March in Italy: the month the lakes reopen

March is the month the northern lakes reopen and the clocks go forward: in 2026 the Borromean Islands opened on March 12, Lake Como's first boat timetable started on March 23, and summer time began on March 29.

The islands open, the boats restart

The Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore are open only in season, and in 2026 that season ran from March 12 to November 8. Isola Bella alone costs 27 euro for adults and 18 euro for ages 6 to 15, Isola Bella with Isola Madre 40 euro, and the boat across is paid separately.

From mid-November to early March the islands are closed, which is the detail most guides leave out. The visit itself is on the Borromean Islands page.

On Lake Como the 2026 boat service ran on two timetables: the first from March 23 to May 31, extended to June 30, and the summer one from July 1 to October 4. The Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio ferry keeps separate weekday and holiday tables. More on Lake Como.

Lake Garda waits until April

Lake Garda's scheduled boats started later in 2026, with a spring timetable from April 1 to May 15 and a summer one from May 16 to October 4. Outside those windows scheduled service is not guaranteed.

So a March trip can put you on Como and Maggiore but not yet on Garda, at least not on a scheduled boat.

Clocks go forward on the last Sunday

Summer time starts on March 29, 2026 and on March 28, 2027, the last Sunday of March in both years. You lose an hour of sleep and gain an hour of evening light for the rest of the trip.

The dates are calculated from the EU rule, not read from an official calendar, so let your phone confirm them the night before a morning train. The rule is explained on time zone and daylight saving.

March weather in Florence and Milan

Florence averages 51.3°F (10.7°C) in March on 1991-2020 normals, with a mean high of 61.2°F (16.2°C) and a mean low of 41.2°F (5.1°C). Milan runs a shade cooler: a mean of 49.8°F (9.9°C), a high of 59.9°F (15.5°C³) and a low of 39.9°F (4.4°C).

Neither city has a warm night in March. Days can feel like spring in a sunny piazza, and the same street is cold after sunset.

No fixed holiday in March

March has no fixed national holiday: the calendar under law 260⁷ of 1949 jumps from January 6 to April 25. The only holiday that can land in March is Easter Monday, which moves with Easter.

Easter dates are not in our verified set, so check the year you are traveling. The fixed dates are on public holidays in Italy.

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