Best Places to Travel in March With Kids (2027)

Hero photo: Samantha Fortney / Unsplash, Carlsbad, California.

The school calendar gives you a week. Your open tabs offer a beach, a ballpark and a row of cherry trees, all looking equally tempting.

The best places to travel in March with kids include Puerto Rico for beach days, Phoenix and Scottsdale for spring-training baseball, and San Diego for coastal outings. Washington, DC adds museums and a late-month blossom festival, while Tokyo rewards families who want a city holiday whether the flowers have arrived or not.

The week matters. In 2027, Easter falls on March 28, after the currently published Arizona baseball schedule ends. Some festivals begin midway through March; others are winding down. Settle the thing you most want to do before the hotel photos make the decision for you.

Where to go in March with kids

Choose Puerto Rico, Puerto Morelos or Costa Rica's Pacific coast for a beach-centered holiday. For milder days spent exploring, consider San Diego, southern Tenerife or Lisbon; DC and Tokyo offer spring city trips that still need layers.

Early or late March? The dates that change your trip

Early March offers Arizona baseball before EPCOT's spring festival begins; late March brings DC's blossom festival but the end of some other events. These are the announced 2027 dates, checked in November 2026.

The baseball calendar is the currently published schedule and is subject to change. Confirm your chosen game before booking around it.

Arriving in Phoenix on March 24 or later, or visiting EPCOT in the first week of March, can still make for an enjoyable trip. Those dates just won't deliver the particular events above under the published calendars. For the broader school-vacation question, compare spring break destinations for families.

The best places to visit in the US in March with kids

Puerto Rico offers a warmer beach stay, while Phoenix, San Diego, DC and Orlando each give the week a different focus. Start with the outing your children would be excited to do, then leave enough room around it to enjoy being away.

Puerto Rico: beach days with room for a slower afternoon

A Puerto Rico week can begin with breakfast near the beach and very little urgency about what happens next. March falls within the relatively dry season, and San Juan's historical average high is about 85°F. Rain is still possible, especially away from the coast and in the mountains.

Choose a main base near the coast you want to spend time on. A room you can return to for lunch or a nap makes an ordinary beach day easier, especially when one child wants to keep playing and another has had enough sand. Save a city outing for a morning when everyone is ready to leave the water behind.

Old San Juan and El Yunque add variety, but they needn't become consecutive full-day assignments. For El Yunque, arrange a rental vehicle or authorized transport; the Forest Service warns against relying on a rideshare pickup inside the forest. Plan the return journey when you arrange the outing.

US citizens traveling directly between the mainland and Puerto Rico do not need an international passport. That does not remove identification requirements or cover every nationality and route.

Keep the temptation to island-hop in proportion to the days you have. A short trip with several stops can be wonderful, but each move takes time from the beach you came for. You can choose a simpler week without giving up an interesting one. At the shore, follow the day's beach forecast and lifeguard advice; warm weather does not settle the swimming conditions.

San Diego and Carlsbad: flowers and days by the coast

Carlsbad's Flower Fields opens March 1, 2027, adding a spring outing to a San Diego-area holiday. Give it space in the day rather than squeezing it between two distant attractions. A morning among the flowers, lunch and an afternoon near your hotel is a complete day out.

Map the outings you most want before choosing where to stay. Carlsbad and San Diego belong to the same broad trip, but a Carlsbad hotel does not put every city attraction around the corner. If your plans lean heavily toward one area, staying there saves the daily debate about getting back in the car.

March at San Diego airport averages about 67°F by day, with cooler evenings. The ocean remains cool, too, so pack for coastal walks and time on the sand rather than assuming a warm-water beach holiday. A child can happily build something elaborate at the shore while a parent keeps a hoodie on.

If swimming matters, ask about the specific hotel pool the children will use. Keep a rainy-day alternative available, and resist turning every forecast change into an emergency replacement outing. Sometimes lunch and a quiet afternoon are enough.

The San Diego family guide helps narrow the local attractions. Pick the ones that interest your children and allow for their walking stamina, even if they've outgrown a stroller at home. An opening date for the Flower Fields is useful for booking; it is not a prediction of when every row will be at its brightest.

Phoenix and Scottsdale: a baseball trip before the season moves on

For a child who loves baseball, March in Greater Phoenix gives the holiday an obvious purpose. Choose the game first. The currently published 2027 Cactus League schedule ends March 23, so arriving on March 24 or later means missing those games.

