InternationalBudgetTop City Vacations

Where to Travel in March

By , February 14th, 2017

 

Time to come out of hibernation, Spring is right around the corner. These are the Best Cities to Travel to in March! Whether for a three-day long weekend or a spontaneous getaway — we’ve done our research on both coasts of the US and Canada to pass along our top cities to save big this month. Where to Travel in March? Have a read over our three ideal destinations that will have you marching right up to check-in.

Your Los Angeles Getaway

Weather Forecast: High 73°F ~ Low 50°F  

Did watching La La Land bring about an acute need to travel to L.A.? Though we can’t promise a musical interlude at every turn nor a dance number on the Santa Ana, trivago’s data shows that a March jaunt to Los Angeles can be surprisingly affordable.

Though average room prices this March in Downtown Los Angeles lie close to $237, given the scale of L.A., why not get out to these top value hotel picks to the North near the Hollywood Hills? trivago hotel data shows median room prices 10% cheaper in North Hollywood, for example. By booking early, your savings will be locked in, freeing you to do your own happy dance around the hotel lobby.

trivago savings tip: Business travel bring the big bucks. trivago data shows that March hotel prices in Los Angeles peak during weekdays while hotel prices drop by as much as 10% from Friday through Sunday night. All the more reason to book a weekend getaway.

What to do in Los Angeles in March?


Los Angeles has no shortage of must-see sights: the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Griffith Observatory, and the Santa Monica Pier. Our Where to Travel series likes to get a bit more granular by handpicking the best activities and events for the month that promise something special for your visit. To help guide us, Discover Los Angeles gave us a few suggestions for March visitors looking to get the most out of their vacation.

Go on your own L.A. Contemporary Art Hop

[caption id="attachment_45516" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Susanne Nilsson Yayoi Kusama Photo by Susanne Nilsson CC BY[/caption]

In its first year of welcoming art lovers, The Broad brought in over 820,000 visitors while simultaneously lending even more credibility to L.A.’s standing as a world-class destination for fine art. The 120,000 square foot art museum wraps up “Creature” (an exhibition on various artists’ depictions of the self) on March 19th. There are plenty of other masterpieces from its permanent collection on display too, including the iconic “Infinity Mirrored Room” by Yayoi Kusama. Meanwhile, the Hammer Museum at UCLA opens Andrea Bowers’ installation on art and politics on March 11th and the MOCA’s Grand Avenue gallery will present a retrospective on Kerry James Marshall as well as Patrick Staff’s “Weed Killer” installation as of March 12th.

Celebrate the Hump Days of March

[caption id="attachment_45515" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]incidencematrix Whale watching Dana Point Harbor, CA Photo by incidencematrix CC BY[/caption]

During the first two weekends of the month, Dana Point Harbor in Orange County celebrates the leaping leviathans of the Pacific that have earned the town its title as the “Whale Capital of the West.” A Rubber Ducky Derby, Classic Car Display and a Clam Chowder cook-off are just some of the events listed in the Dana Point Festival of Whales calendar. Of course, there are a number of whale watching tours too, each with a different focus depending on whether you’re looking to get some GoPro footage or relax with some whale silhouettes at sunset.

How Much to Budget


Once you’ve made it to the City of Angels plan to set aside roughly $819 over 48 hours for two in LA.

