The 20 Best Places to Visit in March Around the World

The Taj Mahal on Valentine’s Day makes Agra one of the best places to visit in February. However, you really want to be in India — anywhere in India, really — in March for Holi, the Festival of Colours. In 2020, Holi falls on March 9 and 10. Whether you’re partying in Goa, rubbing shoulders with Bollywood stars in Mumbai or joining the pilgrims in Lord Krishna’s birthplace of Mathura, be ready to get covered in colour. You might want to wear old clothes!

The peninsula of Punta Tombo in southern Argentina is home to the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in South America. These cute little birds migrate from Brazil to Punta Tombo in September, when spring arrives in the Southern Hemisphere. They stay throughout the summer and March is a great month to see thousands upon thousands of them raising their chicks while preparing for the migration back north.

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Nebraska may not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re thinking of the hottest holiday destinations around the world, but if you come here in March, you’ll get to see one of the planet’s most spectacular animal migrations. This is when more than half a million Sandhill cranes converge on the Platte River to mate before heading north to their breeding grounds. You don’t have to be into ornithology to appreciate the spectacle of all these birds doing their mating dance with flapping wings.

Kings Landing is a living history museum about 20 minutes from Fredericton. Why would a museum be one of the best places to visit in March? Because Kings Landing hosts one of Canada’s best maple festivals. Sugar Bush is held on March 7 to 8 and March 14 to 15 and is a great way to celebrate that most Canadian of sweet treats while getting a hands-on experience of what New Brunswick was like in the 1800s.

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Put aside your Florida packing list for now and head to Austin, Texas instead if you want mild, snow-free weather. You may not be getting beaches, but in March, Austin hosts SXSW or South by Southwest: a conglomerate of events including a music festival, a film festival and conferences, held from March 13 to 22.

Kenya is one of the best places to visit in July, when it’s time for the famous wildebeest migration. In March, the country is home to a less famous, but no less unforgettable migration: that of Papa Shillingi, better known as whale sharks. Stunning Diani Beach is one of the best places in the country to see these magnificent creatures. Maybe you'll even have a dip with them.

Nobody celebrates their patron saint’s day with quite as much flair and enthusiasm as the Irish. The biggest and most famous St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland takes place in Dublin, but you’ll also find raucous parties in places like Cork and Kilkenny: anywhere that has a pub, to be honest. For a more authentically Irish celebration with some of the country’s best craic, you may want to be in Galway on March 17.

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New York and Boston may have the more famous St. Patrick’s Day celebrations outside of Ireland, but one of the biggest in the world is also in one of the more surprising places. The rest of the year, Savannah vies with Charleston, South Carolina – one of the best places to visit in April – for Southern charm and gentility. On March 17, however, it’s Savannah that draws the crowds dressed in green. Not even Ireland can boast such a warm St. Patrick’s Day either!

You’ll find an Irish pub no matter where you go in the world, but in the Caribbean, there’s an island where the Irish influence goes much further. Montserrat’s inhabitants are predominantly of mixed African and Irish heritage, making this volcanic island the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean. Of course this means that St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm too, with the entire island going green.

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Nigeria is home to one of the world’s worst airports and in March, the country is blisteringly hot. So why would you want to visit its capital this time of year? Fun fact: Ireland isn’t the only country that claims St. Patrick as its patron saint. Nigerians don’t really celebrate their shared patron saint quite like the Irish do, but Abuja was the first city in West Africa to go green for the day. You’ll find some small parties here where you can experience St. Patrick’s Day African style. You’ll also find Abuja to be surprisingly beautiful.

March is a great time to visit Larnaca, since it’s cooler and less overrun by tourists, but still mostly sunny. The city has a lot to offer in terms of museums and historical sights, but the real reason to come here in March is for the flamingos. Thousands of greater flamingos flock to Larnaca’s salt lake to feast on brine shrimp during the winter months and they’re here until the end of March.

Costa Rica is a paradise for ecotourists and is home to some of the more fascinating hidden gems of Central America. The country also has a rich culture with some very colourful festivals. One of these is El Día del Boyero, or Oxcart Driver’s Day, which is held every year on the second Sunday in March: in 2020, it will be on March 15. Some 300 oxcart drivers from all over the country descend on the village of San Antonio de Escazú near the capital, San José, to take part in a festive parade. These aren’t just ordinary old oxcarts, though: according to Costa Rican tradition, they’re decorated in stunning colourful motifs.

Mexico is lovely this time of year and a great place to go is Veracruz. This port city offers everything there is to love about Mexico, but with some Afro-Caribbean flavour thrown into the mix. And if you love salsa music, Veracruz is the place to be at the start of March, since this is when the city hosts one of Mexico’s most colourful carnivals.

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Chichén Itzá is just one of the many spectacular Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It’s a great location to visit any time of year, but to truly appreciate the wisdom of the ancient astronomers, be here from March 19 to 22. To mark the spring equinox, a unique shadow forms on the Temple of Kukulcan around sunset. It looks like a serpent creeping down the staircase until it reaches the snake’s head at the bottom. It may not be one of the world’s most beautiful sunsets, but it sure is one of the most magical.

If indie rock is what you have on your playlist, you want to be in Boise from March 24 to 29. This is when the city hosts the Treefort Music Festival, where it’s all about indie tunes. The lineup for 2020 includes artists like Peter Bjorn and John, Japanese Breakfast, Calexico, Chromatics and more.

Spain may not be one of the cheapest countries to visit, but it’s one of the cheaper destinations in Western Europe. In March, the Spanish destination to visit is the city of Valencia, which hosts Las Fallas from March 15 to 19. Las Fallas is the city’s fire festival, marked by fireworks, bonfires, parades and of course lots of music and partying.

Hot and sunny weather makes Loreto just the destination to enjoy Baja California’s famed beaches in March. It’s also a great place to spot migrating blue whales this time of year. In fact, from March 20 to 21, Loreto hosts the Festival de la Ballena Azul, or the Blue Whale Festival, to celebrate these creatures. So, start drawing up your Mexico packing list and get ready for mariachis, street artists and whale-themed documentaries.

Do you like your festivals with a good dose of spirituality? Then head to Ubud for the BaliSpirit Festival from March 29 to April 6. It’s one of the best yoga festivals around the world and comes with a host of other activities too, including music and dancing, martial arts, meditation, sound healing and breathwork.

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Banff is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places in Canada. It’s even prettier in March, when temperatures are on the rise, but the snow is at its powdery best. Skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing are obviously at the top of the list of things to do here, but Banff also offers hot springs and spas, great food and spectacular scenery.

River challenges, exciting festivals and beautiful beaches make Belize an ideal destination for March 2020. If you're more into adventure, check out cave-tubing or zip line around the tropical forests. If culture and civilization is more your vibe, make sure to hit up the Mayan Ruins. And pro-tip, don't forget to stop by the amazing ATM cave in Cayo District (you're welcome).