Portugal in March: Weather in 10 Cities, Ranked

In March, typical highs across the 10 cities we cover run from 14.3 °C to 18.9 °C, nights are cool, and the north gets the most rain. Demand runs from 39% to 81% of August’s overnight stays, so every city is quieter than in summer.

We ranked the 10 cities for March with one rule: mild, dry and not too full scores best. The score runs from 0 to 1. In March no city gets above 0.29.

What is the weather like in Portugal in March?

March weather in Portugal is mild by day and cool at night. Typical daytime highs run from 14.3 °C (58 °F) in Braga to 18.9 °C (66 °F) in Evora. Rain is heaviest in the north: Braga gets 3.8 mm a day and Porto 3.6 mm. The south and Madeira are drier.

The table shows the high and the low. The score uses a separate long-term mean of day and night, so it can read a little colder than sites that print only the high.

Weather in Porto in March

Porto is wet in March and already fairly busy. It gets 3.6 mm of rain a day and is at 67% of its August overnight stays, which puts it 8th of the 10 cities. Typical highs are 15.4 °C (60 °F) and lows 9.3 °C (49 °F). The Porto best-time page shows every month for the city.

Algarve weather in March

The Algarve is the warmest part of the mainland in March, measured day and night together. Lagos has highs of 16.5 °C (62 °F) and lows of 12.8 °C (55 °F). Faro has a warmer afternoon, 17.3 °C (63 °F), and a cooler night, 11.7 °C (53 °F). Lagos is also the quietest city of the 10 in March, at 39% of August. Compare the full year on the Lagos best-time page and the Faro best-time page.

Madeira weather in March

Funchal, on Madeira, has the mildest March in our set. Highs are 17.8 °C (64 °F) and lows 15.6 °C (60 °F), and it gets the least rain, 1.4 mm a day. It is also the busiest in March, at 81% of its August level. It still ranks first because our rule weighs mild, dry weather more than crowds. See the Funchal best-time page for the rest of the year.

Which part of Portugal is warmest in March?

It depends on the hour. Evora, inland in the Alentejo, has the warmest March afternoons of the 10 cities at 18.9 °C (66 °F), but drops to 6.9 °C (44 °F) at night. Funchal on Madeira is the warmest across the whole day, with a mean of 16.3 °C (61 °F). On the mainland, Lagos is warmest overall.

The coldest city in March is Braga in the north: highs of 14.3 °C (58 °F) and lows of 4.5 °C (40 °F). Coimbra is close behind at night, at 5.5 °C (42 °F).

Is March a good time to visit Portugal?

March is a good time for quiet cities, not for warmth. In each of the 10 cities, March ranks between 7th and 10th of 12 months on our score. Funchal has the best March of the 10, yet March is only its 10th-best month. If you want mild weather and fewer people, go south or to Madeira.

Summer and early autumn score higher because they are warmer and drier. If your dates are fixed in March, use the table above to pick where to go. The Lagos city guide and the Funchal city guide cover the two top picks.

Is Portugal crowded in March? The Easter effect

Portugal is not crowded in March, except around Easter. We compared overnight stays from INE, Statistics Portugal, for March and April in 2023, 2024 and 2025. April was busier than March in every city and every year. But in 2024, when Easter fell on 31 March, March came closest to April in 8 of our 10 cities. Easter 2027 falls on 28 March.

Read this as a pattern from one year, not a forecast. INE publishes monthly totals, so we cannot see which week was busy. Two cities break the pattern: in Braga March came closest in 2025, and in Faro 2023 and 2024 are level. So expect a busier end of March in 2027, not a certain one.

Is it better to visit Portugal in March or April?

April scores higher than March in 9 of the 10 cities on our rule, mostly because it is a little warmer. Lagos is a tie, at 0.28 in both months. April is also busier in all 10 cities. In Lagos, the share of August rises from 39% to 55%.

April is slightly milder, while March gives you more room. In Funchal the gap is small on both sides. Our score is 0.29 in March and 0.33 in April, and INE counts 81% and 85% of August’s overnight stays.

Can you swim in Portugal in March?

We cannot answer this yet. We have no sourced sea-temperature data for these cities. Air temperature alone does not tell you how cold the water is, so we do not guess.

Is March a cheap month to visit Portugal?

March is a low-demand month, but we cannot say it is cheap. INE counts overnight stays, not prices. Demand in March runs from 39% of August in Lagos to 81% in Funchal. We have no monthly price data, so we do not claim March costs less.

For what a trip costs in one city, see what a trip to Porto costs, built from official ticket prices and open lodging data.

What to pack for Portugal in March

Pack a warm layer for evenings and a rain jacket if you go north. These are the numbers behind that advice:

• Nights are cold inland. Braga drops to 4.5 °C (40 °F), Coimbra to 5.5 °C (42 °F) and Evora to 6.9 °C (44 °F).
• The north is wet. Braga gets 3.8 mm of rain a day in March and Porto 3.6 mm. Funchal gets 1.4 mm.

If your phone plan does not cover Portugal, our page on eSIM options for Portugal compares two brands on what their own pages say.

What this page cannot tell you

Figures as of October 2026. Not covered: sea temperature, daylight hours, festivals and prices. Our climate figures are for a grid square of 0.5 by 0.625 degrees, about 56 by 54 km, not a city weather station. Near the coast that square mixes in sea air, so day and night are closer together than in town. Lisbon is not in our 10 cities.