Early March 1 March
53°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
France · City
Lyon & the French Alps
in March.
Is March a good time?
Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than February.
March averages 58°F afternoons, with about 9 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 58°F
- Rain days
- 9
- Visitor demand
- 59%of August peak
Historical Rhône-Alpes regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lyon, Chamonix, Annecy and Courchevel; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
6.3/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#9 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather6.4/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor 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 58°F (14°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 38°F (3°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 9 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.
The sun rises about 06:53 and sets about 18:43 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 38°F (3°C); afternoons reach about 58°F (14°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical March.
Typical afternoon
58°F (14°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
38°F (3°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 53°F on the 1st, versus 61°F on the 31st.
Mid March 15 March
58°F
Typical afternoon high
28% historical wet-day frequency
Late March 31 March
61°F
Typical afternoon high
28% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 153° | 253° | 353° | 454° | 554° | 654° | 755° |
| 855° | 956° | 1056° | 1156° | 1257° | 1357° | 1457° |
| 1558° | 1658° | 1758° | 1858° | 1958° | 2058° | 2159° |
| 2259° | 2360° | 2460° | 2560° | 2660° | 2760° | 2860° |
| 2960° | 3061° | 3161° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 54°F (12°C) in the first week to 60°F (16°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 25–33%.
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?
Moderate season. March averages 59% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than February.
Overnight stays across Rhône-Alpes do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
A little above 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 53°F (12°C) and 61°F (16°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 58°F (14°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 17; half the years had 7–11.
Rain days in each March
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
8 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
16 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 | 57°F | 9 |
| 2012 | 61°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 53°F | 11 |
| 2014 | 59°F | 4 |
| 2015 | 56°F | 9 |
| 2016 | 54°F | 10 |
| 2017 | 61°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 54°F | 17 |
| 2019 | 58°F | 9 |
| 2020 | 58°F | 7 |
| 2021 | 57°F | 8 |
| 2022 | 60°F | 5 |
| 2023 | 58°F | 11 |
| 2024 | 59°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 58°F | 11 |
Checked against 316 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
February, March
or April?
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 50°F | 58°F | 64°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 70% | 59% | 41% |
February: Cooler afternoons than March. More overnight demand. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons than March. Less 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 June and September to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than March, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
March or February?
Overnight stays are 70% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the February guide →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 58°F | 50°F |
| Nights | 38°F | 33°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Busy season |
| Overall / 10 | 6.3 | 5.6 |
| Month rank | #9 | #11 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.4 | #12 | 46°F | 32°F | 11 | 4.5 | Moderate season |
| February | 5.6 | #11 | 50°F | 33°F | 9 | 5.4 | Busy season |
| March | 6.3 | #9 | 58°F | 38°F | 9 | 6.4 | Moderate season |
| April | 7.5 | #5 | 64°F | 43°F | 9 | 7.6 | Moderate season |
| May | 7.9 | #2 | 70°F | 49°F | 10 | 8.0 | Low season |
| June | 7.6 | #4 | 79°F | 57°F | 9 | 8.4 | Moderate season |
| July | 6.7 | #6 | 83°F | 60°F | 7 | 8.3 | Peak season |
| August | 6.5 | #7 | 83°F | 59°F | 6 | 8.3 | Peak season |
| September | 8.2 | #1 | 74°F | 53°F | 7 | 8.9 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.9 | #3 | 65°F | 47°F | 8 | 7.8 | Low season |
| November | 6.5 | #8 | 54°F | 39°F | 12 | 5.5 | Low season |
| December | 5.7 | #10 | 48°F | 34°F | 14 | 4.7 | Moderate 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.
Aosta ValleyItaly · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 6.1 · Good weather, 52°F (11°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
AuvergneFrance · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Good weather, 56°F (13°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
French Riviera & ProvenceFrance · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 6.6 · Good weather, 61°F (16°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Lake Geneva & ValaisSwitzerland · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Good weather, 54°F (12°C) · Busy season · Cost expensive
Languedoc-RoussillonFrance · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 62°F (16°C) · Off season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Better March weather than Lyon & the French Alps
Lyon & the French Alps' weather ranks 15 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Lyon & the French Alps.
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 290 miles
Very good weather (7.4): 3°F warmer afternoons, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 320 miles
Very good weather (8.0): 6°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
AragonSpain · about 400 miles
Very good weather (7.9): 6°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season), cheaper
LisbonPortugal · about 870 miles
Very good weather (7.8): 6°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, cheaper
Athens & AtticaGreece · about 1080 miles
Very good weather (8.7): 7°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's moderate season, 59% of the busiest month and 16% above its average month.The figures cover the whole Rhône-Alpes region, suburbs included. That means about 174,000 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 66% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 75,000 more: 43 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 67 |
| How our weather was checked | 316 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 25 |
| Busiest month here | August · 43 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.5% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 91st percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 66% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 43 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 3.5% |
| 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 | 6.9 million |
| Statistical region | FRK2 · Rhône-Alpes |
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.