11 of The Absolute Best Places to Travel in March

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Whether you’re in the southern or northern hemisphere, March just seems like a good time for a vacation, right?

You’re either dead sick of winter and just praying for warm summer cocktail-in-hand days, or you’re about to welcome the Autumn leaves as the days grow shorter and cooler. This means that you may need to find warm places to visit in March before winter sets in!

March vacations are great in that it’s an in-between season, and many places have off-peak rates and specials available. There are many wildflowers blooming in Spring, and many festivals happening all over the world.

No matter what you’re hopping on a plane for, we think that March is the perfect time to do it! For this very reason, we’ve compiled this useful guide to all the absolute best places to vacation in March, for a variety of reasons, and to different seasons.

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Best Places to Visit in March for Beach Bums

White sandy beaches and sun-kissed skin? Yes, please! These are the best places to visit in March to spend the days soaking up the sunshine on palm-lined beaches!

Tulum, Mexico

Find the perfect weather in Mexico, with high 20’s and low 30’s all month! This magical coastal Caribbean town has something for everyone – romantic hideaways in tropical jungle surrounds, luxury resorts with elegant designs, eco-conscious accommodation to get in touch with your roots – whatever type of traveller you are, we can guarantee the beach is great!

Spend your days soaking up the sun, reading in a hammock, or exploring the ancient ruins. You’re guaranteed to love the powdery sand and turquoise seas! End the day with a cocktail at one of the beachside restaurants that have been integrated into the lush jungle environment!

tulum-mexico

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The astonishing seaside city in Brazil, famed for its Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, is the perfect beachside destination for a March vacation.

With world-famous beaches and tropical rainforests, surrounded by scenic mountains and a bustling city, Rio de Janeiro may have one of the most unique landscapes in the world! The weather in Rio is warm year-round, making it the perfect beach lovers’ destination.

What makes this iconic city such a great place to visit in March, however, is the Rio Carnival! The city puts on one of the most festive events, with 2 million people from across the globe parading the city’s streets.

Carnival is held each year before the beginning of Lent. It’s a week-long extravaganza of music, dancing, and feasting, followed by a whole load of beaching! The city is thriving with energy and we know no better way to recoup than a day on one of Rio’s most beautiful beaches!

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San Juan, Puerto Rico

Wondering where to travel in March for some festivals? San Juan is Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city. Its idyllic location on the islands Atlantic coast makes it the perfect beach vacation destination!

The cobblestoned Old San Juan boasts massive fortresses and sweeping ocean views, with colourful Spanish colonial buildings and incredible 16th-century landmarks.

Besides the gorgeous warm weather which makes it the perfect place for a beach getaway, Puerto Rico comes alive with festival after festival in the month of March! You’ll get to sip rum at the Rum festival at the start of the month, or sangria at the Sangria festival during the second week of March!

Towards the end of the month, they host a Coffee and Chocolate Expo, to end your break with a good taste in your mouth as well as tan on your skin! Circo Fest is also held in March and features many outdoor street acts, live music, dancing, acrobatics, art and loads more!

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Best Places to go in March for the Culture

With such an array of weird and wonderful people, tribes and cultures all over the planet – it’s a joy to escape a mundane reality for another unknown life to discover. These are the best places to go in March to delve into another culture.

Dublin, Ireland

Head on over to Ireland’s capital for the unforgettable festive experience of St. Patrick’s Day! To be sure, this is one not to be missed if you’re looking for a cultural excursion.

The city comes to life with a lively 5-day festival that kicks off before St. Paddy’s Day, on the 14th of March, with the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on the 17th.

You can expect a raucous beer-fueled event with four-leaf clovers, Irish costumes, packed pubs and sshhluring Irishmen! Make sure you don’t miss out on visiting the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Storehouse for a truly Irish experience!

If you’re lucky enough to have more time to explore the rest of the country, there’s much to discover! The stunning Cliffs of Moher, Killarney National Park, the Ring of Kerry, and the many hospitable towns along the way are well worth the trip!

dublin-ireland

Delhi, India

For a culturally rich vacation in March, India is a great option. It’s the end of the dry season and also marks the start of Holi, which is the Hindu holiday that celebrates the beginning of Spring!

Holi is also known as the festival of colours, and the cities and towns of India come alive with light and colours, creating a vibrant uplifting atmosphere.

The festival is celebrated the day after the full moon in March to commemorate the victory of good over evil, as well as a spring festival in many parts of the country. You can expect an exuberant festival of colours, with people smearing coloured powder all over each other’s faces, and throwing coloured water at each other.

There’s a lively atmosphere of people having parties, and dancing under water sprinklers, as well as special events with music, rain dances and an abundance of colour in celebration!

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Agrigento, Sicily

Agrigento lies on a hilltop overlooking the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas. It’s the perfect countryside holiday destination near the southern coast of Sicily. Home to the Valle dei Templi, or Valley of the Temples, it’s on any avid travellers bucket list.

This national monument of Italy is an incredible collection of seven ancient Greek temples from the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. With some of the best-preserved Greek temples discovered to date, and the contrasting ruins with beaches lining the Mediterranean Sea just a short distance away.

