Runs the scoring program behind every ranking on the site, and writes the world, month, solo and budget lists that come out of it.
Updated
This page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
March is the month Europe changes timetables. Winter opening hours end, boat services restart, Tivoli reopens, the clocks go forward and, in 2027, Easter arrives early, on March 28. For a one-night trip that matters more than the weather, because a plan built on a 4 p.m. closing in February has an extra three or four hours by the end of the month.
The weather helps too. In the top three, the average daytime high is at or above 60°F (15.5°C), and Florence, which never made the January or February lists, goes straight to first. Northern Europe is still cool and wet, but for the first time this year Amsterdam and Bruges score high enough to appear.
At a glance
Best overall
Florence: the strongest 24 hours we rate, on a 3.2-mile route
Warmest and sunniest
Lisbon: a 63°F (17°C) high and 9.7 hours of sun
Fewest rain days
Vienna: 6.8 in an average March
Cheapest night
Kraków: $50 (£37) per person
Easter 2027
Good Friday March 26 to Easter Monday March 29
By train from London
Paris 136 min, Bruges 210 min, Amsterdam 244 min
The ranking
Score = 40% this month’s weather + 60% the Snack Score, plus a market bonus in November and December for cities with a Christmas market. No more than 3 cities from one region. How we score
Florence leads March even though its weather is only third best of the top three: a 60°F (15.5°C) high, 10.6 rain days and 8.7 hours of sun, a weather score of 8.3. What carries it is a Snack Score of 8.6, the highest in Europe on our data, with a 3.2-mile (5.1 km) route and a 20-minute tram from the airport for $2.20 (£1.70; €2). The Brunelleschi Pass, $34 (£25; €30), gives a dome slot you cannot change, so buy it before you fly. The Uffizi is closed on Mondays, and the cathedral on Sundays and during religious celebrations.
Rome is 0.1 behind Florence, with better March weather, a 62°F (17°C) high and 9.3 hours of sun, but a lower Snack Score (8.1) and a conditional verdict. March frees up the afternoon: the winter timetable, with its 3:30 p.m. last Colosseum entry, ends on February 28. Keep the timed $20 (£15.10; €18) slot early anyway, because slots sell out. The Leonardo Express reaches Termini in 32 minutes for $15.70 (£11.80; €14). One night costs $119 (£89) per person, and the hotel adds a city tax.
Lisbon has the best March weather on this list, a score of 9.0: a 63°F (17°C) high, a 51°F (10°C) low and 9.7 hours of sun. It is third because its Snack Score is 7.7 against Florence's 8.6. March is a good month to flip its evening: from March, São Jorge Castle stays open to 9 p.m., so you can watch the sun set from the walls before dinner in Alfama. Easter Sunday, March 28, 2027, closes Jerónimos. A Baixa room was $89 (£67) on our January check.
Vienna is the best-placed city north of the Alps in March, and the driest on the list, with 6.8 rain days. Its 53°F (11.5°C) high and 8.3 hours of sun give a weather score of 7.4, and a worth-it verdict adds no penalty. The Railjet from the airport takes 15 minutes. Book the Kunsthistorisches Museum, $25 (£18.50; €22) online, which has needed a time slot since September 8, 2026, and in the cooler months do Schönbrunn's State Apartments, $34 (£25; €30), first, because the palace closes earlier than the museum.
Kraków is fifth with the weakest March weather in the top six, a 50°F (10°C) high, a 32°F (0°C) low and 11.3 rain days. Its Snack Score, 8.5, and the cheapest night here, $50 (£37), carry it. Two dates to watch: Schindler's Factory closes all day on the first Tuesday of the month, March 2, 2027, and the Wawel routes close on Mondays. If it rains, the Rynek Underground museum under the Main Square, $11.50 (£8.60; PLN 45), is open to 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday.
Budapest is 0.02 behind Kraków. Its March weather is better, a 54°F (12°C) high, 8.1 rain days and a score of 7.4, but its Snack Score is lower, 7.4 against 8.5. The plan crosses the river twice, from the Great Market Hall to Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion, then back for the Széchenyi bath and Szimpla Kert. The market hall opens 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, but only at 10 a.m. on Sundays, so arrive on a weekday. Our January check found a District VII room at $71 (£53).
Paris has the wettest March on this list, 13.5 rain days, with a 54°F (12.5°C) high, so its weather scores 6.3. A Snack Score of 7.8, with 10s for sights and food, puts it seventh. It is the fastest trip here from London, 136 minutes by Eurostar. Build the day on the Louvre's Friday late opening, to 9 p.m., with a timed ticket at $36 (£27; €32). One change to know: the Marché des Enfants Rouges in the Marais has been closed since a fire in October 2026.
London is eighth: a 52°F (11°C) high, 12.9 rain days and a weather score of 5.7, with a Snack Score of 8.0. Easter shapes a March trip in 2027. Good Friday, March 26, and Easter Monday, March 29, are bank holidays, and Easter Sunday is a day when Westminster Abbey and St Paul's admit no sightseers. Arrive on the Thursday or Friday for the full plan. Borough Market is closed on Mondays. A Westminster room was $115 (£86) on January 15 and $186 (£139) on June 11, 2027.
Amsterdam makes its first appearance of the year, ninth, with a 51°F (10°C) high and 11.9 rain days. A worth-it verdict and a 17-minute train from Schiphol, $6.20 (£4.60; €5.50), lift it, while its cost holds it back: a Centrum room was $137 (£103) on January 15, the dearest January room here. Anne Frank House tickets go on sale each Tuesday at 10 a.m. for dates six weeks ahead, so for late March you book in mid-February. The Rijksmuseum, $28 (£21; €25), opens every day at 9 a.m.
