At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season
Rome in March
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Rome in March offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for runners & early-spring walkers. Expect temperatures of 6–16°C, around 7 days of rain, and medium crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around €60–125 for mid-range travellers. Book three to four weeks ahead for the best mid-range rates and the widest hotel choice.
Contents14 sections
#Weather in Rome in March
Rome in March averages 6–16°C (43–61°F) with around 7 days of rain, and crowds are medium.
| Measure | March in Rome |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | About 16°C / 61°F |
| Overnight low | About 6°C / 43°F |
| Wet days | About 7 |
| Sunset | 6:00pm on the 1st, 7:34pm by the 31st (after the clocks change) |
| Easter | Sunday 28 March 2027; Holy Week from 21 March |
| Rome Marathon | Sunday 14 March 2027 |
Figures are NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Ciampino, Rome's official climate station.
What that actually means for your trip:
- Spring arrives in the second half. Early March can still be wintry and wet; by the last fortnight, afternoons are mild enough to sit outside and the Palatine and the parks turn green and flowering.
- Easter falls in March in 2027. Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday, 21 March, to Easter Sunday, 28 March, and Easter Monday is a public holiday. It brings Rome's biggest crowds and highest prices of the spring.
- The clocks change on Easter Sunday. Europe moves to summer time on the last Sunday of March, 28 March in 2027, so the evenings jump an hour later overnight.
- The marathon closes the centre for a morning. Run Rome The Marathon is on Sunday 14 March, with roads around the Colosseum and the historic centre shut until early afternoon.
Is March a good time to visit Rome? The first half of March, yes: spring is starting, the crowds are moderate and hotel rates are still close to winter levels, apart from the marathon weekend. The last ten days are a different trip in 2027, built around Holy Week and Easter: unforgettable for the ceremonies, but busy and expensive. Choose deliberately which one you want.
#What to Do in Rome in March
Holy Week and Easter (21–29 March 2027)
Holy Week is the most solemn and most crowded week of the Roman year.
The Pope celebrates Palm Sunday in St Peter's Square on 21 March; on Good Friday, 26 March, he leads the Via Crucis, the Stations of the Cross, by torchlight at the Colosseum; and on Easter Sunday, 28 March, Mass in St Peter's Square is followed at noon by the Urbi et Orbi blessing.
Easter Monday, Pasquetta, is a public holiday, when Romans head out of town for picnics.
You do not need a ticket for most of it. The Via Crucis and the Urbi et Orbi are open to anyone who turns up; free tickets for seats at the Masses are issued by the Prefecture of the Papal Household. The Vatican publishes exact times a few weeks ahead.
Run Rome The Marathon (Sunday 14 March 2027)
The 32nd edition of the marathon starts at about 8:30am near the Colosseum and passes Piazza Venezia, Castel Sant'Angelo and St Peter's before finishing back in the ancient centre. Tens of thousands of runners take part, many from abroad. For spectators, the stretches near the Colosseum and along the Tiber are the best places to watch; for everyone else, it is a morning to plan around.
The Palatine and the Forum in spring
The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine share timed, named tickets, released about 30 days ahead.
In March the Palatine Hill, where Rome's emperors built their palaces, turns green and the wildflowers come up among the ruins; the Farnese Gardens at the top look down over the Forum. Go early on a weekday, and book well ahead for Holy Week.
The Appian Way
The Via Appia Antica, the ancient road south out of Rome, is lined with tombs, catacombs and umbrella pines, and its first stretch is closed to most traffic on Sundays. Hire a bicycle near the start of the road or at the park's information point and ride out past the tomb of Cecilia Metella.
The Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano are visited by guided tour.
Ostia Antica
Rome's ancient port, half an hour away by the Roma–Lido train from the Piramide station, is one of the best-preserved Roman towns anywhere, and March is the best month to walk it: green, uncrowded and not yet hot. Streets of shops, apartment blocks, baths, a theatre and mosaic floors stretch for over a kilometre among umbrella pines, and you can wander it for hours with very few other people.
