 40°F | 56°F | 6 | 3.8 | Low season |
| March | 6.6 | #8 | 61°F | 44°F | 57°F | 5 | 5.1 | Low season |
| April | 7.0 | #7 | 67°F | 48°F | 59°F | 5 | 6.7 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.6 | #3 | 73°F | 54°F | 63°F | 6 | 8.3 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.9 | #1 | 83°F | 62°F | 70°F | 3 | 9.7 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.5 | #4 | 88°F | 66°F | 74°F | 1 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| August | 7.2 | #6 | 87°F | 65°F | 75°F | 2 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| September | 7.9 | #2 | 79°F | 60°F | 72°F | 4 | 9.5 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.3 | #5 | 71°F | 54°F | 68°F | 7 | 7.4 | Low season |
| November | 6.5 | #9 | 61°F | 47°F | 64°F | 8 | 4.6 | Low season |
| December | 5.8 | #11 | 56°F | 41°F | 60°F | 7 | 3.8 | Low 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.
Lyon & the French AlpsRhône-Alpes · France · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 6.3 · Good weather, 58°F (14°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
PiedmontItaly · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 7.3 · Good weather, 58°F (15°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Liguria & the Cinque TerreItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 6.2 · Fair weather, 60°F (16°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Languedoc-RoussillonFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 62°F (16°C) · Off season · Cost moderate
Lake Geneva & ValaisSwitzerland · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Good weather, 54°F (12°C) · Busy season · Cost expensive
Elsewhere in Europe
Better March weather than French Riviera & Provence
French Riviera & Provence's weather ranks 24 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with French Riviera & Provence.
Mallorca & the BalearicsSpain · about 340 miles
Good weather (6.5): 2°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
Valencia & the Costa BlancaSpain · about 460 miles
Good weather (6.8): 6°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
MurciaSpain · about 570 miles
Very good weather (7.2): 7°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Maltaabout 710 miles
Very good weather (7.3): 3°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
AndalusiaSpain · about 710 miles
Good weather (6.5): 6°F warmer afternoons, 2 more rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 23% of the busiest month and 45% below its average month. That means about 86,000 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 74% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 43,000 more: 51 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 61 |
| How our weather was checked | 151 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 16 |
| Busiest month here | August · 70 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.6% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 79th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 74% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 51 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.4% |
| 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 | 5.3 million |
| Statistical region | FRL0 · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur |
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.