Things to Do in Lisbon in March: 6 Picks

Lisbon in March sits between winter and summer. The days are mild, rain still comes, and the evenings get longer every week. This list picks six things that work in that mix, with the hours, prices and routes you need to plan them.

Weather figures come from the Portuguese weather institute, and opening hours come from each attraction's own page, all read on 21 October 2026. Hours can change, so confirm them for your dates.

What March in Lisbon is like

The weather institute's 1991 to 2020 averages for Lisbon's Instituto Geofísico station show a March high of 18.9 °C and a low of 11.0 °C. This beats February, when the average high is 16.4 °C, and cooler than April at 20.4 °C. You will see only about one day a month at 25 °C or more.

Rain is the thing to plan around. March brings about 69 mm of rain in total, and 7.6 days have at least 1 mm. Expect roughly one wet day in four. By July the average falls to 2.6 mm, so March is a different city. Bring a light waterproof layer and a flexible plan.

Sunset runs later every week. On Sunrise-Sunset.org's calculation for Lisbon, the sun sets at 18:28 on 1 March, 18:43 on 15 March and 18:54 on 27 March. Those are winter-time clocks. Portugal moves its clocks forward on the last Sunday of March, which is 28 March in 2027. After that, sunset on 31 March is about 19:58.

The best March plan is the one you can swap for another when the clouds roll in.

What is on in Lisbon in March

The big recurring event is MONSTRA, Lisbon's animation film festival. Its 2026 edition ran from 12 to 22 March and showed more than 490 films, mostly at Cinema São Jorge on Avenida da Liberdade. The festival's own FAQ gives 11 to 21 March 2027 for the next edition, with Greece and Cyprus as the invited countries.

Runners have the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon. The 2026 race was held on Sunday 8 March and started at 9:30, according to the organiser's regulations. The pages I could read give no 2027 date yet, so check the organiser's site before you plan around it. Turismo de Lisboa keeps the full agenda for the rest of the month.

Is March quiet or busy?

No official body publishes crowd counts for Lisbon's sights, so nobody can promise you a short queue. What Statistics Portugal (INE) does count is hotel nights. In the Grande Lisboa region, INE's name for Lisbon and the municipalities around it, March 2025 recorded 1.55 million overnight stays. That is about 50,000 a night, with 54.0% of beds occupied. August 2025 recorded 2.06 million, a third more.

Prices follow the same pattern. Across Portugal, tourist accommodation took an average of €96.5 per occupied room in March 2025 and €159.2 in August 2025. So March is the quieter and cheaper month, but it is not empty. March 2025 is the latest March release with a Lisbon figure that I could open.

What to pack for Lisbon in March

The weather institute's numbers set the list. With highs near 19 °C and lows near 11 °C, bring a light jacket and a warmer top for evenings and the river. Add a waterproof layer, because 7.6 days of the month bring at least 1 mm of rain. Pack summer clothes only for the odd warm afternoon, since just 1.4 days a month reach 25 °C.

1. Climb São Jorge Castle in the longer light

March 1 is the day the castle changes to its summer schedule. The castle's schedule page gives 9:00 to 21:00 daily, with the last entry at 20:30. Wall-walks and towers may close between 18:00 and 21:00, so go in the afternoon if you want to climb them. The camera obscura (periscope) is a guided visit included in the ticket. It runs between 11:00 and 14:00 in March, weather permitting.

An adult ticket is €17 on the castle's ticket page. Children up to 12 and adults with a Lisboa Card enter free. The museum inside is temporarily closed while the toilets are upgraded.

You can reach the castle in several ways. The castle's own directions list bus 737 from Praça da Figueira with a 2-minute walk, tram 28E to the Santa Luzia or Portas do Sol stop with a 5-minute walk, Rossio metro with an 11-minute walk, and Martim Moniz metro with a 12-minute walk.

2. Spend a morning in Belém

Belém holds the Jerónimos Monastery, the Monument to the Discoveries and the bakery of the original custard tart. Plan it for a dry morning, because every stop is a short walk from the next.

The Jerónimos Monastery is open from 9:30 to 17:30, with the last entry at 17:00. Expect it closed on Mondays and on Easter Sunday, and Easter moves every year. Look up the date if your trip runs near it. The Monument to the Discoveries stays open until 19:00 from March, with the last entry at 18:30. From October to February it closes at 18:00.

