captures the vibrant and historic atmosphere of Rossio Square in Lisbon during March. The square is bustling with activity, framed by the gr
March brings the promise of spring to vibrant Lisbon, with blooming gardens, warmer sunny days, and lively cultural events. From flowers carpeting the city’s hillsides to street celebrations honoring St. Anthony, Portugal’s capital delights travelers during this shoulder season.
Delightful reasons to visit Lisbon in March include mild weather ideal for outdoor exploring amid lower tourist crowds than summer. As the winter chill gives way to sunshine and 60°F average highs by March, Lisbon emerges even more enchanting.
1. Stroll Beneath Blooming Almond Trees
While Lisbon dazzles year-round, March ushers in spectacular floral displays across the city’s parks and plazas. Delightful reasons to visit Lisbon in March shine amid more than 15,000 glorious pink almond tree blossoms flowering simultaneously in the expansive Parque Eduardo VII.
2. Wander Rossio Square’s Alluring Allées
Flanked by the stately National Theater and ornate Baroque fountains, central Rossio Square offers delightful reasons to visit Lisbon in March. The paving stones form intriguing wave patterns as blooming red and white allées of oriental plane trees lend shade for lingering.
3. Revel Alongside St. Anthony Celebrations
No other saint garners such devotion in Lisbon as St. Anthony, the city’s patron whose June feast day is preceded by the delightfully lively Festas de Lisboa in March. With food kiosks, fado concerts, street parties, art exhibits, and nightly fireworks, Lisbon throws a months-long celebration honoring its most beloved religious figure.
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4. Stroll Scenic Hills Bursting with Flowers
Lisbon was built across several scenic hills, which erupt in colorful blooms during March. Delightful reasons to visit Lisbon in March include strolling sloped cobblestone lanes and hidden alley staircases linking Miradouro lookouts overlooking the Terreiro do Paço plaza, the Tagus River, and beyond. You’ll swear the postcard panoramas can’t get prettier than with camellias, roses, orchids, and carnations spilling everywhere.
5. Devour Fresh Seafood Along the Harbor
Lisbon’s historic role as a maritime mercantile capital means fresh seafood stars at restaurants within the delightfully vibrant neighborhoods of Alfama, Graça, and the grittier dockside quarter of Cais do Sodré. Sizzling plates of charcoal-grilled sardines, garlicky gambas shrimp, buttery local limpets, and bacalhau codfish present delightful reasons to visit Lisbon in March before summer tourists descend.
6. Explore Enchanting Day Trips
Beyond Lisbon, captivating nearby towns like fairy-tale Sintra with its colorful Pena Palace perched atop the mountains make for enchanting March day trips. Or visit walled medieval Óbidos and tour its chocolate factory, golfer’s paradise Cascais with chic boutiques and lively bars, and the chilled-out beach vibes of Costa da Caparica. With pleasant weather ideal for driving around the scenic countryside capped by lunch alfresco, Lisbon surrounds visitors with delightful reasons to visit in shoulder season.
7. Wander Carmo Square’s Emerging Gardens
As March temperatures climb into the 60s, Lisbon’s secret gardens awaken from winter dormancy to reveal delightful reasons to visit Lisbon. Historic Carmo Square’s budding oasis features the Gothic ruins of a 14th century church destroyed in the 1755 earthquake surrounded by verdant citrus trees, roses, and herb gardens that perfume the air.
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8. Experience Festivities at Parque das Nações
Reborn for the 1998 World Expo, Parque das Nações modern riverfront district hosts delightful spring happenings like the annual Portugal Beer Fest craft event in March. Kids delight at the science and technology interactive museum while music fans flock for concerts at 20,000-seat Altice Arena. And with Europe’s largest oceanarium, an architecturally innovative mall, parks, and riverside cafes there are delightful reasons to linger at Lisbon’s contemporary-styled playground.
9. Discover Belém’s Iconic Attractions
No first-time visit to Lisbon is complete without seeing Belém’s trifecta of iconic attractions, each offering delightful details in March. The 16th century Belém Tower fortress gleams bright after a recent restoration while the adjacent Monument to the Discoveries depicts Portuguese explorers led by Henry the Navigator etched across its riverfront facade. And no amount of tourists can diminish the delightful Manueline architectural ornamentation of the Jerónimos Monastery, especially with its specialty March sweet – Travesseiros pasteis de nata egg custard tarts.
10. Lose Yourself in Alfama’s Twisty Lanes
Wandering around delightful ancient Moorish quarter Alfama twisted alleys beneath its laundry-strewn buildings presents possibly the best delightful reason to visit Lisbon in March before peak tourist season. With tentacles reaching from Castelo de São Jorge castle down to the river, Alfama captures Lisbon’s vintage atmosphere with bougainvillea-draped streets opening upon wrought-iron Miradouro terraces revealing spellbinding views.
11. See a Fado Music Performance
Portugal’s nationally treasured fado music embodies the country’s nostalgic soul with mournfully beautiful guitar-accompanied singers lamenting lost loves, bygone days, and fate’s cruelty. March presents delightful weather to experience an authentic fado performance at a cozy restaurant or atmospheric club rather than during packed-to-the-gills summer months.
12. Savor Alfresco Dining Around Praça do Comércio
As March coaxes Lisbonites out of winter hibernation into the warming spring sunshine, outdoor cafes around the grand 18th century Praça do Comércio fill with diners soaking up the delightful weather under bright blue skies. With temperate weather and before most tourists descend, March invites leisurely basking for hours fueled by dramatically-sited seafood feasts, wine, and the area’s iconic lemon-garnished gin and tonic.
With revitalizing sunshine coaxing tree-lined hills, verdant gardens, and lively plazas to bloom amid charming celebrations and flavors, Lisbon in March proffers delightful reasons for travelers to visit before peak season.