The ballparks are spread around the metro area, including Scottsdale Stadium and Salt River Fields. Pin the stadium you actually want to visit before choosing a hotel. A pool that looks lovely in the booking photos is less useful if the daily journey leaves you little time beside it.

Keep the rest of a game day light. You might spend the morning close to the hotel, eat before leaving and give the children time to settle in at the ballpark. Check that venue's bag and food rules before packing; don't assume every stadium handles them the same way.

Phoenix airport's March average high is about 78°F, but warmer spells can change an outdoor plan. Leave room to trade a long walk for an indoor afternoon, and ask about shade as well as pool heating when choosing a hotel. A desert holiday does not need a demanding hike every morning to feel like a desert holiday.

Families without baseball fans can still enjoy the pool and scenery. The case for making a special March trip, though, is strongest when somebody is excited about a game. Let them help choose it, then check the team's current schedule before paying for flights. The calendar may change, and there is no need to build the week around an assumption.

Washington, DC: museums first, blossoms when the trees are ready

Washington, DC's National Cherry Blossom Festival runs March 20–April 11, 2027. The trees follow the weather, so build a city trip you'd still enjoy if they bloom earlier or later than your visit. A festival booking is not a reservation for pink petals.

The National Air and Space Museum's DC location is a useful indoor anchor, but free entry still requires a timed-entry pass. Arrange that visit before treating it as a spontaneous rainy-day rescue.

On an outdoor morning, choose the walk you actually want rather than attempting every monument between breakfast and lunch. Put a meal stop into the plan before the children are hungry. The distance that seems modest on a map can feel quite different when someone is asking to be carried and the next stop is still ahead.

March is cool enough to need layers: the nearby Reagan National airport's average high is about 57°F, with nights around 39°F. Give a museum morning and a blossom walk different days if that leaves everyone more willing to enjoy both.

Choose a hotel around the museums you want to visit, rather than relying on a sweeping promise of being central. The Washington, DC family guide can help you choose what earns a place in the week. Then leave an afternoon loose. If the trees are beautiful, you'll have time to linger; if the weather turns, you won't be trying to preserve a schedule written months before the forecast.

Orlando: choose the parks, then check the March calendar

Orlando earns its place when the children are excited about the parks. In March 2027, EPCOT Flower & Garden begins March 10, while Universal Mardi Gras ends March 27 at Universal Studios Florida. Those dates can help choose a park day once you've settled which parks you want.

Standard Mardi Gras access is included with valid admission to its park; food and paid extras are separate. Check the current programme closer to travel before promising a particular performance or activity. Old event photos can make next year's plans seem more settled than they are.

Leave some days without park tickets. After a long day out, sleeping later and spending an unhurried afternoon at the hotel can be more appealing than another early start. Buying fewer park days also gives you fewer occasions when the price of admission argues against going home for a rest.

Think through the return to your room before booking the hotel. If you want midday breaks, check the actual transport and journey for the parks you'll use. A low nightly rate needs to be weighed alongside that repeated trip, especially with a sleeping child and a folded stroller.

Orlando's March average high is around 79°F, but that doesn't tell you what the hotel pool will feel like. Ask about it separately if swimming is part of the plan. For choosing attractions and pacing the days, use Orlando with kids. A festival can add something lovely to a park visit without deciding the entire holiday for you.

Beach days and milder weather beyond the US

Puerto Morelos and Guanacaste offer beach-centered trips during their regions' drier season. Southern Tenerife brings milder days outdoors, with cooler water. The journey from home matters here: a destination that's straightforward from one departure point may consume too much of a short break from another.

Puerto Morelos, Mexico: a beach base with the reef offshore

Puerto Morelos gives a Mexican Caribbean holiday a specific place to settle and a reef to explore offshore. March falls in the region's generally drier winter and spring period. You can make the week mostly about the beach and pool, with a boat outing if the children are keen.

The reef national park offers snorkeling, but choose an actual operator and trip around your child's ability. Ask about the boat, time in the water and arrangements for anyone who decides not to snorkel. A family photograph of smiling swimmers cannot answer those questions.

Before choosing a hotel, imagine the least glamorous hour of the holiday: everyone has come back wet, somebody wants food and the youngest needs a rest. Check the room arrangement and where you'll eat, then the distance between those places and the pool. Those details deserve attention alongside the view.

