March is a decent shoulder option for Florence: fewer crowds, some trade-offs. Expect daytime highs around 16°C, nights near 5°C and roughly 8 rainy days across the month. Mild afternoons near 16C and a noticeable lift in visitor numbers as the season starts. If Easter lands in late March, the Scoppio del Carro fireworks cart explodes in front of the Duomo on Easter Sunday morning, so book that week early.
Day high
16°C
Night low
5°C
Rainy days
≈ 8
Verdict
Fair
March is quieter, which makes it the right month to afford the splurge picks.
Landmark stay€€€Arno views · Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
A Ferragamo-owned luxury address on the Lungarno with rooms looking straight at the Ponte Vecchio. It is expensive even for Florence, and the river-view suites are the reason people book it.
from ~550 EUR/night
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First visit€€Family-run classic · Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
A warm, family-run hotel in a medieval palazzo two minutes from Piazza della Signoria, so the Uffizi and the Duomo are both a short walk. The included evening aperitivo and the owners' tips are what reviewers keep mentioning.
from ~160 EUR/night
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Local life€€Loggia over the piazza · Santo Spirito
A Renaissance palace on lively Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno, with a top-floor loggia terrace over the rooftops. You sleep on the artisan side of the river, a five-minute walk across to the center.
from ~150 EUR/night
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Budget€Central hostel · San Lorenzo and Mercato Centrale
A small, well-kept hostel in a historic building near San Lorenzo market and the Duomo, with private rooms as well as dorms. It puts you inside the walkable core at a fraction of Florence hotel prices.
from ~45 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
With highs around 16°C, March is outdoor weather: prioritize viewpoints, parks and long walks.
Duomo and Brunelleschi's Dome
TipThe cathedral floor is free to enter but the dome climb needs a separate timed reservation booked days ahead through the Duomo complex ticket; it is 463 steps with no lift and slots sell out. Take the earliest morning slot for the coolest, least crowded stairwell and the sharpest light over the city.
Giotto's Campanile
TipIncluded in the same Duomo complex ticket as the dome, the bell tower is 414 steps and usually has a shorter line than the dome. Climb it if the dome is sold out, because from here you actually get the dome itself in your photos, which you cannot from on top of it.
Ponte Vecchio
TipThe medieval bridge of goldsmiths' shops is free and always open, but daytime is a slow-moving crush. Come at 8am for empty photos or after 10pm when the jewellers shutter and the arches light up; shoot the bridge itself from the next bridge downstream, Ponte Santa Trinita.
Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio
TipThe square and its open-air Loggia dei Lanzi sculptures are free to wander at any hour, and the David outside Palazzo Vecchio is a copy on the spot where the original once stood. If you climb the Arnolfo tower inside, buy the palace ticket online and note the tower closes in heavy rain.
Ready to plan the full trip? Start from the 2-day Florence itinerary.
March is a decent shoulder option for Florence: fewer crowds, some trade-offs. Expect daytime highs around 16°C, nights near 5°C and roughly 8 rainy days across the month. Mild afternoons near 16C and a noticeable lift in visitor numbers as the season starts. If Easter lands in late March, the Scoppio del Carro fireworks cart explodes in front of the Duomo on Easter Sunday morning, so book that week early.
Typical March days in Florence reach about 16°C, dropping to around 5°C at night. Layers work best.
Count on roughly 8 days with rain in March. Rain rarely lasts all day, so plans hold up well.