Solo Travellers
The Borghese Gallery, with its Bernini sculptures, runs strict two-hour timed entry; book a week or more ahead in March, and longer for Holy Week.
On the first Sunday of the month, 7 March 2027, the state museums and the Colosseum are free, with tickets handed out on the day.
Couples
Walk up to the Orange Garden on the Aventine for sunset over the river and St Peter's, then down through Trastevere for dinner. After the clocks change on 28 March, the evenings are suddenly long enough for an aperitivo outside in daylight.
Families
The open grass of Villa Borghese, with its rowing boats on the little lake and bike hire, suits children on a mild March day.
Explora, the children's museum near Piazzale Flaminio, is the wet-day alternative.
Groups
A long lunch out of town on Easter Monday, Pasquetta, is the Roman way: the Castelli Romani hill towns south-east of the city fill with families. Book a trattoria ahead, or join the picnickers in the countryside.
#Getting Around
From Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express reaches Termini in 32 minutes for €14; from Ciampino, shuttle buses take about 40 minutes.
In the city, a BIT ticket costs €1.50 for 100 minutes, a 72-hour pass €18, and contactless cards work at the Metro gates.
Metro C now reaches the Colosseum.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €55–75 | Hostel bed, pizza al taglio, one trattoria meal |
| Mid-range | €120–180 | 3-star hotel, two sit-down meals, one or two museums |
| Luxury | €300+ | Central hotels and fine dining, rising sharply in Holy Week |
Rates are moderate in early March, rise for the marathon weekend, and peak in Holy Week and over Easter.
Costs worth knowing:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Leonardo Express, Fiumicino to Termini | €14 |
| BIT ticket (100 minutes) | €1.50 |
| Vatican Museums | €20, plus €5 to book online |
| Roma Pass, 48 / 72 hours | €38 / €62.90 |
| Pantheon | €5 |
| Trevi Fountain basin, 9am–10pm | €2 |
- The Vatican's free last Sunday falls on Easter Sunday in 2027, 28 March, and the free entry is normally suspended on Easter; do not plan around it.
- The first Sunday, 7 March, is free at the state museums and the Colosseum.
- Book Holy Week rooms early; the best-located hotels fill months ahead.
#Food & Dining
March is the peak of Rome's spring food:
- Carciofi, the Roman artichokes, at their best: fried whole as carciofi alla giudia in the Jewish Ghetto, or braised with mint as carciofi alla romana.
- Abbacchio, spring lamb, roasted or grilled as scottadito cutlets, the Easter dish.
- Puntarelle, the curled chicory shoots with anchovy dressing, in their last weeks.
- Colomba, the dove-shaped Easter cake, and chocolate eggs in every bakery window before Easter.
For carciofi alla giudia, go to the restaurants around Via del Portico d'Ottavia in the Ghetto.
Roscioli Caffè on Piazza Benedetto Cairoli is good for pastries and coffee, and Testaccio market for the produce Romans actually cook.
#Nightlife
As the evenings warm, the terraces of Campo de' Fiori, Trastevere and the Monti wine bars fill with aperitivo crowds from about 6:30pm.
The bars around Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere are the liveliest. During Holy Week the city is busier but the mood is quieter around the religious ceremonies.
#Shopping
Spring collections arrive in the boutiques of Via del Corso, Via Cola di Rienzo and Monti.
The Porta Portese flea market in Trastevere, every Sunday morning, is one of the biggest in the city; on Easter Sunday check it is running before you go. Before Easter, the pastry shops and chocolatiers fill their windows with colomba and hand-made eggs.
#Culture & Etiquette
- Dress for churches, strictly so in Holy Week: covered shoulders and knees.
- Holy Week is a religious occasion. Keep voices low at the Via Crucis and the Masses, and do not use flash.
- Pasquetta is a holiday. On Easter Monday, 29 March, many shops and some museums close.