Pastéis de Belém is open daily from 08:00 to 21:00 until 30 June. Go at 08:00 if you want a short wait.

The easy way to get there is the train. On CP's Cascais line timetable, valid since 6 April 2026, Belém to Cais do Sodré takes 8 minutes. In the day the trains run about every 20 minutes. Belém works on your own, because the stops stand close together.

3. Take a Sintra day trip on a dry day

Sintra's palaces sit on wooded hills, and cloud and rain make the views disappointing. Pick a day with a dry forecast and go early.

Quinta da Regaleira opens at 10:00 from January to March, with the last entry at 17:30 and closing at 18:30. That is an hour later than its April to September opening at 09:00, so you need not rush at dawn. The foundation tolerates up to one hour of delay on your ticket time.

If you do not want to manage trains and bus timetables, a guided trip takes care of the day. The Sintra, Pena, Regaleira and Cabo da Roca coast tour takes 9 hours and costs from €24. It meets at Rossio station at 8:00 and offers pickup, and the page says its price includes entry to Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira only if you select that option. ODYSSEY TOURS runs it. Its rating is 4.8 from 12,174 reviews.

A tour is the wrong choice if you want a slow day at one palace. It covers Sintra, the coast and Cascais in one go, so each stop is short. Take the train and pick one or two sights instead.

4. Watch the sunset from the Tagus

In March the sun sets between about 18:30 and 19:00 on winter-time clocks, so a sunset trip needs no late night. After the clocks go forward on 28 March, it moves to nearly 20:00.

Things to Do in Lisbon's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 23 sunset cruises and sails. Prices run from €20 to €81 per person, and the middle price is €35. Their boats vary from yachts to party boats.

The Lisbon sunset boat party cruise with DJ and open bar takes 2 to 4 hours and costs from €25. It includes an open bar, a DJ and life jackets, and is rated 4.5 from 14,245 reviews. Stern Wind Cruises Lda runs it. Expect a party, not a quiet cruise. Choose the booking slot with the sunset time in mind, because the page does not give one.

If you prefer something calmer, look at the other boat tours and cruises on the Tagus. Bring a jacket, because evenings in March stay cool.

5. Go dolphin watching on a calm day

A speedboat trip can look for dolphins close to Lisbon. The dolphin ocean safari with a marine biologist takes 3 hours and costs from €65. The page names SeaEO Tours on Avenida Brasília as the meeting point, and the trip includes life jackets, a biologist guide and insurance. It is rated 4.9 from 2,228 reviews.

The page does not say which months it runs, and sightings are never guaranteed. Pick a date, look at the availability, and leave a spare day if the sea is rough. This is the one pick on the list that only works with a boat, so do not try to do it on your own.

6. Keep the Oceanário and the Fado Museum for rain

About one day in four brings rain, so keep two indoor plans ready. The Oceanário is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, with the last entry at 19:00. Tickets cost €25.50 to €29.90 for adults depending on the time slot, and the late afternoon is the cheapest. The aquarium stands in Parque das Nações. Take the Red Line to Oriente station, or buses 705, 725, 728, 744, 708, 750, 759, 782 or 794.

The Fado Museum in Alfama is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with the last entry at 17:30. A normal ticket is €5.00. Fado is Lisbon's own sung music, and the museum is small enough for a wet hour or two.

A rainy day in Lisbon is not a lost day if the plan has a roof on it.

How to choose things to do in Lisbon in March

Start with the forecast. Put the climbs, the river and Sintra on the dry days, and the museums on the wet ones.

Key Takeaway March has about 7.6 days with at least 1 mm of rain, so pair each outdoor plan with an indoor one from the Oceanário or the Fado Museum.

Pro Tip Go up São Jorge Castle in the afternoon in March. The summer hours run until 21:00, and the late light over the Tagus is the best of the day.

When a tour is the wrong choice

A tour is the wrong choice for the castle, Belém and the museums. Each has its own ticket page and a simple route, and the stops in Belém stand close together. A tour suits the pieces that are hard on your own, which are a day in Sintra and anything on the water. Read the meeting point on the page before you book, because none of these three says it skips queues.