Marrakech in March: weather, temperatures and tips
The pivot month: the end of winter, the start of high season. 24°C (75°F) by day, 10°C at night, and the climate many come for. One serious caveat: it's the wettest month of the year.
March closes winter and opens high season. The average high reaches 24°C, the low holds at 10°C, and the days lengthen sharply. It’s the climate many come for: warm enough to walk in a shirt at midday, still cool enough at night not to put the jumper away. One caveat before you book: March is the wettest month of the year, though the rain falls in short showers rather than whole days.
Marrakech weather in March
At 24°C average high and 10°C low, March offers one of the year’s best balances. The sun heats eight hours a day, the day-night gap stays sharp and late-month cherguis can push the thermometer to 32°C in spells, sometimes loading the air with dust.
That’s the month’s flipside: with 35 mm over seven to eight days, March is the wettest of the year. Rain falls in short showers, often followed by clearer weather, and rarely runs for a whole day. On the Atlas, the summit snow holds strong, and the melt feeds the Ourika waterfalls.
Your day, hour by hour
| Time | Feel | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| 8-10am | 11-14°C | Medina and souks, light knit |
| 11am-5pm | 21-24°C in the sun | Gardens, palaces, terraces |
| 6-8pm | dropping to 14°C | Aperitif on a terrace, dinner |
| night | 10°C | A layer is enough, back-up heating in the evening |
What to pack
March calls for a mixed case. Light clothes for the day, a warm layer for the evening and a windproof jacket or a foldable umbrella for the showers. Riad heating stays useful late in the evening, especially early in the month. On swimming, an unheated pool stays cool, around 15-17°C: a ‘heated pool’ is still a plus. Sunglasses, hat and SPF already earn their keep - the midday sun bites.
Crowds and prices in March
March launches the first big wave of the year. Mild temperatures bring visitors back, riads fill and rates climb: reckon on £80-£112 a night double in a boutique riad, against £48-£72 in mid-winter. The tail end of French February school holidays spills into the first days of the month. For the best addresses, book two to three weeks ahead, more if your stay lands over a UK bank-holiday long weekend. To compare, see our riads.
Some years, Ramadan tempers the picture: the city runs quieter in the afternoon, and accommodation is sometimes a bit cheaper, tourist crowds thinning during the fast.
What to do in Marrakech in March
March is the month when the city goes green again: the gardens - Majorelle, Ménara and the Secret Garden - emerge from winter, and terraces turn pleasant again in late afternoon. Long walks in the medina work without suffering the heat. In years when Ramadan falls in March, Jemaa el-Fna comes alive most of all in the evening, at the breaking of the fast.
On day trips, March is a rare window: the Ourika valley and the Atlas foothills run green, the Ouzoud waterfalls run full after the winter rains and the snow still holds on the summits, sometimes as far down as Oukaïmeden. The Agafay desert has cool but doable nights. It’s one of the best months to combine the city and the mountain in a week.
Our verdict on March
March is one of our favourite months for Marrakech: warmth without the excess, nights that cool, the Atlas still snowy within a day’s reach and the medina before the big spring crowd. The price to pay: a few showers and rates on the rise.
For the safest climate and pool days, April and May take over.
The twelve months compare on our best time to visit, and the packing brief is on what to pack.