Cappuccino: $4.06

Taxi to Downtown: $46.50

Metro: $1.75

One night in a 3-star Hotel  – March: $235

Hammer Museum – Admission : $0

[button text="Find March deals from $90" href="http://www.trivago.com/?iPathId=34298&bDispMoreFilter=false&aDateRange%5Barr%5D=2017-03-29&aDateRange%5Bdep%5D=2017-03-30&aCategoryRange=0%2C1%2C2%2C3%2C4%2C5&iRoomType=7&sOrderBy=relevance%20desc&aPartner=&aOverallLiking=5%2C4%2C3&iOffset=0&iLimit=25&iIncludeAll=0&bTopDealsOnly=false&iViewType=0&aPriceRange%5Bto%5D=22535&aPriceRange%5Bfrom%5D=4892&aGeoCode%5Blng%5D=-118.255928&aGeoCode%5Blat%5D=34.051514&bIsSeoPage=false&mgo=false&th=false&aHotelTestClassifier=&bSharedRooms=false&bIsSitemap=false&rp=&cpt=3429803&iFilterTab=0&"] [button text="Find April deals from C$90" href="https://www.trivago.ca/?iPathId=34298&bDispMoreFilter=false&aDateRange%5Barr%5D=2017-03-29&aDateRange%5Bdep%5D=2017-03-30&aCategoryRange=3%2C4%2C5&iRoomType=7&sOrderBy=relevance%20desc&aPartner=&aOverallLiking=5%2C4%2C3&iOffset=0&iLimit=25&iIncludeAll=0&bTopDealsOnly=false&iViewType=0&aPriceRange%5Bfrom%5D=6465&aPriceRange%5Bto%5D=17714&aGeoCode%5Blng%5D=-118.255928&aGeoCode%5Blat%5D=34.051514&bIsSeoPage=false&aHotelTestClassifier=&bSharedRooms=false&bIsSitemap=false&rp=&cpt=3429803%2C200700%2C132200%2C132000%2C131800&iFilterTab=0&"]

 

Your Montreal Getaway

Weather Forecast: High 38°F ~ Low 4°F  

Montreal has been compared to many cities. It’s a taste of Paris in North America to some, a Canadian version of Brooklyn to others, and even the Vegas of the North for the bachelor party crowd. To us, Quebec’s largest city has its own unique identity that certainly warrants a visit.

Signature outdoor staircases winding up to multiplexes in the Plateau, unbridled use of butter and foraged ingredients in local gastronomy, and liberal attitudes to fun after dark — isn’t it about time that you discovered the original Montreal?

November through March shows average hotel prices dipping below C$210 ($160) per night, the cheapest point of the year. For a room with a view of Downtown or a loft in the heart of Old Montreal, you can be sure to find your ideal stay at on trivago. Home to five trivago Award winners across star categories, make March the month that you discover one of Canada’s top-rated stays. Searching for Montreal’s best hotels? We’ve let our users point us towards the crèmes de la crème.

trivago savings tip: Boy, does Montreal miss their MLB fun! trivago’s data nerds point to the pre-season special between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates as the reason behind a 17% spike in hotel prices across the city from March 31 to April 2. For comparison, last year’s April exhibition game between the Jays and the Red Sox drew over 106,000 to the Olympic Stadium.

What to do in Montreal in March?


While Canadians are exploring their country far and wide this year for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Montreal’s 375th birthday is giving its residents yet another reason to throw a fête. Under the theme of “Alive 375,” the city’s arts and culture calendar is being packed with special happenings (many of which are free) led by individual neighborhoods and leading city attractions. Tourisme Montreal shared their top picks for events happening in just this month alone, a fraction of the over 175 scheduled in 2017.

Light it up at Montréal en Lumière

[caption id="attachment_45544" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE Place des Arts night time ferris wheel © Frédérique Ménard-Aubin, Montréal En Lumière[/caption]

Sure Montreal is darn cold in the winter, but that doesn’t stop its residents from getting outside and indulging in the best of the season. Montréal en Lumière is a multifaceted event taking place throughout the city from Motown concerts to stand-up comedy, Lyonnaise food demos to gourmet dining for families where kids “pay their age.” A main attraction of the festival, Illuminart, connects a series of light installations in and around Place des Arts — brilliantly interactive, these twinkling masterpieces are not to be missed. If you’re visiting over Saturday, March 4th, stay tuned for the event’s Nuit Blanche program which promises a full night of art installations.

See what lies beneath during Art Souterrain

[caption id="attachment_45543" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]art_inthecity Dominique Pétrin, Pazzazz, Art Souterrain 2013, Montréal Photo by art_inthecity CC BY[/caption]

For the winterphobic, Montreal’s RÉSO network of 32 kilometers of underground tunnels make the daily commute to work a well-insulted experience from metro stop to office building. Over the course of March, Art Souterrain seeks to transport the art world from galleries and theaters to these underground public spaces where they’re made accessible to commuters and visitors alike. This year’s theme of “Play & Distraction” promises plenty of smile-stretching surprises!