March is the perfect time to visit Agrigento in Sicily, as the arrival of Spring is celebrated with the Almond Blossom Festival. This is one of the most famous events in Sicily, celebrating the blossoming of the almond trees which cover Agrigento’s picturesque countryside.

You can expect cheerful crowds, musical instruments, and folk groups filling the serene streets for a week, with traditional Sicilian cart parades and live performances bringing a Spring joy to the town.

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Valencia, Spain

Valencia is the third-largest city in Spain lying on Spain’s eastern coast. It’s home to paella, spectacular nightlife and exquisite shopping!

The perfect place to embrace the Spanish lifestyle as you wander through narrow streets that are filled with cafes, tapas bars, boutiques, museums and enticing nightlife. Every March in Valencia, the 5-day Spring celebration of Las Fallas festival commence.

Believed to have begun as a celebration of San Jose, the festival today now revolves around the creation of larger-than-life figurines.

You’ll get to meander through streets filled with paper-mâché, cardboard, Styrofoam, or wooden human-sized figures that have been carefully constructed over the previous year. These figurines are often making fun of Spanish celebrities and politicians.

The momentous last night of the festival is celebrated with a parade of the ninots, followed by a tremendous bonfire under an exuberant colourful fireworks display!\

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Places to Visit in March on an Island

If island-style is more your style, you’re in luck. With many tropical islands and idyllic paradise beaches to choose from across the globe!

French Polynesia

March is the time in French Polynesia when the rainy season is coming to an end, humidity is reducing and the temperatures are ideal for a tropical off-peak season vacation. With white and black palm-lined beaches and turquoise seas that are full of rich marine life, surrounded by lush forests, it’s an idyllic island vacation destination.

These exotic islands are ideal diving and snorkelling spots, with an abundance of colourful fish, sea turtles, manta rays, and relatively unscathed coral reefs.

For outdoor adventurers – surfing, kite surfing, and swimming in tropical lagoons are also some of the tourist’s favourite activities! If you’re looking for secluded beaches and lagoons to fill your month of March, one of the villas on an incredible French Polynesia Island may be just the place for you.

french-polynesia

Anguilla, Eastern Caribbean

This northernmost island in the eastern Caribbean offers the perfect dry, warm climate for an island destination. With 33 white-sand beaches and coral reefs perfect for abundant sea life surrounding the fascinating shipwrecks.

This island is perfect for a diving and snorkelling escape with luscious tropical island weather and many outdoor activities. March is an even better time to go, with the Caribbean’s oldest independent music festival – Moonsplash – being held towards the end of the month.

Get into the island vibe as you jam for three days to top reggae performers on Rendezvous Beach. March also sees the annual Festival Del Mar Anguilla which celebrates the sea with fishing competitions, crab races, swimming races, cooking contests and live music for two days!

caribbean-anguilla

Where to go in March for Mountains

Consider yourself a bit of a mountain goat? Looking for the best vacation spots in March? We’ve chosen some of the most picturesque landscapes with soaring peaks to discover and conquer!

Patagonia, Chile

March is an ideal time to visit Patagonia, with the summer season dwindling but the sun still shining and tourism slowing down. As the crowds and the prices drop off, there is a glimpse of Autumn and offers the perfect time to visit places like Tierra Patagonia.

If you want to spend your March vacation marvelling at architecturally stunning mountains and sprawling National Parks, then this is the perfect place to do it. Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares are also more peaceful and serene at this time of year.

This is still a great weather month in Patagonia for outdoor adventures with mostly dry skies and pleasant temperatures. For outdoor adventurers, you’re able to conquer the “W” trek in Torres del Paine National Park, where you’ll hike past scenic turquoise lakes, emerald forests, roaring rivers, and a massive glacier while camping along the journey.

patagonia-chile

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa is home to one of the 7 wonders of nature and constantly rated as one of the top travel destinations in the world. By March, the hot summer temperatures have reached their ideal medium, and the fierce summerly southeaster wind has calmed down.

This makes the perfect scenario for outdoor activities like sea kayaking, shark cage diving, paragliding, and of course hiking Table Mountain. The “March Lilies” are flowering all over the city and there’s a warm atmosphere of contentment and beach-life!

This being harvest time, there is also frenetic activity at all of the nearby wine estates and many jovial festivals that make the most of the perfect temperatures and glorious blue-sky days! So if perfect beach weather with majestic mountains and alluring vineyards sounds like your kind of Spring break – this is without a doubt one of the best places to travel in March!

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Final Thoughts on the Best Place to Travel in March

March is marvellous for many reasons across the continent, and depending on your travel needs and expectations, there’s a place that offers an ideal March vacation for you!

From gorgeous white-sand beaches to tropical seas and coral reefs, mountains and cultural festivals, the world is a playground of awe and wonder just waiting to be discovered during the best March vacations.

The only real question left is, what are you waiting for? The most idyllic places are calling your name, and you’re only a flight (and maybe a few months) away!

Matt Davison
Matt has done marketing for travel and tourism for over a decade. His first love is SEO, with entrepreneurship hotter on its heels than a girlfriend. When he is not looking up flights back to his next destination, you can find him in the garden, making excuses to walk Rusty, strategizing with the team and tinkering on sites until the early morning.