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Weather in mid to late March in Italy and Switzerland

Posted by (Kirkland, WA, USA) on

Hi everybody! I'm going to be travelling to Northern Italy and Switzerland in mid to late March and I was wondering what the weather is like at that time? I'm wanting to bring only one carry-on and limit my clothing and shoes. So, is it hot enough that I would have to bring sandals with me? Does is still get so cold that I would need to bring thermals or a sweater? (I heard that I can rent ski gear in Interlaken, so I don't need to pack my ski clothes at least.)

Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Julie

Posted by
12040 posts

In Switzerland, you can expect anything from a late winter snow storm to mild spring weather. I don't think you'll need thermals (you're renting ski clothes, so I assume that means snow pants as well), but a sweater will probably come in handy.

Posted by
10344 posts

You can safely leave the sandals at home. Here's a weather chart http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours09/weather.cfmOn the chart, Milan is about as close as you get to the area you're asking about: note the Milan temps in March of 43 to 56--Milan is at 500 ft above sea level. For every 1000 feet increase in elevation, the temps get 3 or 4 degrees colder. Milan is a bit far away but is good enough for an example: if it's 43 to 56 in Milan, and where you are is 2000 feet, say in Lauterbrunnen, it should be (on average) about 40 to 50. If you're in Mürren at 5000 feet, it will be about 10 degrees colder than below in Lauterbrunnen.

Posted by
401 posts

Bring a coat and a hat. We do have a real spring in Northern Italy, but not in March. Not to mention the fact that the climate up north is damp and often foggy in winter and early spring which makes things colder still. Use the space you would use for sandals to pack warm bedroom slippers for when you are in your hotel--tiled or marble floors are cold for walking on in just socks or bare feet.

Posted by
1358 posts

Remember that the temp will vary with the altitude you are in. The Alps offers you a variety of temp during the Spring. Take hats and jackets.

Be prepared to wear everything and peel off when the day warms up. If you are flexible you will enjoy the weather no matter what.

You will benefit from having too many clothes over having too few. Being cold takes the fun out of travel. Plan on staying warm.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks everybody for all the great tips! That definitely gives me a better idea of what to bring with me.

Posted by
1358 posts

So many travelers ask about weather that I wonder if anyone remembers that even your weatherman can't predict accurately.

Average temps for the past are all we can use. Here is the webpage I refer to when I want to know about average temps for any city of the world:

http://weather.yahoo.com.

Just enter the city name and you will see the minimum and maximum temps by month during the year.

That is the best we can expect.

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