10 Things to Do in Lisbon in March

If you've decided to travel to Lisbon in March, you probably already know that it's a great month to welcome spring, which in the Portuguese capital even comes a little early and you can enjoy the warmer temperatures from the beginning of the month. In addition to the good weather, March is a month when culture also flourishes in Lisbon.

I have compiled the activities in Lisbon that most catch my eye, so that you can combine the springtime nature of the city with its more cultural and modern side.

Every morning on 28 March, as in the rest of Europe, Lisbon and Portugal change their time to adapt to the summer. What does this mean? That means that on the 28th the day will have an extra hour of daylight that you can take advantage of to extend your traditional boat trip on the Tagus River. Believe me, there's no better plan than being able to enjoy an extra hour watching the sunset over Lisbon.

As well as watching the sunset as you sail along the river, you'll be able to see the city's most emblematic sights. On board the cruise or sailing boat you will be able to see the Belém Tower, the 25th April Bridge and the Cristo Rei. In addition, these tours usually have a small capacity, perfect for listening to the guide's explanations and having more peace and quiet.

At other times of the year, when night comes earlier, these cruises are not as enjoyable, as it gets dark soon and when you disembark, it is too dark to do anything else. However, if you go after the time change, you can make the most of the last hours of daylight in Lisbon and then immerse yourself in this cruise at sunset.

One of Lisbon's greatest attractions is the art of its tiles. Never seen them before? When you land in the city you will have no choice but to appreciate them, as they decorate every corner. With their colours, shapes and designs, they tell stories, which is why Lisbon has been recognised as the World Tile City. The spring sun that arrives in March gives a unique light that allows you to contemplate its colours in a very beautiful and romantic way.

The tiles are always there, that's for sure, but in March the light is different and makes the city fill with a different brightness and energy, that's why it's a time I love to make a route through the Alfama neighbourhood. This area is one of the most traditional and, in my opinion, the one with the most beautiful tiled houses. However, the whole city is full of colour on its facades, so take a tour of it all.

You don't have to wait until summer to take the first swim of the year, do you think? If you go to Lisbon in March you can also do so in Sintra, a city declared a World Heritage Site. Apart from the Pena Palace, its main tourist attraction, Sintra is a place where the good weather that arrives at the end of this month encourages you to take a dip in its natural beaches.

My advice is that if you are going to spend more than one day in Lisbon, book an organised excursion to Sintra and escape to Sintra to get to know it, as it is only half an hour away. You won't regret it, I promise; its natural and architectural beauty has made it a unique holiday destination that can be enjoyed from the moment the temperatures start to rise.

Its beaches

Praia Grande is wild and has big, strong waves, so you may not feel like swimming, but you can hire surfing equipment and do a bit of surfing. However, there is a more protected and sheltered swimming area. What you might not realise is that there are remains of dinosaur footprints more than 110 million years old in the sand.

Much better for bathing, Praia da Adraga surprises with its crystal clear waters and a fine sandy promenade perfect for walking or lying down to soak up the first rays of spring sunshine. The good thing is that, as it's not high season, you'll have almost the whole beach to yourself.

Pena Palace

Did you know that the Pena Palace is the most visited place in Portugal? It is, and no wonder, because its history and architecture are well worth a visit. The best thing is that it is on high ground, so from there you can see the coast and the town of Sintra at your feet.

The most impressive thing is the design of the building, which combines Romanesque, Baroque and even Mudejar elements, with other much more traditional Portuguese ones, such as the tiles. However, I think the real beauty is the exterior, where in March you can see a flourishing botanical garden.

The months of January in Lisbon and February in Lisbon leave a lot of rain, so hiking routes are somewhat relegated among Lisbon's plans. However, March is the time to get out and about again and explore Lisbon's more natural surroundings, such as Arrábida and the west coast.

The walk along Lisbon's west coast is not a short one, especially if you want to get to know it in depth. I recommend you set aside at least half a day to go, but the walk is fairly easy, as it is mostly flat and runs along the Lisbon coast. The best thing about this hiking tour is the beauty of the scenery.

You can get close to Lisbon's wild beaches and also see fossilised remains of the living creatures that once inhabited the area. You can also take a trip to Arrábida and Sesimbra from Lisbon with a kayak trip or even this private wine and food tour to Arrábida from Lisbon.

With the good weather comes the season of Lisbon's terraces, which until March are usually closed due to the constant winter rains in Lisbon, which do not encourage its inhabitants to have a drink or a tapa in the open air. However, with the arrival of better weather, you can join in with Lisbon life and spend the afternoon on one of the many terraces that fill the city and allow you to see it from above.

Don't think that all the terraces in Lisbon are at street level. In fact, you might be surprised to find that in March they are still a bit empty. It's normal, most people prefer to go to bars whose terraces are on the roofs of buildings. As I'm sure you can imagine, the views are much better and so is the atmosphere.

Although there's something special about the terraces and rooftops of traditional neighbourhoods, you'll also find some more modern and alternative ones. My advice is to embark on a gastronomic tour of Lisbon to get to know the more historic locations.

There is one event you can't miss if you go to Lisbon in March: the Monstra or, in other words, its animation film festival. Since 2000, this film festival has been highlighting animation through premieres, workshops and lectures. It is a national benchmark!