How Much to Budget


Once you’re on the ground in the North America’s largest francophone city, plan to set aside roughly C$724 ($551) over 48 hours as a couple in Montreal.

Cappuccino: C$3.68 ($2.80)

Taxi to Downtown: C$40 ($30.40)

747 Bus to Metro system: C$10 ($7.60)

One night in a 3-star Hotel  – March: C$168 ($128)

A round of Curling en lumière at Quartier des spectacles: $0

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Your Vancouver Getaway

Weather Forecast: High 54°F ~ Low 33°F  

Canada’s West Coast anchor beckons this March and not just because of its gateway location to some of Canada’s best ski resorts. With a visually mesmerizing position between mountain ranges and ocean expanses, Vancouver owes its warm temperatures (some of the highest temps in all of Canada this March) to a temperate oceanic climate.

A peek at trivago hotel data for Vancouver shows an overall average of C$227 ($173) per night this March. Spring and summertime visitors should brace themselves for a steep increase in hotel prices as the mercury rises. From May through September, trivago hotel prices in the Vancouver area average out to C$345 ($263) per night.

trivago savings tip: The busiest weekend of the month in Vancouver? Rugby Sevens fans will be converging on Vancouver from March 10th to 12th which in turn has driven hotel prices up to a nightly average of C$252 ($192). For budget travelers, this is the weekend that gets the yellow card.

What to do in Vancouver in March?


Vancouver may have had an unseasonably snowy winter, but come March getting around the city and experiencing the best of Vancouver’s parks and waterfront attractions will be a whole lot easier. Snack your way through Chinatown and Granville Island, explore the expansive green spaces near Kitsilano and UBC, and if you’re arriving at the end of March, check out the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s neighborhood map to see where the sakura are blooming around the city. Tourism Vancouver helped point us to two March activities, which are each green in their own respect.

Paint the town Green

Tiberiu Ana Celtic Smart Vancouver Celtic Festival 2008

Photo by Tiberiu Ana CC BY

In time for St. Patrick’s Day, Vancouver’s CelticFest builds up momentum around all things Gaelic over the week of March 10th to the 18th. The festival’s Ceilidh will take place on Saturday while performances of “Belfast Girls” telling the story of five Irish women fleeing their homeland for Australia is being shown nightly Wednesday through Saturday. Don’t miss the Celtic Village in front of the VAG (Vancouver Art Gallery) which promises live music (pipes bands!), highland games and gifts to take home. Six CelticFest pubs around the city propose a fantastic pairing of freshly pulled pints of Guinness and jovial tunes late into the night.

Roam Stanley Park

[caption id="attachment_45658" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Stanley Park Runner Seawall Sunshine Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver/ Nelson Mouellic[/caption]

Vancouver’s most beloved urban green space, Stanley Park, should not be overlooked in March. Explore the Park’s totem poles, the great old Western Red Cedars, and don’t pass up the views looking out to Siwash Rock and Prospect Point. The Vancouver Aquarium, at the east end of the Park, puts an emphasis on education and conservation sure to leave both visiting kids and adults with not just a day of beautiful displays but a greater awareness of aquatic ecosystems.

Though only borrowing the Park’s brand in name, TedxStanleyPark will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on March 4th promising “high-impact talks [that] address a diverse range of humanity’s tough challenges” with speakers like Green Party leader Elizabeth May and motivational speaker Bill Stainton.

How Much to Budget


For an off-peak visit to British Columbia in March, plan to set aside roughly C$781 ($594) over 48 hours as a couple in Van City.

Cappuccino: C$4.12 ($3.13)

Taxi to Downtown: C$31-36 ($24-27)

2-zone Ticket + YVR surcharge: C$9 ($6.84)

One night in a 3-star Hotel  – March: C$182 ($138)

Vancouver Aquarium After Hours pass: $31

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Learn more in our Travel Advice Calendars


If you can’t make it to our “Where to Travel in March” destinations this month, try them out later this year with the help of our Travel Advice Calendar or subscribe to our “Where to Travel” mailer to be the first to learn of our destination picks.

*Feature photo by Tourism Vancouver / Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)

trivago hotel price data was accurate on the date of publishing. For the most up-to-date info and media requests, visit our Press Page.