Taipei in March: Cherry Blossoms, Weather & Tips

This article contains advertising. Our booking links are routed through a partner that adds commission tracking automatically, so if you book through one we earn a commission from the provider, at no extra cost to you. It never affects what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure

Taipei in March is cherry blossom peak season, and for most visitors it is the best-value travel window of the year. The Yoshino cherry trees at Tianyuan Temple in Tamsui reach full bloom mid-month, Yangmingshan runs its flower festival through mid-March, Da’an Forest Park fills with azaleas, and the weather settles into genuine spring – a daily mean around 19 °C, highs near 23 °C, and none of the summer humidity. The city has post-Lunar New Year energy without the holiday shutdowns. This 2026 guide covers Taipei in March in detail: what the climate normals actually say, which blossoms are out and where, how to reach each site by bus and MRT, what public holidays do to crowds, what to wear, and a week-long itinerary.

The short version: aim for the second and third weeks of March for the Yoshino peak, visit the flower sites on a weekday if you possibly can, carry a compact umbrella every day, and treat Yangmingshan and Tamsui as two separate days rather than cramming them into one.

Taipei March Weather

March is the month Taipei stops being a winter city. Cold fronts still push down from the north, but they are weaker and shorter and the gaps between them are properly warm. These are the official 1991–2020 climate normals for the Taipei station, published by Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.

Average high: 22.7 °C. On the warmest clear afternoons you will see 26–28 °C and want short sleeves.

Daily mean: 18.8 °C – up almost two degrees on February, and the first month that feels reliably mild.

Average low: 16.0 °C, usually just before dawn. A cold front can still drop mornings to 12–13 °C.

Rainfall: 107.8 mm across roughly 14 days with measurable rain. That is a lot of rain days but not a lot of rain.

Humidity: around 76% – moderate by Taipei standards, far easier than the 80%+ of summer.

Extremes on record: a March high of 35.0 °C and a low of 1.4 °C, so the averages are not the whole story.

What “14 rainy days” actually means

The rain-day count is high but the volume is low, which tells you the shape of it: frequent light drizzle and short frontal showers rather than summer downpours. A typical March wet spell is grey and damp for a day or two, then clears. Carry a folding umbrella daily rather than reorganising your trip around the forecast, and do not cancel a blossom trip because rain is showing – wet petals photograph beautifully and the crowds thin out dramatically.

Yangmingshan and Beitou run colder than the city

Almost every March highlight is uphill, and elevation changes the numbers. Yangmingshan typically runs 4–6 °C cooler than downtown, with far more cloud, fog and wind. A day that is 24 °C and sunny at Taipei Main Station can be 17 °C and drizzling at the Yangmingshan flower clock. Pack a windproof outer layer for any mountain day even if the city forecast looks perfect.

Cherry Blossom Peak in March

March is the cherry blossom month in Taipei, but the season is a relay rather than a single event, and knowing which baton is being carried when separates a good trip from a disappointing one.

Which varieties bloom when

Taiwan mountain cherry (山櫻花): the deep magenta bell-shaped early bloomer. Late January through February, with only stragglers by early March.

Yaezakura and Showa cherry: double-flowered pinks, roughly mid-to-late February into early March.

Yoshino cherry (吉野櫻): the pale pink-white Japanese variety and the reason to be here in March. Peak is generally mid-to-late March and lasts one to two weeks.

Fuji cherry and other late varieties: mid-to-late March, sometimes brushing into early April.

Tianyuan Temple, Tamsui – the March headline

Wuji Tianyuan Temple (無極天元宮) in the hills above Tamsui is the most famous Yoshino site in the Taipei area. It has two separate displays: three-coloured cherries at the rear of the complex in early-to-mid February, then the Yoshino grove ringing the circular five-storey hall in mid-to-late March. The Yoshino display is what draws the photographers.

