South Africa, Africa
Cape Town in March
Still summery with softening crowds, harvest season in the winelands, and calmer days on the mountain.
The straight answer
March is one of the best months of the year to visit Cape Town. Still summery with softening crowds, harvest season in the winelands, and calmer days on the mountain.
- Weather
- Warm, highs near 77F (25C), settled
- Crowds
- 3 of 5
- Prices
- 4 of 5
What March is like in Cape Town
March keeps the summer feel with fewer people. Highs sit near 77F (25C), the weather is settled, and the wind is calmer than midsummer, so the mountain is open more often. Crowds soften after the first weeks, though prices stay fairly high. Harvest is in full swing in the winelands, and the evenings are still warm enough to eat outside.
March suits almost everyone: couples, families outside school breaks, hikers and food and wine travelers. The one catch is event weekends. The Cape Town Cycle Tour closes peninsula roads for a Sunday, and the jazz festival, when it lands in late March, fills downtown hotels. Check both dates before you book, or plan around them.
Make the most of March
What is especially good about Cape Town this month.
Cape Town Cycle Tour
One of the world's largest timed cycle races laps the peninsula on a Sunday. Ride it if you entered, or watch from the route, but avoid planning a peninsula drive that day.
Jazz festival weekend
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival often falls in late March. It brings big international lineups, and rooms downtown sell out.
Harvest lunches in Franschhoek
The Franschhoek wine tram hops between estates, so nobody has to drive. Harvest season makes the valley feel busy and alive.
Clear hiking days
Settled weather and softer heat make it a good month for Lion's Head or the Platteklip Gorge route up Table Mountain. Start early to beat the sun.
What to pack for March
- Sturdy walking shoes for mountain trails
- Sunscreen and a refillable water bottle
- A light fleece for early starts and cooler evenings
- A day pack for winelands and hiking days
Our timing tip
Look up this year's Cycle Tour Sunday before you plan the peninsula loop, and do Chapman's Peak and Cape Point on a different day.
Book Cape Town for March.
Sponsored links to Expedia and Vrbo. We may earn a commission; it never changes a verdict.
- Hotels for March
Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Cape TownOpens a hotel search for Cape Town in March, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
- Rentals on Vrbo
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in Cape TownWhole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
- Tours and tickets
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in Cape TownTimed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Cape Town for March. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
What's on in March
Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
Roughly November through April, on Sundays
Open-air concerts on the garden lawns with the mountain behind the stage. Bring a picnic; big-name shows sell out early.
Cape Town Cycle Tour
Usually a Sunday in March
One of the world's largest timed cycling events laps the peninsula, closing roads for the day and filling the city with riders.
Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Usually late March or early April
The 'Africa's grandest gathering' jazz weekend, drawing international lineups and full hotels downtown.
Things to do in Cape Town
Table Mountain
Ride the cableway up or hike Platteklip Gorge. Go the first clear, still morning of your trip, not the day your plan says: wind closes the cableway and cloud erases the view without notice.
The Cape Peninsula loop
Chapman's Peak Drive, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Point in one spectacular day's circuit. Start early to reach the point before the buses.
Boulders Beach penguins
A resident African penguin colony on sheltered granite coves near Simon's Town. Boardwalk viewing year-round; mornings are calmer, in both crowds and penguins.
Robben Island
The former prison island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years, reached by ferry from the V&A Waterfront, with former political prisoners among the guides. Book ahead; ferries cancel in rough seas.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
One of the world's great botanical gardens, set against the mountain's eastern slopes. From roughly November to April, Sunday sunset concerts on the lawns are a Cape Town institution.
The winelands: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
Historic estates, tastings, and long lunches under oaks. The Franschhoek wine tram solves the driving problem; harvest runs roughly February to April.
Beat the crowds
- Sequence by weather, not by itinerary: do Table Mountain the first clear, windless morning, keep the peninsula loop and winelands as flexible swaps, and never save the mountain for the last day.
- Book the cableway online and ride before 9am, or hike up Platteklip and ride down: the midday queue in season can run past an hour at each end.
- Reach Cape Point and Boulders before 10am; both absorb the tour-bus wave from late morning, and penguins are livelier early anyway.
- Skip the December 15 to January 5 window if you have any choice: it is the national summer holiday, and the whole region operates at capacity with prices to match.
Know before you go
- The Table Mountain cableway closes for wind, frequently in the December and January southeaster season, and typically pauses for a couple of weeks of annual maintenance in late July into early August. Check the live status the morning you go; the mountain makes its own schedule.
- Robben Island ferries cancel in rough winter seas and rebook you onward, so put the tour early in the trip, not on departure eve.
- Winter, June through August, closes very little but changes character: some seasonal beach-strip businesses shorten hours, boat trips cancel more often, and the Kirstenbosch concerts pause, while museums, wineries, and restaurants run all year. The city never seasonally shuts the way resort coasts do.
- Whales and wildflowers are strictly seasonal: whales along the Overberg coast roughly June to November, West Coast blooms roughly August into September. Outside those windows they are simply not there, no matter what a tour listing implies.
Cape Town in March, quick answers
Is March a good time to visit Cape Town?
March is one of the best months of the year to visit Cape Town. Still summery with softening crowds, harvest season in the winelands, and calmer days on the mountain.
What is the weather like in Cape Town in March?
Warm, highs near 77F (25C), settled.
Is Cape Town crowded in March?
Crowds in Cape Town are moderate in March; timed bookings still help at the biggest sights.
What is happening in Cape Town in March?
Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts (roughly november through april, on sundays); Cape Town Cycle Tour (usually a sunday in march); Cape Town International Jazz Festival (usually late march or early april).
Keep planning Cape Town.
The months either side, and the best one if this is not it.
Also at their best in March
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