Istanbul weather in March
Temperature, sea and sunshine in March: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in March
Poor
Best time to visit: May – September
What is the weather like in Istanbul in March?
In March, Istanbul is cool: daytime highs average 11 °C, and nights cool down to about 6 °C. The sea averages 9.0 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. Expect around 5 hours of sunshine a day. Rain is frequent, with about 11 rainy days and 72 mm in total. All in all, March is not an ideal month for a holiday in Istanbul.
March compared
How the weather changes from February to April. Tap a month to open it.
| FebruaryFeb | MarchMar | AprilApr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 23 | 37 | 68 |
| Day | 9° | 11° | 15° |
| Night | 4° | 6° | 9° |
| Sea | 8° | 9° | 12° |
| Sun | 4 h | 5 h | 7 h |
| Rain days | 12 | 11 | 9 |
More details for March
- Daylight
- 11 h 52 min07:18 – 19:10
- UV index
- 5 · moderateclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or more
- Wind
- 22 km/haverage daily peak
- Cloud cover
- 59 %on average
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or more
- Snow days
- 1 day1 cm or more of fresh snow
- Time zone
- UTC+3Europe/Istanbul
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %30 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %37 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %49 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.
What to pack in March
- Sunscreen
- A jumper for the evenings
- Rain jacket or umbrella
Istanbul in March: quick answers
Is Istanbul hot in March?
No. In March, Istanbul is cool: daytime highs average 11 °C and nights drop to about 6 °C.
Can you swim in Istanbul in March?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in March the sea averages just 9.0 °C. Comfortable swimming is possible from June to September.
Does it rain much in Istanbul in March?
Rain is frequent, with about 11 rainy days and 72 mm in total.
Istanbul month by month
The whole year in IstanbulAll destinations: TurkeyWhere to go in MarchSea temperature in March
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)