Getting there: MRT red line to Tamsui station, then bus 866, 875, 876 or 877 to the Tianyuan Temple stop, around 20 minutes uphill. Allow roughly 75 minutes door to door from central Taipei.

Cost and hours: free entry. The rear garden typically opens early morning until around 8pm, with the main hall opening later in the morning. It is a working temple – keep voices down and stay off the planters.

Crowds: ferocious on peak-bloom weekends, when the bus queue at Tamsui can run 45 minutes. Go on a weekday, arrive before 9am, and roll it into a Tamsui day trip for the river sunset afterwards.

Yangmingshan in March

The Yangmingshan Flower Festival typically runs early February to mid-March – in 2026 it ran 5 February to 15 March. Displays overlap: cherries of several varieties, camellias and the first azaleas, concentrated around the Yangming Park flower clock, the fountain, the second car park and the visitor centre. Early March catches the tail of the cherries plus the start of the azaleas, a good trade if you want flowers without the absolute peak crowds. See our Yangmingshan National Park guide for trail options.

What has already finished by March

Three well-known blossom spots peak before March, and plenty of March visitors turn up to bare branches. Pingjing Street Lane 42 (平菁街42巷) in Shilin is the earliest cherry alley in northern Taipei, late January to mid-February. Neihu LOHAS Park (樂活公園), with its illuminated creekside walk, runs late January to mid-February. And Wulai’s cherries along the mini-train track bloom earlier than the mountain sites because the valley is lower – generally late January into mid-February. By March those trees are green, but a Wulai day trip still works for the waterfall, the Atayal culture and the hot springs.

How to check the bloom before you go

Taiwan has no single official bloom forecast in the way Japan does. What exists instead is scattered real-time reporting: the city government’s Taipei Travel news and event pages, flowering notices from Yangmingshan National Park headquarters, the city’s public live-stream cameras, and daily photographs on the Taipei Travel social accounts. The rule of thumb: a warm February pulls the Yoshino peak forward into early March, a cold wet February pushes it to the end of the month. Build two possible blossom days into your itinerary, not one.

Photo: 燈火闌珊處, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Azaleas: March’s Other Flower Season

The azalea is Taipei’s official city flower, and the Taipei Azalea Festival is the March event most foreign visitors have never heard of. It runs through most of the month – the 2026 edition was 6 to 31 March – centred on Da’an Forest Park and the National Taiwan University campus, with more than 200,000 azalea plants across the city. Entry is free, and weekends add concerts, picnic markets and floral installations.

Da’an Forest Park: MRT Daan Park station, exit 2, and you are in it. The banked beds near the pond are the photogenic part, and it slots neatly into an afternoon in Da’an District.

NTU campus: the university holds its own azalea festival in March when the campus opens to prospective students. The palm-lined main boulevard under azalea bloom is one of the best free photo walks in Taipei. MRT Gongguan station, exit 3, then five minutes on foot.

Azaleas are the reliable backstop for a March trip. Cherry timing swings by two weeks year to year; the azaleas are out for most of the month regardless.

Best Things to Do in Taipei in March

1. Cherry blossom viewing

Tianyuan Temple for the Yoshino peak, Yangmingshan for the broader festival, city parks for a low-effort version. Go early, go midweek, and bring a longer lens – the best branches sit above head height.

2. Yangmingshan hiking

Spring weather, blossoms and the first calla lilies at Zhuzihu overlap in March. Qingtiangang grassland and the Erziping trail are the easy options; Mt. Qixing at 1,120 m is the serious one.

3. Beitou hot springs

March is the last comfortable month for hot springs before the air turns muggy. Evenings are still cool enough for the contrast to work, and demand has fallen off its winter peak, so day passes are easier to get than in January. Our Beitou hot springs guide covers the public and private options.

4. The Taipei Azalea Festival

Free, central and running all month at Da’an Forest Park and NTU – the best weather-independent flower activity in the city.

