Spring has landed and the Northern Hemisphere is hotting up, fast. Many regions are entering their high season, with prices and crowds on the rise. But the best warm places to visit in March include plenty of crowd-free beach time too.
Across Central and South America, beach resorts are dusting off the loungers and firing up the cocktail blenders. Anticipation rises with the temperatures, so expect an uptick in competition for the best stays and book early. It’s also the first month of the year when the mainland US can really claim to be a beach destination again, with fantastic options on both coasts. Here’s where’s hot in March.
| Destination | Avg. temp | Avg. hours of sun/daylight |
|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine | 63°F | 12 |
| Carmel-by-the-Sea | 54°F | 12 |
| Big Bend National Park | 60°F | 12 |
| Pensacola Beach | 60°F | 12 |
| Island of Hawai‘i | 67°F | 12 |
| Tampa | 67°F | 12 |
| Saint Barthélemy | 79°F | 12 |
| Mulegé | 62°F | 12 |
| Cartagena | 82°F | 12 |
| Placencia | 79°F | 12 |
Best warm places to visit in the US in March
Spring brings with it the welcome return of warmer temperatures to much of the US. On the mainland, Florida, Texas, and California offer brilliant beach vacations, while Hawai‘i is as reliably sun-soaked as ever.
1. St. Augustine, Florida
- Average temperature: 63°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
With 500 years of history to dip into, St. Augustine is perhaps the most historic city in the US. Its tightly packed, eminently walkable National Historic Landmark District is a treasure trove of colonial architecture. From the Castillo de San Marcos and Misión de Nombre de Dios, in bawdy taverns and rickety wooden houses, history spills onto the streets.
With daytime temperatures regularly in the mid-70s, March is warm enough to make for the beach. This is Florida, after all. At St. Augustine Beach, rent a fishing rod at St. Johns Pier or ride the waves at the end of A Street. Further out, Anastasia Beach is a little more rustic and offers lovely kayaking and wildlife watching.
On March 9th and 10th, the Celtic Music and Heritage Festival brings a taste of Ireland, Scotland and Wales to town. Play Celtic games, drink in the food and culture, and watch the world’s oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade.
2. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
- Average temperature: 54°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
Carmel is the epitome of quaint and curious California. Fairytale cottages and mansions, a scattering of chic boutiques, low-key galleries and independent restaurants—you’ll find no big chains here. Well-heeled (but not high-heeled) residents share its famed white-sand beach with surfers and sea lions on their daily dog walk. Everything seems to move in slow motion.
March sees average high temperatures climb into the late 60s; warm enough to enjoy its spectacular outdoors, cold enough to keep away the crowds. The one-square-mile village is eminently walkable—a network of courtyards and passageways connecting its unique architecture to century-old stories. The striking Carmel Mission Basilica appears plucked from the set of a Spaghetti Western.
To the south, Point Lobos State Nature Reserve is a hiking nirvana. Dramatic, rocky bluffs, tangled trails and spectacular views are a given. To the north along 17-mile-drive, on the granite headland overlooking Carmel Bay, America’s most photographed tree: the enigmatic Lone Cypress.
3. Big Bend National Park, Texas
- Average temperature: 60°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
There are parks and then there’s Big Bend National Park, Texas’s ‘gift to the nation’. Among its natural treasures, the entire Chisos Mountain range and a decent chunk of the Chihuahuan Desert. Crisscrossing it are meandering rivers, hiking trails, a thriving wildlife and the history of Native America.
March is the busiest time for visitors, although Big Bend’s natural isolation means it’s never really crowded. Temperatures climb greatly over long days with average highs in the mid-70s, attracting adventurers and naturists from across the world. It’s the season of the bluebonnet bloom, when the state flower blankets landscapes turning green fields into white-capped blue seas.
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive is an easy 30 minute introduction to its splendor. From there, pick your preference. Well-trodden routes like the Santa Elena Canyon and Langford Hot Springs may be busier. Instead, search out the lush greenery of Cattail Falls or, after rain, the waterfall at the end of Pine Canyon Trail. Fly into El Paso and it’s a four hour drive to Big Bend.
4. Pensacola Beach, Florida
- Average temperature: 60°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
The westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola offers a dreamy beach vacation in March. Average high temps touching the 70s and 18 miles of white-sanded, emerald-watered seclusion just begging to be explored.
On the barrier island of Santa Rosa, Pensacola Beach is the place to go. Alongside the big block hotels, adventure parks and tourist traps, there’s plenty of space to find solitude and get lost in nature.
It sits in the heart of the US’s largest area of protected coast, the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Wild and untamed, it’s brilliantly set up for visitors with every feasible outdoor activity available—hiking and biking, boating and birdwatching, ranger programs and diving excursions. Its warm waters and mellow waves are a magnet for learning surfers. To get a taste of it all, walk the demarcated Eco Trail that shows off the area’s abundant wildlife in all its glory.
5. Island of Hawai‘i
- Average temperature: 67°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
The Big Island is the most geologically diverse and jaw-dropping of the Hawai‘ian archipelago. And it’s one of the warmest places to visit in March in the US.
The star of the show is undoubtedly Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and its two active volcanoes. At its center, enormous but passive Mauna Loa dominates. Far below, Kīlauea, with its vast steaming double crater that’s been coughing up lava continuously for 25 years. If it’s too hot to hike, drive around the rim of Kīlauea crater. Follow the road as it descends to the sea and you’ll pass the spectacular Chain of Craters.
