Early March 1 March
50°F
Typical afternoon high
31% historical wet-day frequency
Switzerland · Mountains
Lake Geneva & Valais
in March.
Is March a good time?
Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than February.
March averages 54°F afternoons, with about 9 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 54°F
- Rain days
- 9
- Visitor demand
- 73%of August peak
Historical Région lémanique regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Zermatt and Verbier; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.1/10 · scores & prioritiesThis weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#9 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather5.8/10Good
CrowdsBusy seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, one of Europe's busiest 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 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 35°F (1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 9 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 06:46 and sets about 18:35 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 35°F (1°C); afternoons reach about 54°F (12°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical March.
Typical afternoon
54°F (12°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Marches
Night low
35°F (1°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 58°F on the 31st.
Mid March 15 March
55°F
Typical afternoon high
28% historical wet-day frequency
Late March 31 March
58°F
Typical afternoon high
30% 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: 29 Mar Easter Monday.
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° | 250° | 350° | 450° | 551° | 651° | 752° |
| 852° | 953° | 1053° | 1153° | 1253° | 1354° | 1454° |
| 1555° | 1655° | 1755° | 1855° | 1955° | 2055° | 2156° |
| 2256° | 2356° | 2456° | 2556° | 2657° | 2757° | 2857° |
| 2957° | 3058° | 3158° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 51°F (10°C) in the first week to 57°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 25–32%.
Some schools here are off between 26 and 31 March 2027 (Easter holidays); the dates differ across the region. Other school-holiday dates this month may be missing. Public holidays: 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.)
Crowds, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Busy season. March averages 73% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than February.
Overnight stays across Région lémanique do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
A little above 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.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK, Newark and Washington Dulles; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
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 (10°C) and 58°F (15°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 54°F (12°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 15; half the years had 6–12.
Rain days in each March
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 14 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 | 55°F | 6 |
| 2012 | 58°F | 4 |
| 2013 | 49°F | 12 |
| 2014 | 56°F | 5 |
| 2015 | 53°F | 9 |
| 2016 | 51°F | 10 |
| 2017 | 58°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 49°F | 15 |
| 2019 | 54°F | 12 |
| 2020 | 54°F | 9 |
| 2021 | 53°F | 8 |
| 2022 | 56°F | 4 |
| 2023 | 55°F | 14 |
| 2024 | 57°F | 14 |
| 2025 | 56°F | 8 |
Checked against 23 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
February, March
or April?
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 47°F | 54°F | 61°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 99% | 73% | 51% |
February: Cooler afternoons than March. More overnight demand. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons than March. Less overnight demand. 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.
April to May and October to November have fewer overnight stays than March, with a similar or higher Weather score.
Your comparison
March or February?
Overnight stays are 99% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the February guide →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 54°F | 47°F |
| Nights | 35°F | 30°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 8 |
| Visitor season | Busy season | Peak season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Month rank | #9 | #12 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.1 | #11 | 43°F | 28°F | 14 | 3.9 | Busy season |
| February | 3.8 | #12 | 47°F | 30°F | 8 | 4.8 | Peak season |
| March | 5.1 | #9 | 54°F | 35°F | 9 | 5.8 | Busy season |
| April | 6.2 | #5 | 61°F | 40°F | 9 | 6.8 | Moderate season |
| May | 6.4 | #3 | 66°F | 47°F | 12 | 7.1 | Moderate season |
| June | 6.4 | #2 | 75°F | 55°F | 11 | 8.2 | Busy season |
| July | 5.6 | #7 | 78°F | 58°F | 10 | 8.4 | Peak season |
| August | 5.6 | #8 | 79°F | 57°F | 9 | 8.4 | Peak season |
| September | 6.4 | #1 | 71°F | 51°F | 9 | 8.3 | Busy season |
| October | 6.4 | #4 | 63°F | 44°F | 9 | 7.0 | Moderate season |
| November | 5.9 | #6 | 51°F | 36°F | 11 | 5.0 | Moderate season |
| December | 4.4 | #10 | 44°F | 30°F | 14 | 4.0 | Busy 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.
Bern & the Bernese OberlandSwitzerland · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Good weather, 53°F (12°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
Aosta ValleyItaly · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 6.1 · Good weather, 52°F (11°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Lyon & the French AlpsRhône-Alpes · France · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 6.3 · Good weather, 58°F (14°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Very good weather, 59°F (15°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
French Riviera & ProvenceFrance · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 6.6 · Good weather, 61°F (16°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Better March weather than Lake Geneva & Valais
Lake Geneva & Valais' weather ranks 17 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Switzerland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Lake Geneva & Valais.
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's busy season, 73% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 47,000 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 49% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,400 more: 20 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 64 |
| How our weather was checked | 23 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 2°F (0.8°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 27 |
| Busiest month here | August · 37 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.6% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 92nd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 49% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 20 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 3.1% |
| National hotel-price season | Switzerland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.8 million |
| Statistical region | CH01 · Région lémanique |
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.