Bruges is tenth, with 13.3 rain days and a 52°F (11°C) high, but March is when the boats come back: Visit Bruges guarantees them daily from March. The whole route is 1.4 miles, the shortest here, and Eurostar plus a change at Brussels takes 210 minutes from London. Its one-night figure, $140 (£105), is the highest here, mostly because of the $30 (£23; €27) train from Brussels Airport each way. The Groeningemuseum closed on January 11, 2027; part of the collection is next door at BRUSK, $22 (£16.80; €20).
Every city we cover in Europe gets a March score: 40% from its average March weather (daytime high, rain days, sunshine, from Open-Meteo, 2016-2025) and 60% from its Snack Score. We then take the top ten with no more than three from any region. Florence beats Rome and Lisbon, both of which have better March weather, because its Snack Score, 8.6, is the highest in Europe on our data. The method is laid out in how we score cities.
Everything that changes in March
Lisbon: São Jorge Castle switches from a 6 p.m. close to 9 p.m. from March, so you can be on the walls at sunset.
Bruges: canal boats are guaranteed daily from March to October, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; in February only one jetty was.
Rome: the Colosseum's winter timetable, last entry 3:30 p.m., ends on February 28, 2027. Check the new hours when you book your slot.
Prague: the castle buildings keep their 4 p.m. close until March 31.
Copenhagen: Tivoli reopens for Easter on March 19, and its summer season starts on March 30, 2027. The Netto canal boats keep short winter hours until March 25.
Venice: the access fee for day-trippers returns on listed days from March 26, 2027, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; overnight guests have been exempt.
Clocks: in the UK they go forward at 1 a.m. on March 28, 2027, Easter Sunday.
Easter weekend 2027: plan around it
Good Friday is March 26 and Easter Monday March 29, both bank holidays in England, so British demand for a short trip peaks that weekend. We did not price it: our hotel checks are for January 15 and June 11, 2027. If you want Easter, book early and compare against those two figures on each city page.
Some plans also bend at Easter. Lisbon's Jerónimos Monastery is closed on Easter Sunday. Florence's cathedral is closed every Sunday and during religious celebrations, so Holy Week is a risky time to count on it, and the dome climb starts only at 12:45 p.m. on Sundays. In London, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's are closed to sightseers on Sundays all year. The safest Easter pattern is the same everywhere: arrive Thursday or Friday, and keep Sunday for walking.
Which March city suits you
Take Lisbon over Florence if warmth decides it: Lisbon's high is 63°F (17°C) and it gets 9.7 hours of sun, the most here. Take Vienna if you hate rain: its 6.8 rain days are the fewest on the list, and its big stops are indoors anyway. Take Kraków if the budget is tight; one night there costs $50 (£37) per person, less than half of Rome's $119 (£89).
From London, Paris, Bruges and Amsterdam all work without a flight: 136, 210 and 244 minutes by train. Florence is the awkward one to reach. It has no nonstop from our ten US hubs, and from Britain only Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted fly there; Americans connect, or land in Rome, our number two. For the hotel swing between winter and summer, see the June and January pages; Florence's cheapest qualifying room went from $76 (£57) on January 15 to $160 (£120) on June 11, 2027.
Who missed the March list
Four southern cities scored higher than Vienna's 7.58 and still missed out, because Florence, Rome and Lisbon fill the region's three places: Madrid (8.04), Barcelona (8.02), Venice (7.92) and Porto (7.86). Any of them is a good March trip. Prague (7.32) lost to the same cap in Central Europe, behind Vienna, Kraków and Budapest.
Berlin was the next Western European city, at 6.64. York and Dublin both scored 6.6, and Copenhagen 6.48, although Tivoli is open again from March 19. Britain's best-scoring cities after London are on the best one-night city breaks in the UK.
Entry rules for a March trip
All of this list except London is in the Schengen area. Since April 10, 2026, the EU's Entry/Exit System takes fingerprints and a photo from US and UK passport holders at the first Schengen border, which can slow queues on a busy Easter weekend. ETIAS, the EU's travel authorization, is still not running and has no start date; its fee is set at $22 (£16.80; €20). US citizens visiting London need a UK ETA, $27 (£20). The April ranking follows.
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Where is warm in Europe in March?
Of the cities on this list, Lisbon is warmest, with a 63°F (17°C) average high, then Rome at 62°F (17°C) and Florence at 60°F (15.5°C). North of the Alps, Budapest and Paris reach 54°F (12°C), and Vienna is the driest, with 6.8 rain days.
When is Easter 2027?
Easter Sunday is March 28, 2027. In England, Good Friday (March 26) and Easter Monday (March 29) are bank holidays. Lisbon's Jerónimos Monastery is closed on Easter Sunday, and Florence's cathedral closes on Sundays and during religious celebrations.
Is Florence worth visiting in March?
Yes: it is first on our March list. It is mild rather than warm, with a 60°F (15.5°C) high, and quieter than in summer. A central room was $76 (£57) for January 15, 2027 and $160 (£120) for June 11. See 24 hours in Florence.
Does the Venice access fee apply in March 2027?
From March 26, 2027 it applies on listed days, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for day-trippers. The city says the 2027 rules will be announced by December 31, 2026. Overnight guests have been exempt, which is one more reason to stay the night.
When do the clocks go forward in 2027?
In the UK, at 1 a.m. on Sunday, March 28, 2027, which is also Easter Sunday. If you fly home that day, check your departure time against the new local time.
Comune di Venezia - Venice Access Fee– Fee returns on listed days from March 26 to August 15, 2027, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; rules by December 31, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
1
