France in March: Early Spring in the South, Late Snow in the Alps

March is the month France changes season, and it does it from south to north. In Provence and on the Riviera, afternoons reach the low 60s °F and café terraces fill again; in Paris it is still coat weather; and in the Alps the ski season keeps going at high altitude. In 2027 two things land on the same weekend: Easter Sunday and the switch to summer time, both on March 28.

From our office in Nice, we see March as the best-value month for the South of France. Prices are still in winter mode, and the days are almost 12 hours long.

Spring moves north: March weather by region

Météo-France 1991-2020 normals (Chamonix: 1981-2010). Sunshine hours are the monthly total, a good proxy for how spring-like a place feels.

Two things the averages hide. Provence has the biggest swing between day and night: 63°F at 3 p.m. can be 39°F at dawn, so pack for both. And March weather is changeable everywhere north of Lyon, with sunny mornings turning to showers in an hour. The sea at Nice is still cold, around 56°F (13°C) by satellite estimates, so swimming is for the brave.

Daylight jumps fast. In mid-March the sun sets in Paris around 6:55 p.m.; after the clocks go forward on March 28, sunset moves past 8 p.m.

Easter and the clock change on March 28, 2027

Easter is early in 2027. Easter Monday, March 29, is a national holiday, and Good Friday is a holiday only in Alsace and Moselle. Over the long weekend, Paris and Mont-Saint-Michel get busier and some restaurants close on the Monday. French spring school holidays only begin on April 3 (Paris zone), so the rest of the month stays calm.

Paris also hosts the women's ready-to-wear fashion week in late February or early March (the 2027 dates were not published at the time of writing). The shows are not public, but they push up hotel rates in central Paris for about nine days. The Salon International de l'Agriculture, the big farm show, runs until March 7.

The last good weeks of the ski season

The last Zone B winter holidays end on March 8, and after that the resorts empty while the snow at altitude is often still good. Spring skiing in March means cold mornings, soft snow by lunchtime and long lunches in the sun.

• Val d'Isère and Tignes stay open until May 2, 2027, and are the safest bets for snow late in the season.
• Courchevel and Chamonix's Brévent-Flégère area close on April 18.
• The Aiguille du Midi runs 8:10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until March 28, then until 5 p.m.

Lower resorts and valley runs can be patchy by late March, so we do not plan beginner lessons at low altitude after mid-month.

Equinox tides at Mont-Saint-Michel

The spring equinox brings some of the largest tides of the year to the bay. The tourist office's tide table shows coefficients up to about 106 around March 22-24, 2027. The tide comes in quickly across the sand, and the best place to watch it is from the ramparts or the abbey terraces, about two hours before high tide. Walking across the bay is only safe with a licensed guide, which we arrange.

The abbey keeps its winter schedule (9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry an hour before) and its lower winter price of €13 (about $15) until March 31.

What opens, and what is still closed

March is a month of reopenings, but several big ones come at the very end of the month or in April:

• Chambord switches to its longer hours (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at the end of March (from March 28 in 2026); Chenonceau keeps winter hours until early April.
• Versailles moves to high-season hours in late March. The Grandes Eaux Musicales fountain shows began on April 3 in 2026; the 2027 dates were not out yet.
• Giverny reopens in spring, usually on April 1, so a March trip will miss Monet's garden.
• Lake Annecy boats resume their full set of cruises on March 1.
• On the Riviera, the mimosa ends and the citrus season peaks in Menton's gardens. Beach clubs and the islands (Porquerolles, Port-Cros) are still largely in winter mode.

Winter rates, except at Easter

Outside the Easter weekend, March is low season nearly everywhere. Hotel rates in Nice, Provence and Paris sit close to their winter level, and you can book tables at well-known restaurants with a week's notice. The exceptions are the high ski resorts during the holiday weeks, Paris during fashion week, and the Easter weekend itself.

Packing for 40°F mornings and 60°F afternoons

• A warm jacket you can take off: mornings in Provence and the Loire can be near freezing, afternoons mild.
• A compact umbrella and shoes that handle rain for Paris, Normandy and the Loire.
• Sunglasses and sunscreen for the Riviera and for spring skiing, where the sun on snow is strong.

Where we send travelers in March

Paris and Provence before the season. Three nights in Paris, the TGV to Avignon, and four nights in the Luberon or the Alpilles, when the market stalls fill with the first asparagus and the almond trees finish flowering. It is the shoulder-season version of our luxury France honeymoon. If you are deciding between bases, read Provence vs the French Riviera.

The Riviera on winter prices. Nice, Monaco, Èze and Antibes with mild weather and quiet streets. Our French Riviera in 7 days works in March if we swap the islands for Menton and the hill villages.

An Easter family week. Paris, Normandy and the Loire over the Easter weekend, built on our France family trip. We plan Mont-Saint-Michel for a weekday and Disneyland Paris away from the holiday Monday.

For how March compares with the rest of the year, see our best time to visit France guide. Ten days is a good length for two regions in spring; our 10-day France trips show how we pace it.

Send us your March dates and a designer will build the trip around the weather and the openings: plan your trip.