Back at sea level, sun-soaked beaches are ready to bake the warmth back into your bones. Kua Bay on the Kona Coast is my pick, a perfect crescent of snow-white sand and sea that understandably draws in the crowds. If it’s too busy for your taste, hike the coastal trail to nearby Kukio Beach.
6. Tampa, Florida
- Average temperature: 67°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
Tampa has long embraced its status as being a little rougher round the edges than its glitzier neighbors like Orlando. Look past the veneer and you’ll find a city upping its vacation game. Beautiful beaches and parks, one of Florida’s funnest nights out, benefited by daytime temperatures in the 70s all year round.
Downtown is all about the revitalized Riverwalk that runs along the Hillsborough River to the Garrison Channel. Nearly three miles of boardwalk and parks, markets and attractions, bars and restaurants framed by some stunning contemporary architecture. Start by browsing Heights Market, stop to people watch at Curtis Hixon Park and finish up with drinks at Sparkman Wharf.
Come night, historic and cosmopolitan Ybor City puts on a party. Bars and clubs pop, especially during Spring Break, and the waft of freshly rolled cigars lingers in the air.
Best beach vacations in March
For many, me included, temperatures across most of the US don’t yet warrant a pure beach vacation in March. Expand your horizons, however, and you’ll find a stretch of golden sand with your name on it nearby.
7. Saint Barthélemy
- Average temperature: 79°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
Better known as Saint Barts, this tiny French island is a jewel in the glistening crown of the Caribbean. Dotting 20 miles of coastline, each of its 14 exceptional beaches would be the most beautiful in almost any other country. Here though, each only seems more incredible than the last.
To see and be seen, it has to be Saint-Jean Beach complete with runway for easy private jet access. I much prefer the seclusion of Colombier Beach on the leeward coast and Saline Beach on the windward coast. Each requires a walk to reach, but that just means fewer people and more magic.
Base yourself in the atmospheric capital, Gustavia. From the colonial architecture to the superyacht filled harbor, its old and modern personalities live in easy harmony. Historic buildings like Fort Karl rub shoulders with high-end hotels and restaurants like Bonito Saint Barth. It’s all very lovely—particularly from March 21st to 24th when the St. Barths Bucket Regatta turns the town wild.
8. Mulegé, Mexico
- Average temperature: 62°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
On my first road trip down Baja’s Highway 1, tiny Mulegé appeared as sanctuary on a long, dusty journey. On the Gulf of California, set in a narrow arroyo of the Río Mulegé, its old-world feel speaks to Baja’s particular appeal.
Its palm and mangrove forests are an oasis in the desert terrain. At its heart, a scattering of hotels surround the ancient town square. On its south side, the 18th century Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé looms. A great spot for a photo, it also affords views towards Muelegé’s main draw: the beaches.
Head straight for Bahía Concepción, in my view Baja’s most astounding beach. An unfettered paradise, unspoiled by development, unrepentant in its barren beauty. Dotted among its many bays you’ll find palapas in varying states of repair to shelter from the sun. There are camper parks if you need facilities, but why bother when there’s so much space to spread out? I stayed a full week. Nearby Loreto is the nearest airport, but this really is road trip country.
9. Cartagena, Colombia
- Average temperature: 82°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
Cartagena is proof that you can have it all—a magical city of history and culture and postcard-worthy beaches. In March, it sizzles. Average temperatures sit in the mid 80s and it’s dry season, so expect long, bright days.
The power capital of the 16th century Spanish Empire, the city is an embarrassment of historical riches from the impassive Castillo San Felipe de Barajas and the gruesome Palacio de la Inquisición. While the Old Town streets are full of colorful casas converted into boutiques, bars, galleries, and cafés.
When the heat builds, Cartagena’s beaches are close by. None is more convenient than glitzy Bocagrande, the Miami Beach of Colombia. Playa El Laguito in the Castillegrand neighborhood is a bit more chilled. From here you can take a boat to the beaches of Isla de la Tierra Bomba or beyond to Isa Barú, where the beaches are idyllic but the crowds less so.
10. Placencia, Belize
- Average temperature: 79°F
- Average hours of daylight: 12 hours
A spring favorite among Americans in the know, Placencia sits on the far southern tip of a narrow Belizean peninsula. Nicknamed ‘the cay you can drive to’, the 27-mile highway that connects it to the mainland is testimony to its tourist appeal.
Arrive and you’ll soon see why. A mosaic of Belize and Mayan cultures, Creole and Garifuna mashed up and dropped onto a beachy wonderland. The food, art, and music all reflect as much—esoteric, intriguing, and delicious.
Then there’s the jungle rich in Mayan ruins and stories. The main draws here are Lubaantun, Nim Li Punit and Xunantunich. While there, don’t miss the chance to go jaguar spotting at the world’s first jaguar sanctuary, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Twitchers will also want to watch the sky for the 500-plus bird species that call Placencia home.
Finally, the beaches. Miles and miles of impossibly white sand, seas that seem to glow and the kind of aquatic setting diving and snorkeling were invented for. The perfect March vacation.
Where is hot and cheap in March?
With spring temperatures thawing in the Northern Hemisphere, the options for a hot and cheap vacation have improved rapidly. Mexico remains a stalwart, as are the sleepier resorts further south in Belize, Guatemala and the rest of Central America. In fact, quick and cheap flights put most of South America within easy distance. Need help narrowing your options? Try KAYAK Explore.
If you can’t wait until March, there are plenty of warm places to visit in February. Or you can look to combine some beach time with party time. Spring festivals erupt around the world, and I’ve covered many in the best places to travel in March.
