Bilbao (Guggenheim) weather in March
March in Bilbao: cool, rainy, with clean air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Bilbao · #744 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 74/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 17°C
- Nights
- 8°C
- Wet days
- 12
- Sun
- 8.7 h
- Humidity
- 76%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Traveller notes on Bilbao in March
Notes from nearby San Sebastián (77 km away)
Bilbao doesn't have its own notes for March yet — these are about San Sebastián, close enough to share the season.
Forum posters call March better than January/February but still genuinely rain-prone, with temperatures generally 10-15C - not beach weather by any measure. Carnival wraps up in February and Holy Week doesn't start until April, so March itself is a quiet stretch with no major events, meaning deserted restaurants and bars outside weekends. Unlike many Spanish coastal towns, San Sebastian has no real off-season closures - everything stays open year-round regardless of the quieter foot traffic. The overall read: reasonable to visit if occasional rain and mild-not-warm temperatures don't bother you, though summer remains the clear favorite among regulars.
Other months in Bilbao
Regulars call this normally the driest month of the year here on paper, warm and agreeable in the mid-to-late 20s Celsius, while being honest that the Atlantic coast setting means rain can still arrive any time regardless of the seasonal odds. Our row backs that warm, genuinely humid read, 27.4C reading as a hot 29C, over 16.9C nights, with 54mm of rain across 7.5 days and humidity at 80 percent. Regulars are consistent that a rain layer belongs in the bag even on what looks like a reliably warm week, since the region's unpredictability doesn't fully disappear even in its best month. The sea sits at a swimmable 22.9C, a real highlight for anyone splitting time with San Sebastian's beaches. The record: 11.1 hours of sun, a 15.8 kph wind and AQI 41.
Regulars call this a warm, not especially rainy month by local standards, with nights cool enough by evening that a light jacket comes out from around nine o'clock. Our row backs the warmth, 25.5C reading as 26C over 14.5C nights, though rain is a real presence at 93.4mm across 10.1 days - clashing winds off the Atlantic make this coast's weather genuinely hard to predict even in a normally dry month. Their honest local habit is the useful detail: people are out in rain gear regardless, and the streets stay packed whatever the sky is doing, so a shower here is rarely a reason to change plans. Inland spots like Rioja and Laguardia can run warmer and drier than the coast on the same day. The sea holds 22.2C. The record: humidity 79 percent, 9.6 hours of sun, a 16.1 kph wind and AQI 39.
Regulars rate June above May here and give the reason as instability rather than cold: May swings, and when it rains it can be the sirimiri - the slow, fine, long-lasting drizzle this coast is named for - or ordinary showers, or a thunderstorm, and they say plainly that it is hard to call. Our row reads 21.6C days over 11.3C nights with 74.8mm across 11.2 days, and a sea at 16.6C that matches their 16 to 18C and rules out swimming for most. They add a note on the long view: the month-long unbroken rains this region was known for no longer happen. The record: humidity 81 percent, 10.8 hours of sun inside 14.7 of daylight, and AQI 42.
June in Bilbao is sunny and warm and a raincoat is still advisable, which regulars explain with a local figure rather than an average: the city records rain on something like 185 days a year and has no dry month at all, though June itself takes only about five of those wet days. Our row gives 78.2mm across 10.2 precipitation days under 24.5C, and the 83 percent humidity is the Basque coast showing through. The word to know is sirimiri - a slow, fine, long-lasting drizzle rather than a downpour, the same thing San Sebastian regulars warn about - and it is why a hood beats an umbrella here. The record: 15C nights, feels-like 26C, 10.7 hours of sun, a 20.4C sea and AQI 43.
Add your own note from Bilbao's card on the map.
Bilbao climate normals — March
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Bilbao in March
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsSemana Santa, Semana Santa (Easter) holidays in Spain, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Bilbao's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherBilbao's weather peaks May–July, best around June.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Bilbao in March
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Cantabrian anchovy season
15 Mar – 15 Jun · usuallyForaging seasonThe spring coastal fishery is short and quota-limited, and while it runs every bar in the Casco Viejo is serving the fresh ones rather than the tinned. Bonito follows in high summer.
- Holiday
Semana Santa
29 Mar – 6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlyClosuresGood Friday is a national holiday and every region adds Holy Thursday or Easter Monday. Spain travels in large numbers, so trains, flights and hotels book up at higher rates, and processions of some size close streets in almost every town. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Bilbao — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Bilbao?
Bilbao in March — FAQ
- Is March a good time to visit Bilbao?
- March in Bilbao: cool, rainy, with clean air — a great time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Bilbao on SeasonMap's comfort score (74/100).
- What is the weather like in Bilbao in March?
- In March, Bilbao averages a daily high of 17.1°C and a low of 7.5°C, with about 111.5 mm of rain over roughly 11.9 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Bilbao in March?
- Bilbao has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 40 in March.
Within 300 km: Santander's Autumn and winter swell around 15 Sep – 31 Mar, and San Sebastián's Cider house season on 15 Jan – 30 Apr.