- The coperto is a cover charge, not a tip; rounding up for good service is welcome.
#Essential Local Phrases
| Phrase | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Easter! | Buona Pasqua! | Bwoh-nah Pahs-kwah |
| Fried artichokes, please | Carciofi alla giudia, per favore | Kar-choh-fee al-lah joo-dee-yah, pehr fah-voh-reh |
| Spring lamb | Abbacchio | Ab-bak-kyoh |
| Is the road closed? | La strada è chiusa? | Lah strah-dah eh kyoo-zah? |
| A table for two | Un tavolo per due | Oon tah-voh-loh pehr doo-eh |
| What beautiful flowers! | Che bei fiori! | Keh bay fyoh-ree! |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favore | Eel kon-toh, pehr fah-voh-reh |
#Packing List
- Layers for cool mornings, mild afternoons and cold evenings
- A light waterproof jacket
- Comfortable shoes for the Palatine, the Appian Way and cobbled lanes
- Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for Holy Week services
- A warm layer for the evening Via Crucis
- Sunglasses for the brighter days at the end of the month
- A small umbrella
#Backup Plans
If the marathon blocks your route: spend the morning in Prati and Trastevere, west of the river, and reach the Vatican from the Metro A.
If Holy Week crowds are too much: visit San Clemente, with its three layers of churches, or the Capitoline Museums, both quieter than the Vatican that week.
If it rains: Palazzo Massimo, part of the National Roman Museum, has the painted garden room from Livia's villa and some of the finest Roman sculpture in the city.
#Safety & Health
March in Rome is safe, but crowds build in Holy Week, and pickpockets work St Peter's Square, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the 64 bus. Keep bags closed and in front. Wet cobbles are slippery after rain. Spring pollen, from plane trees and cypresses, arrives in March; bring antihistamines if you suffer. Tap water and the nasoni fountains are safe.
Emergency: 112; for an ambulance, 118.
#What's New for March 2027
- Run Rome The Marathon is on Sunday 14 March
- Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday, 21 March, with the Via Crucis on Good Friday, 26 March
- Easter Sunday is 28 March, the same day the clocks go forward
- Easter Monday, 29 March, is a public holiday
- The Vatican Museums cost €20, and their free last Sunday falls on Easter this year
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), updated October 2026 for March 2027. Climate figures are NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Ciampino. Dates and prices verified against:
- Run Rome The Marathon for the 2027 race date
- Vatican Museums for tickets and the free last Sunday
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo for the free first Sunday
- Musei in Comune di Roma for the Roma Pass
- Holy See for the papal celebrations of Holy Week
For Easter in full, see Easter at the Vatican, and for the season as a whole, Rome in spring.
You might also like
Destinations picked for travellers with similar taste or climate.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Rome Marathon?
Run Rome The Marathon is on Sunday 14 March 2027, its 32nd edition, starting at about 8:30am. The course passes the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia, Castel Sant’Angelo and St Peter’s, and tens of thousands of runners take part. Roads in the centre close from early morning into the afternoon, so plan sightseeing on the far side of the course or use the Metro.
What's the weather like in Rome in March?
A transitional month — early March still feels like winter (highs of 14°C, frequent rain), late March feels like spring (highs of 17°C, longer days, daffodils blooming). Pack layers, a waterproof jacket, and shoes that handle wet cobblestones.
Is March a good time to visit Rome?
Yes — it's one of the best value months. Hotel rates are still near winter lows, sights are uncrowded, and the weather is just warm enough for outdoor café lunches. The big risk is rain — pack accordingly and have a backup indoor plan.
When does daylight saving start in Italy?
On the last Sunday of March, which in 2027 is 28 March, Easter Sunday. Sunset jumps from about 6:30pm to about 7:30pm overnight, which makes evening sightseeing much easier for the rest of the spring.
How much does it cost to visit Rome in March?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of €60–125, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Flexible dates can save up to 20% compared with peak-week rates.