Best Countries to Visit in March

The cherry blossom front reaches Kyushu first and usually gets to Tokyo and Kyoto right at the end of March or the first days of April, so a late March trip can catch the opening of the bloom. This is peak season and not a bargain month: hanami parks are packed, hotels sell out months ahead and fares rise sharply, so fix dates early rather than waiting for a deal. Packages average around Rs 137,000 per person.

March is dry and hot across Thailand, which suits the Andaman and Gulf islands more than the north. Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui get calm seas and long clear days, and Bangkok is at its warmest. Chiang Mai is the exception, since smoke from fires along the Thai-Myanmar border makes March its haziest month and air quality is often poor, so check readings before you add the north. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person.

March works from one end of Vietnam to the other, which is unusual. Hanoi and Sapa warm up after the winter drizzle, Hoi An and Da Nang are dry, and the south is in its dry stretch before the heat peaks in April. If you want to cover the whole country in one trip rather than pick a region, this is the month. Packages average around Rs 68,000 per person.

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

March is the last full month of the dry northeast monsoon, with calm water and good visibility for diving before the wind swings around in April. It is also high season, so resort rates and flights sit at their yearly peak and the good properties go early. Direct flights from several Indian cities keep the travel day short. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

The west and south coasts are in their dry window in March, so Bentota, Galle and Mirissa get reliable beach days while the hill country around Kandy and Ella stays cool. Whale watching off Mirissa is still running before it winds down in April. Short flights and low costs make it one of the easiest trips here. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

March is early spring in Bhutan, when rhododendrons come out along the Paro and Punakha valleys and the weather is settled enough for the walk up to Tiger's Nest. Spring is a busy season rather than a quiet one. Bhutan charges a daily sustainable development fee that applies year round, so check the current rate before you budget. Packages average around Rs 37,000 per person.

March opens Nepal's spring trekking season, when rhododendrons flower along the Annapurna and Everest trails and the mountain views are usually clear. Kathmandu daytime highs sit in the low twenties and it is colder on the trails. Spring is busy, so book teahouses and permits ahead. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person.

March is the last comfortable month before the Gulf heat arrives, with days still fine for desert camps, dhow cruises and walking around Al Fahidi and the creek. Ramadan can fall in or near March depending on the year, which changes daytime dining and some opening hours, so check the dates for yours. Packages average around Rs 45,000 per person.

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

February and March are among Singapore's drier months, which makes the outdoor half of the city much easier: Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa, the night safari and the Southern Ridges walk. It is a short flight, easy to do in three or four nights, and one of the simplest first trips abroad with children. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Best Time: January to November

271 Singapore Attractions

March is the hot end of Cambodia's dry season, with clear skies over Angkor and afternoons that climb well past comfortable. Start at the temples by sunrise and keep the middle of the day for Siem Reap town or the riverfront in Phnom Penh. Roads out to the quieter temples are dry and easy this month.

Oman's cool season runs out at the end of March, making it the last easy month for camping in the Wahiba Sands, walking the wadis and climbing to Nizwa fort before summer shuts it all down. Muscat is a short flight and much quieter than the bigger Gulf cities. Most listed itineraries run four nights or longer.

March is when Malaysia's east coast islands reopen after the northeast monsoon, so Perhentian and Redang come back into play alongside Langkawi and Borneo. Kuala Lumpur stays warm and humid with short afternoon showers rather than washouts. Flights are frequent and cheap from most Indian metros. Packages average around Rs 54,000 per person.

March sits in the middle of the Philippines' dry season, which is the window for El Nido, Coron and Boracay before the rains return around June. Seas are calm enough that the island-hopping boats actually run to schedule. Getting there needs a connection from India, so it rewards a longer trip rather than a long weekend.

March is comfortable in Egypt, warm enough for a Nile cruise and well short of the summer heat that makes Luxor and Aswan hard work. The khamsin winds can raise dust for a day or two in spring, worth knowing about but rarely trip-ruining. Red Sea diving off Hurghada and Marsa Alam is good this month.

March brings Jordan out of winter, with days warm enough for Petra and Wadi Rum and nights still cold in the desert camps, so pack a proper layer. Wildflowers come out across the northern hills for a few weeks. The Dead Sea is pleasant now and punishing by June.