5. Tamsui

Tianyuan Temple in the morning, then Tamsui Old Street, Fort San Domingo and the riverside. March sunsets over the Tamsui River land around 6pm.

6. Maokong tea plantations

Spring is the prized harvest in northern Taiwan, and leaf picked before the Qingming festival in early April – pre-Qingming tea – commands the highest prices. Ride the Maokong Gondola up for a tea house lunch and buy spring Baozhong at source.

7. Elephant Mountain at sunset

The classic Taipei 101 viewpoint is a sweaty ordeal in summer. In March the 20-minute stair climb is genuinely pleasant. Arrive an hour before sunset for a spot on the boulders.

8. Outdoor cafes and night markets

Terrace seating returns in March, and evenings are comfortable for night market walking without the summer sweat. Da’an and Zhongshan have the densest concentration of good cafes.

9. Day trips

Jiufen, Shifen, Yehliu and Keelung all work well. The northeast coast is windier and several degrees cooler than the city, so add a layer for Yehliu.

Holidays and Crowds in March

Domestic tourists are the reason a Yangmingshan weekend can feel like a rush-hour platform. Two things drive March crowding: weekends during peak bloom, and any public holiday landing near the start of the month.

228 Peace Memorial Day: 28 February is a national holiday. Under current rules a holiday falling on a Saturday moves to the preceding Friday and one falling on a Sunday moves to the following Monday. In 2027, 28 February is a Sunday, creating a three-day weekend of 27 February to 1 March that runs straight into March.

Peak-bloom weekends: the two weekends bracketing the Yoshino peak are the busiest days of the year at Tianyuan Temple and Yangmingshan – long bus queues, restricted roads, full car parks.

Weekdays are a different city: the same sites on a Tuesday morning can be almost calm. If your dates are flexible at all, this is the highest-leverage decision you will make.

Outside holiday weekends, March is normal operating in Taipei. Restaurants, museums, the MRT and night markets all run standard hours.

Getting to the Flower Sites

Almost every March highlight needs a bus at some point, because the MRT does not go up the mountain. Load an EasyCard and tap on and off – cash is accepted but slow, and drivers give no change.

To Yangmingshan: bus 260 from Taipei Main Station, Red 5 (紅5) from MRT Jiantan, or leisure buses 109 and 111 from Jiantan at weekends. Roughly 40–60 minutes depending on traffic.

Around Yangmingshan: the 108 shuttle loops the main sites inside the park. A day pass is typically NT$60 for unlimited rides, which pays for itself in two or three hops.

To Zhuzihu (for the first calla lilies): bus 128 or S8 (小8) direct from MRT Shipai, 129 or S9 (小9) direct from MRT Beitou, or 131 from the Yangmingshan bus terminal.

Driving is a trap in flower season. Yangde Boulevard, the main road up the mountain, is closed to private cars on weekends and holidays during the festival period – typically uphill from around 7am to 4pm and downhill from around 2pm to 6pm. Car parks at Fulin Park and Bailing High School offer free parking for the first three hours if you transfer to a bus. Our Taipei bus guide explains the route numbering.

Photo: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161025115144/http://www.panoramio.com/user/6, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What to Wear in March

Base layer: long-sleeve shirts, T-shirts at midday on warm days.

Mid layer: light sweater or fleece – you will want it on the mountain and after dark.

Outer layer: a light, water-resistant windbreaker. The most useful single item you can bring in March.

Bottoms: jeans or light trousers. Shorts are fine on a warm city afternoon but not on Yangmingshan.

Footwear: comfortable walking shoes with grip. Mountain paths and temple steps get slick in drizzle.

Accessories: compact umbrella, sunscreen, and a dry bag or plastic sleeve for your camera.

March temperatures swing 5–8 °C between afternoon and pre-dawn, and mountain sites add another 4–6 °C on top. Light layering handles all of it. Leave the heavy winter coat and the full summer wardrobe at home.

