Lyon weather in March
March in Lyon: cool, a little rain, with clean air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Lyon · #713 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 75/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 15°C
- Nights
- 5°C
- Wet days
- 10
- Sun
- 8.6 h
- Humidity
- 74%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Traveller notes on Lyon in March
Lyon forum regulars call March a real improvement on February, though not a guaranteed one: you may still get warm and pleasant weather, with the honest caveat that recent years have run somewhat cooler than the years before in both months. Lyon can also be freezing and windy in February, though March tends to be slightly milder — some regulars planning around a cold end-of-February stretch push their trip further south instead of trusting March to fix it. For a rainy stretch, the city has a genuine indoor fallback list, and regulars point to historical-average sites like weatherspark.com for planning rather than relying on any single trip report. Our record: 13.9°C days, 3.6°C nights, 8.6 rain days and a 16.3kph wind — cool with real wind and rain, matching the “improvement on February, not guaranteed” read.
Other months in Lyon
Regulars are consistent that spring has genuinely arrived by this point, mild and often sunny days becoming the norm, though a few properly cool, rainy days still mix in and catch visitors who packed only for warmth off guard. Our row backs that mild, still-showery read, 18.1C over 7.8C nights feeling 5C, with 65.9mm of rain across 8.4 days and a trace of very late snow, 0.7cm, reflecting just how variable early April specifically can still run. Regulars are consistent a light rain jacket belongs in the bag regardless of the forecast, since a sunny morning here can still turn to an afternoon downpour. This remains a comfortable month overall for exploring Vieux Lyon and the traboules on foot. The record: humidity 69 percent, 10.3 hours of sun, a 16.5 kph wind and AQI 45.
This is the month the Lyon board stops discussing what to see and starts discussing whether the room has air conditioning. Regulars recall heat waves with days in the thirties and the occasional run at forty, and note that one July can be mild with only a few very hot nights while the next is nothing of the sort. Our row sits at 29.2C reading as 30C at 62 percent humidity, over 17.8C nights, with 54.9mm of rain across 7.1 days and 12.5 hours of sun. The city's saving grace in a hot spell is the same one Paris has - stone buildings, shaded quays and two rivers to walk beside after dark. The record: a dew point of 14.2C, a 14 kph wind and AQI 43.
April, May and June are the season regulars recommend here, and June is the last of them - by July the question on this board stops being what to see and becomes whether the room has air conditioning. Even early June is described as sunny and hot enough that the machines are already running. Our row reads 27.2C over 16.6C with 12 hours of sun inside 15.6 of daylight, so the warmth arrives without the felt temperature running away - 28C rather than more, at 68 percent humidity. What June keeps from spring is the rain, 87.1mm across 10.3 days, mostly as afternoon storms rather than grey days. The record: a dew point of 13.9C, a 14.5 kph wind and AQI 53.
April to June is the season Lyon regulars name, and May is the month they single out for one specific reason: the rose garden in the Parc de la Tete d'Or is magnificent now, which is not something a climate table can show. The city is also not crowded at this point in the year, before the summer arrivals. Our row's 21.6C over 11.7C is comfortable walking weather rather than terrace weather, and the qualification is rain - 89.5mm across 11.5 precipitation days is a wet day in three, so this is a month for a jacket and a museum in reserve rather than a month to plan outdoors and hope. The record: 10.7 hours of sun and AQI 48.
Add your own note from Lyon's card on the map.
Lyon climate normals — March
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Lyon 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.
BusyWinter (February) holidays in France, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Lyon'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 weatherLyon's best weather comes in May, June and September — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Lyon in March
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Reflets du cinema iberique
25 Mar – 5 AprFilm festivalA week of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American cinema at Le Zola in Villeurbanne, a tram ride from central Lyon, running for over forty years, with screenings spilling out to other venues afterwards. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Lyon — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Lyon?
Lyon in March — FAQ
- Is March a good time to visit Lyon?
- March in Lyon: cool, a little rain, with clean air — a great time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Lyon on SeasonMap's comfort score (75/100).
- What is the weather like in Lyon in March?
- In March, Lyon averages a daily high of 14.8°C and a low of 5.3°C, with about 63.8 mm of rain over roughly 10.1 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Lyon in March?
- Lyon has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 49 in March.
- Does it snow in Lyon in March?
- Lyon sees roughly 1.6 cm of snowfall in March.
Within 300 km: Verbier's Xtreme Verbier on 28 Mar, and Nice's Carnaval de Nice around 10 Feb – 5 Mar.