March is one of Morocco's best months, warm in Marrakech and Fes without the summer heat, and mild enough to sleep out at the Merzouga desert camps. The High Atlas passes still carry snow, which makes the drive south more dramatic. Almond and citrus blossom is out across the valleys.

March is early spring in Turkey and still cool, with Istanbul near 10 degrees and snow possible in Cappadocia, so this is a month for museums, hammams and balloon flights rather than the coast. Antalya's sea stays too cold to swim until May. Crowds and hotel rates are at their lowest of the year.

Korea's cherry blossom starts in the south, usually reaching Jeju and Busan in the last days of March and Seoul in early April, so late March is the earliest date that makes sense. Expect 5 to 15 degrees, which makes this a palaces, markets and mountain temples trip rather than a beach one.

Las Fallas runs from 15 to 19 March in Valencia and ends with the giant papier mache figures burned in the streets, which is reason enough to time a Spain trip to this month. Madrid, Seville and Barcelona sit around 17 degrees and are good for walking. The sea is still too cold for swimming.

Keukenhof opens in the second half of March and runs to mid-May, so a March visit gets the gardens with a fraction of the April crowd, though the bulb fields around Lisse do not peak until April. Amsterdam is around 9 degrees and often wet, which makes this a museums and canals trip with tulips attached.

March gets you Rome, Florence and Venice without the queues that build from Easter onwards, at roughly 10 to 16 degrees with some rain. Tuscany is green rather than golden and a few hill town restaurants still keep winter hours. Flights are at their cheapest before the spring rush.

March is mild and green in Portugal, around 16 to 18 degrees in Lisbon and the Algarve, with the wildflowers starting and the almond blossom in the south already over. The Algarve is quiet and cheap now, though the Atlantic is cold for swimming. Douro vineyards are only just budding.

Greece in March is cool and quiet, which suits Athens, Delphi and the hiking trails on Crete. Many island hotels and some ferry routes do not start up until April, so Santorini and Mykonos can feel closed. Build the trip around the mainland, or check opening dates before you book an island.

March is late summer in South Africa and the best stretch for Cape Town, with warm days, the wind easing off Table Mountain and the winelands into harvest. Kruger is still green from the summer rains, so game viewing is harder than in the dry winter months but the park looks its best. A Cape Town and Kruger trip is usually built to order rather than sold as a fixed package.

March is early autumn in New Zealand, settled and clear once the summer peak passes, with Queenstown and Fiordland noticeably quieter and cheaper than in January. Lakes are still warm enough to swim and the Marlborough grape harvest is on. Daylight shortens quickly through the month, so front-load the driving.

March closes out summer in Australia, which suits Sydney, Melbourne and the Barossa harvest but not the tropical north. Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are still in the wet season with box jellyfish in the water, so reef trips need stinger suits. Keep this trip to the southern cities and coast. The flight from India is long and never cheap, so a longer trip gets more out of the airfare.

March opens the desert season in the American Southwest, with Zion, Sedona and Death Valley mild by day and wildflowers out after the winter rain. The Grand Canyon rim sits high enough to still be cold and can see snow. Washington DC's cherry blossom usually peaks around the end of March. It is a long flight and a trip worth planning months ahead.

Around the March equinox the late afternoon sun casts a line of triangular shadows down the staircase at Chichen Itza, and the effect draws crowds for several days either side. March is dry across the Yucatan and grey whales are still in the Baja lagoons. From India it is a long haul with at least one change.

March sits inside Costa Rica's dry season, so the Pacific coast, Arenal and the cloud forest at Monteverde are at their most reliable. The catch for Indian travellers is the journey, usually two connections and well over a day each way, which is hard to justify for anything shorter than a two week trip.

March is the last dependably dry month before Kenya's long rains arrive around April, so game viewing in Amboseli and the Mara is good and the lodges are quieter. The Great Migration is not in the Mara now and returns from July, so come for resident wildlife and the flamingos on the Rift Valley lakes. Packages average around Rs 232,000 per person.

March is the tail of Bali's wet season, with rain on most days and choppier water around Komodo, so this is not Indonesia at its best. If the dates are fixed, Ubud, the temples and Java's Borobudur handle showers far better than the beaches do, and rates are among the lowest of the year. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person.