Penang · Malaysia
March
Shoulder season sweet spot — warm, mostly sunny, and very affordable.
Strong option
#3 of 12 months
March is one of the best times to visit Penang.
Climate
High
33.1°C
Low
24.8°C
Rain
96mm
Sun
8.1hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How March scores in Penang
Weather
Very good
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Very good
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in March
- ↑The post-Chinese New Year lull means prices drop significantly and George Town returns to its everyday rhythm. This is when the city is most genuine: hawker centres at Gurney Drive and New Lane running full capacity, heritage shophouses with their shutters open, and no festival pricing on accommodation.
- ↑Penang Hill is at its most pleasant for the morning walk or funicular ride: temperatures at the summit (1,000m altitude) are 10°C cooler than the city — around 23°C — and the views over George Town and the Strait of Malacca are exceptional in the clearer weather.
- ↑The street art circuit through George Town — Ernest Zacharevic's 'Boy on Bike' on Armenian Street, 'Children on a Bicycle' on Ah Quee Street — is most comfortably done in the morning hours before the day's heat builds, and March mornings are reliably clear.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Rain begins increasing from February's minimum: 96mm across the month, mostly in late afternoon downpours. Not disruptive but worth planning around if you have outdoor activities scheduled.
- ↓Heat builds through March: 33°C highs mean midday in the medina-equivalent shophouse streets is hot, and the lack of shade on some streets makes afternoon exploration uncomfortable.
How March compares to February (best month)
| Factor | March | February ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 7 |
| 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)Madeira (20.5°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)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 Penang, not across destinations. Methodology →