Early March 1 March
47°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
Netherlands · Beach
Is March a good time?
March averages 50°F afternoons and 43°F seas, with about 11 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
Historical Friesland (NL) regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Wadden Islands (part); 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 50°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 35°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 11 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 12 hours of daylight.
The sea averages 43°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 06:54 and sets about 18:39 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 35°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 50°F (10°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical March.
Early, middle or late?
Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 47°F on the 1st, versus 53°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 34% to 29% between those dates.
47°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
50°F
Typical afternoon high
28% historical wet-day frequency
53°F
Typical afternoon high
29% 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: 26 Mar Good Friday; 28 Mar Easter Sunday; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 147° | 247° | 347° | 448° | 548° | 648° | 748° |
| 849° | 949° | 1049° | 1149° | 1250° | 1350° | 1450° |
| 1550° | 1650° | 1750° | 1850° | 1951° | 2051° | 2151° |
| 2251° | 2351° | 2451° | 2552° | 2652° | 2752° | 2852° |
| 2952° | 3053° | 3153° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 48°F (9°C) in the first week to 52°F (11°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 25–34%.
No school holidays here in March 2027. Public holidays: 26 Mar Good Friday; 28 Mar Easter Sunday; 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%, France 10%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Low season. March averages 21% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than February.
Overnight stays across Friesland (NL) do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of 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 42°F (6°C) and 54°F (12°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 50°F (10°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 17; half the years had 5–12.
Rain days in each March
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 49°F | 2 |
| 2012 | 51°F | 4 |
| 2013 | 42°F | 6 |
| 2014 | 54°F | 5 |
| 2015 | 49°F | 12 |
| 2016 | 48°F | 12 |
| 2017 | 53°F | 11 |
| 2018 | 46°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 51°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 50°F | 9 |
| 2021 | 49°F | 12 |
| 2022 | 53°F | 5 |
| 2023 | 49°F | 17 |
| 2024 | 53°F | 11 |
| 2025 | 53°F | 1 |
Checked against 3 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 45°F | 50°F | 56°F |
| Sea | 42°F | 43°F | 47°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 11 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 16% | 21% | 34% |
February: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than March. Less overnight demand. 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 16% of the busiest month.
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 | 50°F | 45°F |
| Nights | 35°F | 33°F |
| Sea | 43°F | 42°F |
| Rain days | 11 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 3.6 | 3.0 |
| Month rank | #8 | #10 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.0 | #9 | 44°F | 34°F | 44°F | 13 | 1.0 | Low season |
| February | 3.0 | #10 | 45°F | 33°F | 42°F | 9 | 1.0 | Low season |
| March | 3.6 | #8 | 50°F | 35°F | 43°F | 11 | 1.6 | Low season |
| April | 5.0 | #6 | 56°F | 40°F | 47°F | 8 | 3.3 | Low season |
| May | 5.4 | #4 | 63°F | 47°F | 53°F | 8 | 5.1 | Moderate season |
| June | 5.7 | #2 | 69°F | 53°F | 59°F | 10 | 6.3 | Busy season |
| July | 5.8 | #1 | 72°F | 56°F | 64°F | 14 | 6.9 | Busy season |
| August | 5.3 | #5 | 72°F | 57°F | 66°F | 13 | 7.2 | Peak season |
| September | 5.7 | #3 | 67°F | 52°F | 64°F | 11 | 5.9 | Moderate season |
| October | 5.0 | #7 | 59°F | 47°F | 58°F | 14 | 3.1 | Low season |
| November | 3.0 | #11 | 50°F | 40°F | 53°F | 12 | 1.0 | Low season |
| December | 3.0 | #12 | 46°F | 37°F | 47°F | 15 | 1.0 | Low season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
DrentheNetherlands · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 52°F (11°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
FlevolandNetherlands · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 52°F (11°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Amsterdam & North HollandNetherlands · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 6.4 · Good weather, 51°F (11°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Weser-Ems & the North Sea coastLower Saxony · Germany · about 80 miles
Balanced Overall 6.5 · Good weather, 51°F (11°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Schleswig-HolsteinGermany · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 3.4 · Poor weather, 49°F (10°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Friesland's weather ranks 57 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Netherlands have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Friesland.
Nantes & Pays de la LoireFrance · about 480 miles
Fair weather (3.0): 7°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days
Friuli Venezia GiuliaItaly · about 580 miles
Fair weather (3.5): 8°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days
Venice & the VenetoItaly · about 580 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 9°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days
Liguria & the Cinque TerreItaly · about 620 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 10°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
French Riviera & ProvenceFrance · about 630 miles
Good weather (5.1): 11°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days
It's low season, 21% of the busiest month and 49% below its average month. That means about 9,800 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 74% of them from Netherlands itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,400 more: 14 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 43 |
| How our weather was checked | 3 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.6°C), night lows within 1°F (0.2°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 15 |
| Busiest month here | August · 71 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.5% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 76th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 74% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 14 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.7% |
| National hotel-price season | Netherlands historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−10% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 664,000 |
| Statistical region | NL12 · Friesland (NL) |
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.