March is not a guarantee of a seaweed-free shore. Conditions vary, and a broad regional outlook cannot tell you how one hotel beach will be on your arrival day. Check recent information close to departure and choose somewhere you'd still enjoy if beach time becomes pool time. Pool temperature is worth its own question, too.

The family all-inclusive guide helps compare the hotel details that can otherwise disappear behind a destination name. With teens, give particular thought to what they'll enjoy beyond facilities aimed at much younger children. A relaxing week should leave them something to look forward to as well.

Guanacaste, Costa Rica: dry-season mornings and shaded afternoons

Guanacaste offers Pacific beach time during the dry season, but March's appeal comes with heat. Official climate guidance describes March as the Pacific region's hottest and driest month. Make shade and quieter afternoons part of the holiday from the start.

A beach base can give a short school break a more generous pace than a circuit through several regions. Choose a few outings that matter to the family, then let the days between them breathe. If a morning activity takes longer than expected, lunch needn't become something you eat while hurrying toward the next booking.

Nature trips can be rewarding with younger children, provided the particular outing matches what they can comfortably do. Before reserving, establish the walking involved, available breaks and the operator's age or ability requirements. Avoid treating a whole destination as either suitable or unsuitable for a preschooler; the demands of individual days differ.

The same applies to older children. Being capable of a long walk doesn't mean they'll enjoy one immediately after another active outing. Leave enough time to eat, cool down and decide whether anyone still wants to go farther.

Keep the geography clear when comparing trips: this dry-season description applies to the Pacific side, not all Costa Rica. Adding an inland stay changes the journey as well as the surroundings. On a longer holiday, that variety may be worth the move; on a short one, you can stay by the coast and go home having had a full trip. The afternoon spent doing very little may be the one everyone asks to repeat.

Southern Tenerife: mild days outside, with the pool checked first

Southern Tenerife offers a March break built around being outdoors, with typical daytime highs in the low 70s°F and cooler evenings. The south is generally drier and sunnier than the north, though any particular week can bring cloud, wind or rain.

The sea can feel cool. If the children imagine spending most of the holiday swimming, ask the hotel about the exact pool they'll use: whether it is heated, whether it will be open and what is available for their ages. A photograph taken in bright sunshine doesn't tell you how the first morning dip will feel.

Give the trip a little more variety than pool–room–restaurant without turning every day into an expedition. Choose a coastal outing, leave time for lunch and return while there is still an afternoon to enjoy. If a bigger excursion appeals, put a quieter day after it rather than treating rest as what happens when the schedule fails.

Choose your base around that version of the holiday. Staying in one part of the island while planning daily outings elsewhere can mean more driving than you wanted. Compare those routes before booking a room, and keep a cloudy-day plan that doesn't depend on chasing sunshine across the map.

Tenerife is particularly relevant when the journey from home leaves enough time for the holiday itself. Compare the full travel day, including transfers and connections, rather than assuming an island week is equally simple from every country. It can be a satisfying mild-weather break without needing to resemble a tropical one.

March city trips in Europe and Japan

Lisbon and Tokyo offer a holiday built around exploring, with room to change plans when rain or tired feet intervene. Choose them for the city itself; warm seas and perfectly timed flowers shouldn't be doing all the work.

Lisbon: a spring city break with a plan for rain

Lisbon's March average highs are around 66°F, warm enough to make an outdoor afternoon appealing but still a long way from a summer beach holiday. Pack layers and keep rain in mind when deciding which days to book tightly.

A city stay gives you permission to have smaller days. Choose one outing, stop for a proper lunch and let an interesting street become part of the afternoon rather than something to hurry through. With little children, an easy return to the room may matter more than the longest list of nearby sights.

Oceanário de Lisboa is in Parque das Nações, where a visit to the aquarium can become a riverside afternoon if the rain clears. Strollers are permitted inside, and the building has ramps and elevators. You can enjoy the fish first and decide about the walk when you come out, without committing the children to both.

Check the route from your hotel to the places you most want to visit, especially if you'll be pushing a stroller or carrying a tired child. Keep enough flexibility to swap the aquarium and an outdoor day once the forecast becomes useful. There is no advantage in walking through rain simply because Tuesday was labeled “exploring” months ago.

