Early March 1 March
50°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
Switzerland · Countryside
Basel & northwest Switzerland
in March.
Is March a good time?
Cool days.
A steady visitor season.
March averages 55°F afternoons, with about 11 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 55°F
- Rain days
- 11
- Visitor demand
- 69%of June peak
Historical Nordwestschweiz regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Basel; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.4/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather6.1/10Good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Switzerland-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 55°F (13°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.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 12 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 06:43 and sets about 18:32 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 35°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 55°F (13°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical March.
Typical afternoon
55°F (13°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
35°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
11h 49m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late March?
Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 50°F on the 1st, versus 59°F on the 31st.
Mid March 15 March
56°F
Typical afternoon high
32% historical wet-day frequency
Late March 31 March
59°F
Typical afternoon high
35% 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150° | 251° | 351° | 451° | 552° | 652° | 753° |
| 853° | 954° | 1054° | 1154° | 1254° | 1355° | 1455° |
| 1556° | 1656° | 1756° | 1856° | 1956° | 2056° | 2156° |
| 2257° | 2357° | 2457° | 2557° | 2658° | 2758° | 2858° |
| 2958° | 3058° | 3159° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 51°F (11°C) in the first week to 58°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 30–36%.
Some schools here are off between 20 and 31 March 2027 (spring holidays); the dates differ across the region. Public holidays: 26 Mar Good Friday. 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.)
Crowds and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Steady all year. March averages 69% of June's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Nordwestschweiz 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?
About 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.
Switzerland as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 171 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 49°F (9°C) and 59°F (15°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 55°F (13°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 17; half the years had 8–15.
Rain days in each March
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
7 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
14 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 | 56°F | 8 |
| 2012 | 59°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 49°F | 17 |
| 2014 | 58°F | 5 |
| 2015 | 55°F | 10 |
| 2016 | 52°F | 12 |
| 2017 | 59°F | 12 |
| 2018 | 51°F | 15 |
| 2019 | 55°F | 12 |
| 2020 | 54°F | 9 |
| 2021 | 54°F | 11 |
| 2022 | 58°F | 3 |
| 2023 | 56°F | 15 |
| 2024 | 58°F | 16 |
| 2025 | 56°F | 9 |
Checked against 7 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
February, March
or April?
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 47°F | 55°F | 62°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| Overnight demand | 62% | 69% | 76% |
February: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than March. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons than March. 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.
Hotel stays vary little through the year. April to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than March.
Your comparison
March or February?
Overnight stays vary little through the year.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the February guide →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 55°F | 47°F |
| Nights | 35°F | 30°F |
| Rain days | 11 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 5.4 | 4.9 |
| Month rank | #8 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.3 | #12 | 43°F | 30°F | 15 | 4.0 | Steady all year |
| February | 4.9 | #9 | 47°F | 30°F | 9 | 5.0 | Steady all year |
| March | 5.4 | #8 | 55°F | 35°F | 11 | 6.1 | Steady all year |
| April | 5.9 | #6 | 62°F | 41°F | 10 | 7.1 | Steady all year |
| May | 6.0 | #5 | 68°F | 48°F | 15 | 7.4 | Steady all year |
| June | 6.3 | #4 | 77°F | 56°F | 13 | 8.0 | Steady all year |
| July | 6.4 | #2 | 79°F | 58°F | 13 | 8.0 | Steady all year |
| August | 6.4 | #3 | 79°F | 57°F | 11 | 7.9 | Steady all year |
| September | 6.5 | #1 | 71°F | 51°F | 11 | 8.4 | Steady all year |
| October | 5.8 | #7 | 62°F | 44°F | 11 | 7.0 | Steady all year |
| November | 4.8 | #10 | 51°F | 36°F | 12 | 5.0 | Steady all year |
| December | 4.4 | #11 | 45°F | 32°F | 16 | 4.2 | Steady all year |
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.
ZurichSwitzerland · about 30 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Good weather, 54°F (12°C) · Steady all year · Cost expensive
Lucerne & central Switzerlandabout 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.7 · Good weather, 54°F (12°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Very good weather, 59°F (15°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
TyrolInnsbruck · Austria · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 5.7 · Good weather, 52°F (11°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Munich & Upper BavariaGermany · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Good weather, 53°F (12°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better March weather than Basel & northwest Switzerland
Basel & northwest Switzerland's weather ranks 43 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Switzerland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Basel & northwest Switzerland.
Tirana & central Albaniaabout 740 miles
Very good weather (7.1): 7°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
Castilla-La ManchaSpain · about 770 miles
Very good weather (7.3): 6°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
ExtremaduraSpain · about 910 miles
Very good weather (7.8): 9°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
AlentejoPortugal · about 1020 miles
Very good weather (8.1): 10°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 69% of the busiest and 17% below average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 6,900 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 47% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 740 more: 11 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 66 |
| How our weather was checked | 7 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (0.9°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 6 |
| Busiest month here | June · 8 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.6% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 26th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 47% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 11 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.6% |
| National hotel-price season | Switzerland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.2 million |
| Statistical region | CH03 · Nordwestschweiz |
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.