Early March 1 March
58°F
Typical afternoon high
42% historical wet-day frequency
Spain · Beach
Cantabria
in March.
Is March a good time?
Mild days.
About twice February's overnight stays.
March averages 61°F afternoons and 55°F seas, with about 11 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 61°F
- Sea
- 55°F
- Visitor demand
- 18%of August peak
Historical Cantabria regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Santander; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.7/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather3.7/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe
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 45°F (7°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 11 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 12 hours of daylight.
Can I swim in March?
The sea averages 55°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 07:30 and sets about 19:21 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 45°F (7°C); afternoons reach about 61°F (16°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical March.
Typical afternoon
61°F (16°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
45°F (7°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
55°F (13°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
11h 51m
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 63°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 42% to 34% between those dates.
Mid March 15 March
61°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
Late March 31 March
63°F
Typical afternoon high
34% 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.
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° | 259° | 359° | 459° | 560° | 660° | 760° |
| 860° | 960° | 1061° | 1160° | 1261° | 1361° | 1461° |
| 1561° | 1661° | 1760° | 1860° | 1960° | 2060° | 2161° |
| 2261° | 2361° | 2461° | 2562° | 2662° | 2762° | 2862° |
| 2962° | 3063° | 3163° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 59°F (15°C) in the first week to 62°F (17°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 32–42%. Local schools are out 20–28 March 2027.
Schools here are off 20–28 March 2027 (Easter holidays). Elsewhere in March 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 27%, Italy 19%, France 10%, Netherlands 38%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Low season. March averages 18% of August's overnight stays per day. About twice February's overnight stays.
Overnight stays across Cantabria do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
Well below usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €72 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Historical hotel average
€72
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. −13% vs this region's usual month.
Spain as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 84 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
The historical regional amount comes from INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.
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 58°F (14°C) and 64°F (18°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 61°F (16°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 18; half the years had 8–14.
Rain days in each March
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 17 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
7 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 | 61°F | 10 |
| 2012 | 62°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 60°F | 16 |
| 2014 | 61°F | 10 |
| 2015 | 59°F | 13 |
| 2016 | 58°F | 17 |
| 2017 | 63°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 59°F | 18 |
| 2019 | 62°F | 8 |
| 2020 | 61°F | 12 |
| 2021 | 61°F | 5 |
| 2022 | 62°F | 14 |
| 2023 | 64°F | 6 |
| 2024 | 62°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 60°F | 11 |
Checked against 16 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
February, March
or April?
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 57°F | 61°F | 65°F |
| Sea | 55°F | 55°F | 57°F |
| Rain days | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| Overnight demand | 9% | 18% | 28% |
February: Cooler afternoons than March. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons 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.
October 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 9% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €66 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the February guide →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 61°F | 57°F |
| Nights | 45°F | 43°F |
| Sea | 55°F | 55°F |
| Rain days | 11 | 12 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Off season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.7 | 4.2 |
| Month rank | #8 | #11 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.7 | #12 | 56°F | 43°F | 56°F | 14 | 1.7 | Off season |
| February | 4.2 | #11 | 57°F | 43°F | 55°F | 12 | 2.2 | Off season |
| March | 5.7 | #8 | 61°F | 45°F | 55°F | 11 | 3.7 | Low season |
| April | 6.6 | #7 | 65°F | 48°F | 57°F | 10 | 4.7 | Low season |
| May | 7.1 | #5 | 69°F | 52°F | 60°F | 9 | 5.9 | Low season |
| June | 7.4 | #3 | 74°F | 57°F | 65°F | 8 | 7.1 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.2 | #4 | 78°F | 61°F | 70°F | 5 | 8.6 | Busy season |
| August | 6.8 | #6 | 79°F | 61°F | 72°F | 6 | 8.8 | Peak season |
| September | 7.7 | #2 | 75°F | 59°F | 70°F | 8 | 7.8 | Moderate season |
| October | 7.8 | #1 | 71°F | 55°F | 66°F | 8 | 6.9 | Low season |
| November | 5.3 | #9 | 62°F | 49°F | 62°F | 14 | 3.3 | Low season |
| December | 4.6 | #10 | 58°F | 46°F | 58°F | 13 | 2.6 | 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.
Basque CountrySpain · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Good weather, 60°F (16°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
AsturiasSpain · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 5.6 · Fair weather, 61°F (16°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
La RiojaSpain · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 7.7 · Very good weather, 60°F (16°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Castile and LeónSpain · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Good weather, 57°F (14°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
NavarreSpain · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 7.6 · Good weather, 59°F (15°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Elsewhere in Europe
Better March weather than Cantabria
Cantabria's weather ranks 42 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Spain have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Cantabria.
Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus ValleyPortugal · about 360 miles
Good weather (5.6): 4°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Setúbal PeninsulaPortugal · about 410 miles
Good weather (5.9): 4°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
The AlgarvePortugal · about 460 miles
Good weather (6.6): 6°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
French Riviera & ProvenceFrance · about 510 miles
Good weather (5.1): about as warm, 7 fewer rain days, pricier
MadeiraPortugal · about 1010 miles
Good weather (6.3): 5°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 18% of the busiest month and 48% below its average month. That means about 8,700 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 85% of them from Spain itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 3,500 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 53 |
| How our weather was checked | 16 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.8°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 15 |
| Busiest month here | August · 82 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 75th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 85% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 41 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.0% |
| Population used | 594,000 |
| Statistical region | ES13 · Cantabria |
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; the first figure is regional (INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room). Full method · this region's data.