With more than 20 editions behind it, through films, master classes and conferences, the organisers have managed year after year to highlight the power that this cinema has to transmit emotions.

If you are travelling with children to Lisbon, you should know that they will really enjoy this festival. Not all the films are suitable for them, but in general it is always very interesting for them to see the advances in digital animation, attend the exhibitions or try to find out which films will win in the different categories of the competition they organise.

When you arrive in Lisbon you will realise that it has become a modern, inclusive and young city. In fact, in March it hosts the LGTBI Film Festival. I highly recommend you to attend, as it will allow you to open your eyes and mind even more. Since its first edition in 2004, this festival has tried to make the realities of LGBTI people visible.

The festival was born with the aim of opening debates, and this is something they do after the screening of each film. The truth is that it is a fantastic opportunity to come back from your trip to Lisbon with many ideas and having met other points of view.

Moreover, the films are often directed by fairly young Portuguese artists, so you have no excuse to get to know Lisbon's most current culture better while opening your horizons and helping to give a voice to their realities.

Do you like festivals? I'm sure you'd like to go to one, but I propose something much more interesting and unique: go to a festival about festivals. Yes, that's what Lisbon's International Music Festivals Forum is all about. Every March it brings together experts in the field, organises film sessions and brings music lovers together. Are you going to miss it?

Lisbon is a city where music is important and, in fact, when summer arrives in Lisbon there are several festivals around the city. Perhaps for this reason there is no better place to organise the Talkfest, where you can learn a lot about them, from the scientific side (although it sounds strange) to the more creative side.

To be honest, it is a luxury to get to know better how a festival works from the inside by listening to professionals from the sector, attending the exhibitions and even watching a documentary. Of course, there will be more than one concert and you will also have the opportunity to get to know the best festivals, as during the forum the most outstanding ones are awarded in different categories.

What's happening on 20 March? If, like me, you're not too fond of the cold, you probably know the answer: spring begins! And with it come flowers and lushness in Lisbon's gardens and parks. How can you miss them? If you travel to the Portuguese capital at the end of March, get ready to see its green spaces in full splendour.

Having a spring picnic is one of my favourite plans wherever I am, but if the setting is one of Lisbon's parks, I'm even more convinced. Like you, you'll see that many families and groups of friends have decided to organise a picnic or simply visit one of the gardens. I'll tell you which are my favourites!

Edward VII Park

There won't be anyone who won't recommend you to go to Parque Eduardo VII. I particularly like its immensity; it seems like the green grass never ends. You'll also find the Estufa Fría, a greenhouse of more than one hectare that doesn't use any modern system for air-conditioning, just a wooden framework. Inside you will be able to see tropical plants such as mangoes and camellias up close.

This park is also home to one of the best viewpoints over Lisbon. From here you can see the Arrábida mountain range in the distance if the day is clear. In any case, you will have incredible panoramic views of the city's hills and gardens.

Near Graça

When spring arrives on this esplanade, the green floods everything. In addition, 180 trees have been planted here for the past few years, so if you're looking for shade on a sunny day in March, you'll find it here.

In the heart of Lisbon's historic centre, this park has a large picnic area. I encourage you to grab some food and come here one afternoon to rest after a day of walking around Lisbon.

Monsanto Forest Park

The largest in the city and so impressive that it is a protected forest. This means that it is the ideal place to understand the importance of ecology and the environment around us. I recommend you spend at least an afternoon exploring its ecosystems and, although not all, part of its 900 hectares.

Don't be surprised to see squirrels or rabbits hopping around you, as there are many living species in the park and, like you, they come out to celebrate as soon as spring arrives.

I know St. Patrick's Day is an Irish holiday, but did you know that the Portuguese also have Celtic origins? These and the sharing of the Atlantic Ocean (and good diplomatic relations) have meant that Lisbon is full of green and beer on 17 March, which is St. Patrick's Day. Of course, if you happen to be there, be prepared to have a good time and a lot of toasting.

St. Patrick's Day is a special day for Irish people all over the world, so cities like Lisbon also go green. In fact, in recent years, the city's most important monuments have literally done so, as the institutions have wanted to support this festivity by projecting green light on the Cristo Rei, for example.

Beyond the lights, Lisbon's nightlife, always lively, celebrates St. Patrick's Day with the best pints of beer. If you don't want to wait until it gets dark, you can find out about the activities organised during the day, such as Irish poetry recitals or concerts.

Spring may arrive on 20 March, but in Lisbon, temperatures start to rise at the beginning of the month. The thermometer averages 18ºC and the rain forecast is quite good (only 10 rainy days per month), so it is common for more and more Lisboners to enjoy the outdoor areas of the city.

For me, March is one of the best months to go to Lisbon because of the good weather and the fact that, little by little, the daylight hours start to increase, so you can make the most of the days.

As the high season has not yet begun, March is fairly quiet. However, with the month's mild temperatures and the arrival of spring, you'll find many more people on the streets.

The lower tourist numbers mean that flight and accommodation prices have not yet reached the peak that they do from April onwards, when the Easter and then the summer holidays bring many travellers to Lisbon. So if you're looking to save money on your trip but not give up the good weather, March is a great month to go to Lisbon.

What are your plans for your trip to Lisbon in March? I hope I've given you some ideas, let me know when you get back!