The visitor season
Moderate season, nationally.
March records 47% of August's overnight stays. This measures overnight demand, not queues or day-trippers.
A good place. At the right time.
Is March a good time?
National overnight stays are 47% of the August peak.
Weather falls below the very-good band in 7 scored regions.
Find your March baseBased on 9 statistical regions. Typical conditions, not a forecast for individual towns.
One month. 9 possibilities.
The useful differences, side by side. Open a region for its full month guide.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Overall scores use the Balanced mix. Choose a different priority to order the regions by that mix.
CountrysideAlentejoÉvora · ComportaRead the March guide ↗
Overall8.5/10#5 month here · Balanced
Weather8.1/10Very good66°F afternoons · 6 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CityLisbonSintra · CascaisRead the March guide ↗
Overall7.4/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather7.8/10Very good64°F afternoons · 7 rain days
Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachThe AlgarveLagos · Albufeira · FaroRead the March guide ↗
Overall7.8/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather6.6/10Good67°F afternoons · 6 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachMadeiraFunchal · Porto SantoRead the March guide ↗
Overall6.9/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather6.3/10Good66°F afternoons · 6 rain days
Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachSetúbal PeninsulaArrábida · SetúbalRead the March guide ↗
Overall7.5/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather5.9/10Good65°F afternoons · 7 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachÓbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus ValleyÓbidos · Nazaré · TomarRead the March guide ↗
Overall7.3/10#8 month here · Balanced
Weather5.6/10Good65°F afternoons · 8 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachAzoresSão Miguel · Ponta Delgada · PicoRead the March guide ↗
Overall6.7/10#8 month here · Balanced
Weather4.7/10Fair64°F afternoons · 10 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachCentral PortugalCoimbra · AveiroRead the March guide ↗
Overall6.6/10#8 month here · Balanced
Weather4.6/10Fair63°F afternoons · 9 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachPorto & northern PortugalPorto · Douro Valley · BragaRead the March guide ↗
Overall6.2/10#8 month here · Balanced
Weather4.2/10Fair62°F afternoons · 10 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
No regions match these filters. Try another place or reset the filters.
Cost words compare a published regional accommodation level with Portugal's typical level, or describe a region's price season against its own year. The Cost score still uses Portugal's price level on the Europe scale; where regional money levels are unavailable, a cheaper season does not establish which region has the cheapest rooms.
Overall combines weather, crowds and cost. It is not a weather rating. By default, the list ranks weather first and shows Balanced Overall scores (50% weather, 30% crowds, 20% cost). Other priorities order it by your Overall mix. Missing cost is excluded and the available parts are reweighted.
Visitor season compares each region with its own year. A higher crowd score does not establish which place has fewer people in absolute terms. Regions cover whole statistical areas; open a guide for its geographic scope. Read the scoring method.
Weather across the country
Regional averages vary; check a forecast closer to your trip.
Ranges span available regional monthly averages, not daily extremes. A dash means a measurement is unavailable or withheld; individual guides explain the gaps.
Afternoons around 67°F (19°C): light layers; nights around 50°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket.
| Region | Afternoon | Night | Rain days | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alentejo | 66°F | 46°F | 6 | very good |
| Lisbon | 64°F | 49°F | 7 | very good |
| The Algarve | 67°F | 50°F | 6 | good |
| Madeira | 66°F | 53°F | 6 | good |
| Setúbal Peninsula | 65°F | 49°F | 7 | good |
| Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley | 65°F | 47°F | 8 | good |
| Azores | 64°F | 54°F | 10 | fair |
| Central Portugal | 63°F | 45°F | 9 | fair |
| Porto & northern Portugal | 62°F | 45°F | 10 | fair |
Before you go
The visitor season
March records 47% of August's overnight stays. This measures overnight demand, not queues or day-trippers.
Hotel prices
−14% on Portugal's historical national hotel-price index, versus its usual month in 2024–2025. This describes a price season, not a live room quote.
Published regional hotel revenue per guest-night ranges from €39 in Azores to €77 in Lisbon. Azores uses the 2024–2025 monthly average. Historical averages, not booking quotes.
Thinking about the coast?
Among beach-focused regions, the warmest measured seas this month are Madeira (65°F), Azores (61°F), The Algarve (60°F). Sea temperature is one part of a beach trip; open a region for weather and seasonal closures.
Holidays: 32% of people in Portugal live where schools are out on a typical March 2027 day. Public holidays: 26 Mar Good Friday; 28 Mar Easter Sunday. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Same country. A different chapter.
March is fixed, but the destination isn't? Find somewhere else in Europe ↗
Each row is a statistical region (NUTS 2); open it for the full month, the sources and what moving your dates would change. National lines are built from the regions: season is Portugal's total tourist nights this month against its busiest month (Eurostat, primarily 2024–2025; earlier published years where needed); weather counts regions whose displayed Weather score is at least 7.0/10 (very good or better) rather than averaging across the country; visitors ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions (for a region) or the other countries (for Portugal) that month.
A regional accommodation level is shown only where publishable money data exists; elsewhere the cost words describe a regional season against its own year, and the score starts from the national price level. Separately, Portugal's 2024 restaurants-and-hotels level is well below EU average (76 where the EU average is 100). Full method.