Madeira · Portugal
March
Rainfall easing, sunshine building — first genuinely comfortable hiking month of the year.
Best match
#8 of 12 months
There are better months for Madeira — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
20.5°C
Low
14.5°C
Rain
54mm
Sun
6.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How March scores in Madeira
Weather
Very good
Value
Very good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Good
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in March
- ↑March represents the inflection point between Madeira's rainy season and its drier spring. Rainfall drops to 54mm and sunshine increases to 6.5 hours daily — enough to make the levada trail network consistently reliable. The PR1 Levada das 25 Fontes (Rabacal area), the PR13 Levada do Caldeirao Verde, and the iconic Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo ridge walk are all accessible in March without the summer heat and crowding that affects the most popular routes by June.
- ↑Madeira's agricultural and botanical calendar is compelling in March — the Jardim Botânico da Madeira above Funchal is beginning its spring flush, with the island's exotic species collections (palms, proteas, bird-of-paradise flowers) at their peak colour. The hillside terraces above Câmara de Lobos are green and productive, and the island's market culture (Mercado dos Lavradores) stocks the full range of local tropical fruits.
- ↑Prices in March represent very good value — the island is busier than January but far below the April flower festival peak. A 4-star Funchal hotel that costs €380 in May can be found for €180-€220 in mid-March.
What you sacrifice
- ↓March weather is variable — particularly early in the month — and the mountain areas remain subject to cloud and occasional rain. The Pico do Arieiro summit (1,818m) can be cloud-free in the valley and completely socked in on the same day, which is the reality of hiking on an island of this altitude.
- ↓Easter, when it falls in late March, brings a meaningful spike in Portuguese and Spanish domestic visitors — accommodation prices during Holy Week can double, and the Funchal cathedral area becomes crowded for processions.
How March compares to September (best month)
| Factor | March | September ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 7 | 6 |
| Crowds | 7 | 6 |
March in other destinations
Lisbon (16.6°C)Barcelona (15.8°C)Tokyo (13.8°C)Bali (30.8°C)Santorini (14.6°C)Paris (11.5°C)New York (9.7°C)Marrakech (22.3°C)Amsterdam (9.2°C)Maldives (30.8°C)Rome (15°C)Bangkok (34.3°C)Istanbul (11.6°C)Vienna (10.3°C)Seoul (9.6°C)Dubrovnik (13.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.7°C)Kyoto (14.3°C)Phuket (33°C)Cape Town (25.4°C)Prague (10°C)Amalfi Coast (15°C)Mexico City (26°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (12°C)Sydney (25°C)Iceland (4°C)Tulum (30°C)Dubai (29°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (28°C)Chiang Mai (34.5°C)Miami (26.7°C)Florence (14.8°C)Queenstown (19.5°C)Madrid (15°C)Porto (17°C)Edinburgh (9°C)Copenhagen (7°C)Budapest (11°C)Kraków (9°C)Tbilisi (13°C)Palawan (31°C)Hanoi (22°C)Osaka (14°C)Goa (34°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (27°C)Mykonos (15°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (32°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (30°C)Krabi (34°C)Athens (16°C)Seville (21°C)Cartagena (32°C)Siem Reap (33°C)Havana (28°C)Split (14°C)Taipei (22°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (17°C)Ho Chi Minh City (35°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (11°C)Dominican Republic (29°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (24°C)Jordan (17°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (21.5°C)Cairo (25.1°C)Kenya (28.5°C)Jaipur (30.8°C)Las Vegas (22.5°C)San Francisco (15.1°C)Vancouver (10.5°C)Muscat (31.5°C)Lima (26.4°C)Cinque Terre (14°C)Kotor (14°C)Tel Aviv (21°C)Santiago (27°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (10.1°C)Penang (33.1°C)Lombok (31.4°C)Cape Verde (26.5°C)Fez (19.5°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (21°C)Oslo (5°C)Auckland (22°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Madeira, not across destinations. Methodology →