What is on in Phuket in March?
Nauryz (Kazakhstan) (March 21 – 23, 2027).
Phuket in March: events, weather, sea, crowds and prices
The last full dry month: sea still flat, air getting heavier, and the season starting to release its grip on prices.
Dataset checked 2026-09-08: 39 entries covering September 2026 to December 2027, of which 17 carry an approximate date. Weather and crowd figures on this page are medians from our climate and tourism datasets.
March in numbers
73 mm
Median rain
14 days
Rain days
31.7 °C
Daily high
calm
West-coast sea
29.8 °C
Sea temperature
968,007
Guest arrivals, median
81.2 %
Occupancy
Open
Similan islands
Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026; Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand · All sources
What is on in Phuket in March
Source-market holiday
Nauryz (Kazakhstan)
March 21 – 23, 2027 · Kazakhstan
A small but concentrated late-March wave into an otherwise softening month. It has little effect on island medians; it matters for direct-flight seats and for the long-stay villa segment that turns over at the end of the winter season.
Seasonal windows covering March
Dry season (north-east monsoon)
Nov 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2027
The reason the price index has two levels: hotel and villa rates through these five months sit well above the May-to-October ones, and the Christmas fortnight sits above the rest of the dry season again. Book villas for December and January six to nine months ahead.
Similan and Surin islands season
Oct 15, 2026 – May 15, 2027
The single hardest constraint on a Phuket itinerary: a trip planned between 16 May and 14 October cannot include the Similans at all. Inside the window, December to February sells out first and April is the quietest month with good sea.
Weather and sea in March
Medians per calendar month over 2015–2025. Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026.
A median March carries 73 mm of rain over 14 days, of which 0 bring more than 20 mm. Daily highs sit around 31.7 °C and nights around 25.4 °C, with about 343 hours of sunshine in the month and humidity near 76%. The sea off the west coast is calm: a median March has 0 rough-sea days, and the surface water sits around 29.8 °C.
Mu Ko Similan National Park is open in March.
| Month | Median rain | Rain days | Daily high | Nightly low | Sunshine | Rough-sea days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37 | 10 | 29.5 | 24.4 | 329 | 0 |
| February | 21 | 7 | 30.7 | 24.7 | 312 | 0 |
| March | 73 | 14 | 31.7 | 25.4 | 343 | 0 |
| April | 183 | 25 | 30.7 | 25.7 | 311 | 0 |
| May | 343 | 28 | 29.8 | 25.6 | 298 | 4 |
| June | 275 | 22 | 29.3 | 25.9 | 284 | 8 |
| July | 241 | 24 | 29.2 | 25.8 | 279 | 13 |
| August | 270 | 25 | 28.9 | 25.3 | 277 | 9 |
| September | 309 | 25 | 28.7 | 24.8 | 248 | 12 |
| October | 340 | 28 | 29.0 | 24.4 | 286 | 2 |
| November | 270 | 27 | 28.7 | 24.5 | 260 | 0 |
| December | 113 | 16 | 29.2 | 24.1 | 298 | 0 |
Crowds and prices in March
A median March brings 968,007 hotel guest arrivals in Phuket with occupancy around 81.2%, which makes it the 10th busiest month of the twelve in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports series. Occupancy at this level is what pushes hotel and villa rate cards to their high-season level, and it is why the island’s best inventory is committed months ahead.
March sits inside the high season: rate cards are at their upper level and the best hotels and villas are committed months ahead.
| Segment | Median | n | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3★ hotel, island median per night | $34 | 177 | September 2026 |
| 4★ hotel, island median per night | $62 | 210 | September 2026 |
| 5★ hotel, island median per night | $141 | 87 | September 2026 |
| 3-bedroom villa, island median per month | $3,975 | 125 | September 2026 |
Current island medians, observed September 2026, with the sample size behind each figure. The index has one observation month so far, so no per-month price history exists yet — it accrues from September 2026. Price index →
Source: Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand, 2023–2025 · All sources · 2026-09-05
March is the quiet favourite of people who come back every year. The sea is still calm, the rain has not started, and the two big Asian holiday waves have gone home, so the beaches, the boats and the restaurants all work at a comfortable rather than a competitive pace. The heat is building — it is noticeably stickier than February — but it is the last month before the April furnace.
Commercially it is the month when the high season loosens. Rate cards are still high-season, but the pressure is off: villas that were unavailable in January have gaps, restaurants take walk-ins, and the Similan operators still have space in the week rather than only in the month after next.
It is also the turnover month for long stays. The winter residents who arrived in November begin to leave through March, which is why the best month-long villa deals of the whole dry season appear in the second half of it.
Who March suits
- Repeat visitors who want the dry season without the queue.
- Anyone renting for a month at the end of the winter season.
- Divers — the Similan park is open and no longer sold out.
Who should pick another month
Nobody in particular, which is the point. If you dislike heat and humidity, take February instead.
Questions about March
What is the weather like in Phuket in March?
A median March has 73 mm of rain over 14 days, daily highs around 31.7 °C and nights around 25.4 °C, from eleven years of reanalysis data. Mu Ko Similan National Park is open in March.
Can you swim on the west coast beaches in March?
Yes. A median March has 0 rough-sea days on the west coast, so Patong, Kata, Karon, Kamala and Surin are normally swimmable and the sea sits around 29.8 °C. Red flags still go up on individual days — they mean what they say.
Is March an expensive month in Phuket?
March sits inside the high season: rate cards are at their upper level and the best hotels and villas are committed months ahead.