For a short break, keep the holiday centered on Lisbon. Adding a distant beach stay creates another travel day and a different weather question. A city morning followed by a leisurely meal can be the reason you came, with no need to apologize for the absence of swimming. Let the children help choose the next day's outing over dinner.

Tokyo: a city holiday that needn't depend on peak blossom

Tokyo's main cherry-blossom season usually arrives toward late March and early April, but the timing changes from year to year. An early-March visit and a late-month visit can feel quite different. Neither needs to depend on seeing the trees at their peak.

Ueno Park brings cherry trees, Shinobazu Pond and museums into one area. Choose a museum that interests the children, then take a walk if the weather invites it. When the trees are flowering, allow time to enjoy them without trying to cover the whole park before lunch.

March can still be chilly, with changing temperatures and wet weather. Bring layers and keep an indoor option in mind. If a rainy morning changes the plan, spend longer in the museum instead of crossing the city to keep another booking.

The room and its location deserve careful thought, especially with a baby or several children. Confirm where everyone will sleep and consider the journeys you expect to repeat. Trace the journey back after a day out. With a baby asleep in the carrier and an older child ready for dinner, that last part of the day deserves a thought before you book.

You can spend the whole holiday in Tokyo. Adding Kyoto may be worthwhile on a longer trip, but it is a separate choice, with packing and travel to allow for. Before paying for a blossom-led journey, check the current local flowering information when it becomes available. Keep the trip interesting enough that the children have plenty to remember even if the trees are not ready.

Before you book: the room, the pool and the journey

Check the actual room, swimming arrangements and daily journeys before paying for the trip. Those details can change a family's week even when the destination and dates are right.

Confirm that the room can accommodate everyone in your party, including the sleeping arrangement you expect. If swimming is central, ask about the pool the children will use rather than accepting a general statement about the hotel. Then trace a normal day from breakfast to your planned outing and back again.

For the budget, add up transport, rooms, food and outings for your actual dates. March isn't automatically cheap, and a low room rate can come with extra journeys or meal costs. The affordable family vacations guide helps weigh those choices.

If your dates are flexible, compare February trips with kids and the broader family destination guide. If they're fixed, choose a place that gives you something worthwhile within that week. You don't need every day to be the biggest day of the holiday.

Questions about traveling in March with kids

Where are the best places to travel in the US in March with kids? Puerto Rico offers a beach-centered trip; Phoenix and Scottsdale have spring-training baseball before the published schedule ends on March 23, 2027. Choose San Diego for coastal outings, Washington, DC for museums and the late-month blossom festival, or Orlando for theme parks. Your children's interests and the journey from home should guide the choice.

Where can families go for warm weather in March? Puerto Rico, Puerto Morelos in Mexico and Costa Rica's Pacific coast offer warmer beach-centered trips. Southern Tenerife is milder, and San Diego's ocean remains cool. Warm air doesn't guarantee comfortable or safe swimming, so check the actual beach conditions and hotel pool arrangements.

Which country is best to visit in March with kids? Mexico offers a beach base with optional reef outings, while Costa Rica's Pacific coast combines beach time with nature trips during the dry season. Portugal and Japan offer city holidays. Choose around the activities you want, your dates and the time available for the journey, rather than expecting one country to be best for every family.

Where is it cheapest to travel in March with kids? There is no single cheapest destination for every departure point and week. Compare the full cost of flights or driving, accommodation, meals and activities for your actual dates. A place you can reach easily with affordable rooms may cost less overall than a distant destination with a low advertised nightly rate.

Is early or late March better for a family trip? It depends on the reason for the trip. In 2027, the published Cactus League schedule ends March 23, EPCOT Flower & Garden begins March 10, and DC's Cherry Blossom Festival begins March 20. Tokyo's main blossoms usually arrive toward late March or early April, with variable timing. Neither half of March is universally cheaper or quieter.

Where can you travel in March with a baby or toddler? Puerto Rico and San Diego can work for a holiday with one main base and short outings. City or nature trips can work, too, when each day allows for your child's needs. Prioritize a practical room, easy returns for rest and plans you can change; a destination name alone doesn't determine how manageable the week will be.

US air temperatures use 1991–2020 airport-station averages; Lisbon uses the same period from IPMA. Tenerife's rounded range draws on AEMET airport normals and the island tourism climate guide. These describe past conditions, not a forecast for March 2027.