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Where to go in March / Greece in March / North Aegean islands / March

Greece · Beach

North Aegean islands
in March.

Illustration of Molyvos on Lesvos viewed across an olive grove
Molyvos, LesvosDestination view, not month-specific.

Is March a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than February.

March averages 62°F afternoons and 60°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later March is typically warmer. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
62°F
Sea
60°F
Visitor demand
4%of August peak

Historical Voreio Aigaio regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Lemnos; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.8/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#9 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.4/10Good
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Greece-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 62°F (17°C): light layers; nights around 50°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 12 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical March.

Can I swim in March?

The sea averages 60°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. 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 06:29Sunset 18:2250°F62°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 06:29 and sets about 18:22 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 50°F (10°C); afternoons reach about 62°F (17°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical March.

Typical afternoon
62°F (17°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
50°F (10°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
60°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
11h 53m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late March?

Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 60°F on the 1st, versus 65°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 35% to 21% between those dates.

Early March 1 March

60°F

Typical afternoon high

35% historical wet-day frequency

Mid March 15 March

61°F

Typical afternoon high

25% historical wet-day frequency

Late March 31 March

65°F

Typical afternoon high

21% 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: 15 Mar Clean Monday; 25 Mar Independence Day.

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
160°260°360°461°561°661°761°
861°961°1061°1161°1261°1361°1461°
1561°1661°1761°1862°1962°2062°2162°
2262°2362°2463°2563°2664°2764°2864°
2964°3065°3165°

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

Afternoons warm from about 61°F (16°C) in the first week to 64°F (18°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 19–35%.

No school holidays here in March 2027. Public holidays: 15 Mar Clean Monday; 25 Mar Independence Day. Elsewhere in March 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 27%, Spain 30%, Italy 19%, France 10%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Off season. March averages 4% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than February. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Voreio Aigaio do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter 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.

Greece as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 86 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 56°F (13°C) and 65°F (18°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 62°F (17°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 15; half the years had 5–9.

Rain days in each March

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 5 rain days52013: 10 rain days102014: 9 rain days92015: 15 rain days152016: 7 rain days72017: 8 rain days82018: 9 rain days92019: 4 rain days42020: 7 rain days72021: 8 rain days82022: 5 rain days52023: 10 rain days102024: 8 rain days82025: 4 rain days42025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
11 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
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201160°F6
201260°F5
201362°F10
201463°F9
201560°F15
201663°F7
201762°F8
201865°F9
201963°F4
202063°F7
202160°F8
202256°F5
202363°F10
202464°F8
202564°F4

Checked against official climate averages for Samos. 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
Afternoons58°F62°F68°F
Sea60°F60°F62°F
Rain days885
Overnight demand3%4%9%

February: Cooler afternoons than March. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →

April: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than March. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. 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.

November has 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 3% 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
Afternoons62°F58°F
Nights50°F47°F
Sea60°F60°F
Rain days88
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 105.85.2
Month rank#9#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January4.6#1257°F46°F62°F112.9Off season
February5.2#1158°F47°F60°F84.0Off season
March5.8#962°F50°F60°F85.4Off season
April7.3#768°F54°F62°F57.8Off season
May8.9#275°F61°F66°F39.9Low season
June8.1#384°F69°F71°F110.0Busy season
July7.6#589°F72°F74°F010.0Peak season
August7.4#689°F73°F75°F010.0Peak season
September8.1#483°F68°F74°F110.0Busy season
October9.0#174°F61°F70°F59.5Low season
November6.4#866°F55°F66°F86.6Off season
December5.2#1059°F49°F64°F124.1Off 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 North Aegean islands

North Aegean islands' weather ranks 20 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with North Aegean islands.

All of Greece in March · Everywhere in March

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

It's off season, 4% of the busiest month and 89% below its average month. That means about 940 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 76% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 260 more: 28 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)62
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Samos from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day5
Busiest month hereAugust · 124
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month17th percentile
Domestic share of nights76%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights28
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.6%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−6% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used208,000
Statistical regionEL41 · Voreio Aigaio

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.