Where to Travel in March
Cherry blossoms in the east, jacarandas in Mexico, and the last easy month in the desert belt.
The straight answer
The best places to travel in March are Japan as cherry blossom season begins, Mexico City in jacaranda spring, Washington, DC for the Tidal Basin blossoms, and Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco in their last comfortable stretch before summer heat.
March is a transition month, and transition months reward people who read the fine print. In Japan, the cherry blossom wave typically begins in late March in Tokyo and Kyoto, the single most famous timing play in world travel. Washington, DC usually follows the same rhythm around the Tidal Basin. Mexico City turns purple with jacaranda bloom in its dry, sunny spring.
The desert belt has one foot out the door. Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Dubai are all still comfortable in March, and by May parts of them will not be. If a Nile cruise or Petra is on your list, March is one of the smartest months of the year to do it.
The fine print: March is spring break in the United States, which turns Florida beaches and Cancun into a crowd event. Northern Thailand's burning season fills the air around Chiang Mai with smoke. And the Southeast Asian hot season begins its climb. Pick the right March and it is glorious; pick the wrong one and you are sharing it with half a university.
The world in March
Our March picks, ranked
- 01
Tokyo, JapanAsia
Cherry blossom season typically opens in late March, and the city celebrates with picnics under every tree. Book far ahead; bloom timing varies year to year, so pad your dates.
- 02
Kyoto, JapanAsia
Late March brings the first blossoms to the temple gardens and the Philosopher's Path. Even pre-bloom, early March means thin crowds and plum blossoms.
- 03
Mexico City, MexicoNorth America
Dry season, 75F (24C) afternoons, and jacaranda trees turning whole avenues purple. One of the best big-city months anywhere in the Americas.
- 04
Washington, DC, United StatesNorth America
The Tidal Basin cherry blossoms typically peak from late March into early April. The National Mall in bloom is one of the great free spectacles in American travel.
- 05
EgyptAfrica
Warm but not yet punishing: Luxor and Aswan in the 80s F (around 30C), ideal Nile cruise weather before the real heat arrives by May.
- 06
MoroccoAfrica
Spring hits the imperial cities: Marrakech in the upper 70s F (about 25C), green valleys in the Atlas, and comfortable desert nights.
- 07
JordanMiddle East
Petra and Wadi Rum in mild spring conditions, with wildflowers appearing in the north. One of the two classic windows for Jordan, and the greener one.
- 08
Costa RicaCentral America & Caribbean
The dry season's final full month on the Pacific side. Hot, sunny, and busy; book popular lodges ahead of the spring break wave.
- 09
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesMiddle East
The last reliably comfortable month, with highs near 82F (28C), before the Gulf begins its climb toward summer furnace temperatures.
- 10
VietnamAsia
A sweet spot across regions: the south still dry, the central beaches entering their best months, and Hanoi starting to shake off the winter drizzle.
Closer to home
The US in March
Arizona
Spring training baseball, desert wildflowers, and 75F (24C) hiking weather in Sedona and the Superstitions. March is Arizona's headline month.
Texas Hill Country
Bluebonnet season typically begins in late March along the roadsides between Austin and Fredericksburg, in the state's best weather window.
Southern Utah
Zion, Bryce, and Arches in mild spring temperatures before the summer heat and the biggest crowds. Watch for busy spring break weeks.
Great Smoky Mountains
The early wildflower season stirs at lower elevations, and March weekdays are some of the quietest of the year in America's most visited national park.
New Mexico
White Sands, Santa Fe, and desert trails in cool, sunny spring conditions, well before the summer heat and monsoon pattern.
Charleston
Azaleas and early blooms open the Lowcountry spring, with warm days arriving before the summer humidity.
Worth flying for
March events and spectacles
Late March into early April, with peak bloom varying a week or two year to year · Washington, DC
Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC
Three thousand cherry trees, one unforgettable week, and a bloom date that refuses to be pinned down.
Late March through April, moving south to north across the country · Japan nationwide, sweeping south to north
Cherry Blossom Season in Japan
The sakura front rolls up the entire country, and the whole nation goes outside to meet it.
Late February or March, on the full moon of the Hindu month of Phalguna; the date moves with the lunar calendar · India nationwide, best known in Mathura, Vrindavan & Jaipur
Holi in India
The festival of colors turns the whole country into a two-day explosion of pigment, music, and mischief.
September through March, whenever nights are dark; the equinox months and deep winter each have their own case · Iceland, Norway & Finnish and Swedish Lapland
Northern Lights Season
The aurora borealis runs on dark skies, not luck alone: stack the odds and the sky performs.
November through March, with the butterflies arriving around early November and the liveliest viewing in the warming weeks of late January and February · Michoacan, Mexico
Monarch Butterfly Migration in Mexico
A hundred million butterflies wintering in the mountain firs: one of the last great wildlife spectacles on Earth.
The honesty section
Where March works against you
- ✕Northern Thailand. Burning season: agricultural fires around Chiang Mai and the north typically push air quality to its worst from roughly February into April. The islands are a better Thailand play this month.
- ✕Cancun and spring break Florida. March is peak US spring break. Beaches, flights, and hotel rates across Cancun, Miami, and the Florida coasts surge with the college crowd. Go elsewhere or go in April.
- ✕The plains of India. The heat is building fast: Delhi, Agra, and Rajasthan push into the 90s F (mid 30s C) by late March, and it only gets worse from here until the monsoon.
- ✕Yellowstone by car. Still winter at altitude, with most park roads closed to regular vehicles until spring plowing, which typically runs from late April into May.
Quick answers
March travel FAQ
Where is hot in March?
The Riviera Maya, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Thailand's islands are reliably hot and dry. Dubai and Egypt run warm without summer's extremes, and the southern hemisphere is still warm in Cape Town and Sydney.
Where should I avoid in March?
Northern Thailand during burning season, Cancun and Florida during peak spring break, and the Indian plains as the pre-monsoon heat builds. Yellowstone's roads remain closed to cars.
When exactly do the cherry blossoms bloom?
It varies year to year. Tokyo and Kyoto typically begin in late March with peak bloom often in early April, and Washington, DC usually peaks from late March into early April. Build a trip with a few flexible days rather than betting on one date.
Is March a good time for Europe?
It is a sleeper. Paris, Rome, and Barcelona are waking up with early spring weather, soft prices, and short lines, though you should pack for changeable days. It is one of the best value windows before Easter crowds arrive.