Where to go in March
Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in March: 171 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Where to go in March by RV or camper? Spring arrives in the south first. In Andalusia, the Algarve, Sicily and Greece, the landscapes turn green and full of flowers, the days get longer and the campgrounds are still quiet. Further north, March is changeable and often still wintry, and high mountain passes stay closed. In the US, the desert parks are pleasant, and in Australia autumn begins.
The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in March, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: many campgrounds in central Europe only reopen around Easter, which can fall in March or April. If you’re traveling before then, check opening dates in advance and keep a few year-round campgrounds as a backup.
USA · 54 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
Texas Gulf Coast
Lowcountry: Charleston to Savannah
Florida Gulf Coast and the Everglades
Florida’s Forgotten Coast
Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego
Santa Ynez Valley: missions, wine and dunes
Superstition Mountains, the Apache Trail and Tonto Basin
Tucson and Mount Lemmon: from saguaros to pine forest
Oak avenues, salt marsh and tidal beaches – by camper through the Lowcountry and the Golden Isles
© LuidmilaKot · Pixabay Content LicenseManatees, cypress swamps and shell beaches – by camper along Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Everglades
Cypress, zydeco and sugar cane – by camper from New Orleans through Cajun Country to St. Francisville
Pelicans, ferries and endless beach – by camper along the Texas Gulf Coast to Padre Island
Quartz sand, dune lakes and oyster boats – by camper along the Emerald Coast and the Forgotten Coast from Pensacola to St. Marks
© DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0Coquina forts, sand tracks and launch pads – by camper along Florida's Atlantic coast from Amelia Island to Vero Beach
Sugar sand, cannon forts and shrimp boats – by camper along the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast from Gulf Shores to Waveland
The River Road to Big Bend: Presidio, Terlingua and Santa Elena
Texas Hill Country on US-290: LBJ country, Luckenbach and wildflowers
Pines, pitcher plants and cypress swamps – by camper from the edge of Houston through the Piney Woods of East Texas
Spanish missions and the Frio River canyonlands
Cowtown, dinosaur tracks and mammoths: Fort Worth to Waco
The Rio Grande Valley: South Padre Island and subtropical refuges
© 12019 · Pixabay Content LicenseBlackwater, cypresses and crystal-clear springs – by camper from the Okefenokee Swamp down the Suwannee River to the springs of North Florida
Louisiana’s River Road: plantations, Baton Rouge and St. Francisville
Spring pools, manatees and sand pines – by camper from Orlando through the Ocala National Forest to the springs of Central Florida
Europe · 23 routes
© BenAveling · CC BY-SA 4.0Sicily loop: temples, Etna and Baroque towns
Costa de la Luz: Cádiz to Tarifa
© Phillip Capper · CC BY 2.0Huelva: Aracena, Riotinto and Doñana
Down the Guadiana: Beja to Castro Marim
© Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Around Etna: lava castles, the north slope and the Alcantara Gorges
Val di Noto: Syracuse to Scicli
Seville to Córdoba along the Guadalquivir
Málaga’s hinterland: El Torcal and the Caminito del Rey
Eastern Algarve: Ria Formosa, Tavira and Cacela Velha
Andalusia’s white villages
© jairo_83_0 · Pixabay Content LicenseLaurel forest, lava fields and trade-wind clouds – by camper across Tenerife and La Gomera
Lava fields, wine hollows and shifting dunes – by camper across Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
Lava, temples and salt pans: around Sicily by motorhome
© rpdelaat0 · Pixabay Content LicenseRed river, chestnut forest and acorn-fed pigs – by camper from Riotinto into the Sierra de Aracena
© franky1st · Pixabay Content LicenseForest of columns, wine cellars and olive hills – by camper from Córdoba through the Sierras Subbéticas
Limestone, cork oaks and seas of olives – by camper through Andalusia’s White Villages from Arcos to Vejer
Light, wind and white villages – by camper along the Costa de la Luz from Doñana to Tarifa
Lava, baroque and salt air – by motorhome from the slopes of Etna via Syracuse and Noto to Modica and Ragusa
© Pixaline · Pixabay Content LicenseManna, beech forest and Tyrrhenian blue – by motorhome from Termini Imerese over the Madonie and Nebrodi to Milazzo
White marl, temples and Roman mosaics – by motorhome from Sciacca via Agrigento and Gela to Caltanissetta
Rock needles, pine forest and shifting dunes – by camper around Gran Canaria
Southern and central Crete: Gortyn, Phaistos, Matala, Preveli and Rethymno
© Eduardo Milla · CC BY-SA 4.0Andalusia: white villages and the Alhambra
Oceania · 94 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
Auckland and the wild Waitākere west coast beaches
The East Cape road from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne
Rotorua, Taupō and Tongariro: a volcanic plateau road trip
Tongariro National Park, Whakapapa and Ōhakune in two days
Around Mt Taranaki on the Surf Highway and mountain roads
The Forgotten World Highway from Stratford to Taumarunui
The Whanganui River Road from Whanganui to Ōhakune
Hawke's Bay: Napier, Hastings, wine and Cape Kidnappers
Wellington to Wairarapa wine country and Cape Palliser
Surf breaks, limestone stacks and sandstone ridges – by camper along the Great Ocean Road to the Grampians
Taihape to Wellington through Manawatū and the Kāpiti Coast
From Picton Through the Marlborough Sounds to Nelson
Along SH1 from Picton through Marlborough Wine Country to Kaikōura
From Nelson to Abel Tasman, Takaka and the Top of the South
From Nelson to Westport via Nelson Lakes and the Buller Gorge
Rainforest, granite bays and wombats at dusk – a campervan loop around Tasmania
Bays, bush and penguins – by camper along the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne
Rainforest, surf and glacier ice – by camper from Nelson down the West Coast to Wānaka
Punakaiki to Hokitika: Pancake Rocks, Lake Brunner and Gorge
Christchurch to Greymouth over Lewis Pass with Hanmer Springs
Greymouth to Christchurch over Arthur's Pass
Christchurch and Banks Peninsula to Akaroa
From Franz Josef and Fox Glacier to Haast and Jackson Bay
© Blake Richard Verdoorn blakeverdoorn · CC0Fiords, penguins and glacial lakes – by camper through Fiordland, the Catlins and Otago to Aoraki
FAQs
Where is it warm enough to camp in March?
In southern Europe: southern Spain, Portugal, southern Italy and Greece often have spring-like days, although nights are still cool. In the US, Arizona, Southern California and Texas are pleasant. In southern Australia, early autumn usually brings mild, settled weather, a good alternative if you want to escape the European winter entirely.
Are campgrounds open in March?
It depends on the region. In southern Spain, Portugal and along many Mediterranean coasts, a good number of campgrounds are open all year. In central and northern Europe and in the mountains, many reopen only around Easter. So in March, check opening dates for each campground and call ahead if you’re unsure.
How are the routes for March chosen?
Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 171 routes are rated “good” in March. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.