Where to go in March

Washington DC, USA

Temperature 13ºC

The blossoming of Washington DC’s 3,000-or-so cherry trees heralds the arrival of spring in the American capital. And the National Cherry Blossom Festival that kicks off on 20 March will get you in the mood to cast off the mantle of winter and welcome warmer days. (Pub quiz fact: the trees were a gift from the Mayor Of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, in 1912).

Here’s another little-known fact. Washington DC is better for museums than New York and certainly much easier on the wallet. The magnificent collections of the Smithsonian Institution are all free to enter, including the Air and Space Museum and Portrait Gallery.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is, justifiably, wildly popular: if you can’t get a (free) timed-entry ticket on line in advance, use jetlag to your advantage and log on to their website at 6.30am to try for one that day.

Read more: Best long-haul city breaks

Washington DC, USA
Average airfare	Average hotel rate	Accommodation	Food and drink	Cultural attractions	Value for money	City score
£557	£131					85%

City score combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

Prague, Czech Republic

Temperature 9ºC

With the weather warming up, hotel prices still low, and tourist sites yet to become overrun, March is the sweet spot for visiting Prague.

No need to battle the hordes to cross 14th-century city icon, Charles Bridge. Nor will you have to jostle for position to see the Old Town Hall’s medieval Astronomical Clock. And you’ll virtually have the fairytale hilltop castle to yourself.

Bright, clear days are typical – perfect for exploring the cobbled maze of courtyards, chapels and convents, before taking in some world-class opera, or enjoying a well-earned beer at one of the city’s renowned microbreweries.

Read more: Best city breaks in Europe

Prague, Czech Republic
Average airfare	Average hotel rate	Accommodation	Food and drink	Cultural attractions	Value for money	City score
£114	£60					81%

City score combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

Costa Caleta, Fuerteventura

Temperature 21ºC

Also known as Caleta de Fuste, this is the highest rated resort town on Fuerteventura. It's a lovely place to relax with low-rise hotels, bars and restaurants backing the wide beach.

March temperatures are reliably in the twenties, and water babes will be in heaven, with a calm ocean to paddle in and a Thalassotherapy centre offering a number of water-based treatments.

And if you tire of swimming you can head inland to the small town of Antigua to sample the island's top culinary offering - a range of goat's milk cheeses.

Read more: Best Canary Islands and Resorts 

Costa Caleta, Fuerteventura
Average airfare	Average hotel rate	Accommodation	Food and drink	Peace and quiet	Beach	Resort score
£185	£108					72%

Resort score combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. A dash means there weren't enough responses to give a rating

St Davids, UK

Temperature 9ºC

Visit the Welsh Patron Saint’s home ‘city’ in early spring, when the grounds of St David’s magnificent 12th-century Cathedral will be carpeted in daffodils.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit this windswept peninsula in Wales’s far west, taking in the blockbuster sights of the extravagant Bishop’s Palace, and wild Ramsey Island, with its sea caves filled with lounging grey seals.

This miniature metropolis – the UK’s smallest city - is just a 15 minute walk from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, where narrow inlets and precarious sea stacks meet expansive bays of soft golden sand. It’s heaven for walkers, and in March you can expect to have its secluded coves all to yourself.

Read more: Best city breaks in the UK

St Davids, UK
Average hotel rate	Accommodation	Food and drink	Cultural attractions	Value for money	City score
£105	-	-			83%

City score combines overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. A dash means we did not receive enough responses to give a score.