Hotel Strategy for March

Cherry blossom weekends: rates run roughly 20–30% above off-peak. Book four to six weeks ahead, further if your dates are locked to the peak.

Mid-week, non-blossom dates: the best value of the month, at standard pricing with easy availability.

Late March, post-peak: a noticeable dip as the domestic blossom crowd goes home. Good last-minute value.

Where to base yourself: Xinyi or Zhongshan for first-timers who want MRT and shopping on the doorstep, Beitou if hot springs are the priority, Ximending for budget travel. Our guide to where to stay in Taipei compares the neighbourhoods properly. If you want a dawn start at Tianyuan Temple, a night in Tamsui or Beitou saves an hour of cross-city commuting.

One-Week March Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival. Hotel check-in, then a low-effort evening walk and dinner in Da’an.

Day 2 – Yangmingshan. Early bus up for the flower festival and flower clock, an easy trail after lunch, Beitou hot springs on the way down.

Day 3 – City core. Taipei 101 observatory, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, night market in the evening.

Day 4 – Tamsui. Tianyuan Temple cherry blossoms in the morning, Old Street and the riverfront sunset in the afternoon.

Day 5 – Wulai. Mini-train, waterfall, Atayal culture and an afternoon soak.

Day 6 – Culture and flowers. National Palace Museum in the morning, Da’an Forest Park azaleas and the NTU campus in the afternoon, Eslite Spectrum Songyan in the evening.

Day 7 – Departure. Last shopping, then the airport.

Budget roughly NT$25,000–45,000 per person for the week depending on hotel tier. With fewer days, our 5-day Taipei itinerary compresses the same shape sensibly.

Rainy Days and Travelling With Kids

With roughly 14 rain days you will lose at least one outdoor day, so decide in advance what replaces it. The National Palace Museum absorbs a full day. Eslite Spectrum Songyan and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park make a covered half-day pair. Beitou’s indoor baths plus the Hot Spring Museum are a strong wet-weather combination. Our rainy day activities list has more.

March is also one of the easier months for families – mild enough for long outdoor stretches, never hot enough for heat exhaustion. Da’an Forest Park and the NTU campus are flat, paved and free; Yangmingshan and Tianyuan Temple are neither, so a carrier beats a stroller there. The MRT is fully lift-accessible with free travel for children under 115 cm.

What to Avoid in March

Peak-bloom weekends at the big two sites. Yangmingshan and Tianyuan Temple on a full-bloom Saturday are genuinely unpleasant. Shift to a weekday.

Driving up Yangmingshan on a weekend. Traffic controls will stop you and the car parks fill early regardless.

Heavy winter clothing. Coats, boots and thermals are overkill by March. A full summer wardrobe is equally wrong in the other direction.

Assuming Wulai or Neihu will have cherry blossoms. Those bloom in January and February. In March, go to Tianyuan Temple or Yangmingshan.

Building the trip around a single blossom day. Bloom timing moves. Keep a spare day.

March vs Other Months

vs February: February has the early Taiwan mountain cherries, the Lantern Festival in most years, and colder, quieter conditions. March has the Yoshino peak, warmer temperatures and more daylight. See Taipei in February for the earlier-blossom version of this trip.

vs April: April brings calla lilies at Zhuzihu, the azalea tail, fireflies and warmer weather, but the cherries are essentially finished. March is the cherry blossom prime; April is the flower-farm and green-hills month.

vs May: May is when the plum rain front genuinely arrives and rainfall roughly doubles. March is cooler, drier and far better for hiking.

One myth worth killing: the plum rain season does not start in March. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration treats May and June as the meiyu months, with fronts occasionally reaching northern Taiwan from early May. March rain is ordinary frontal drizzle and spring showers.

March also opens the best window of the year for Taiwan’s southern beaches. From now until May, Kenting is warm, calmer and far quieter than it will be in summer, with the sea warming up and the winter wind easing. It is four and a half to five hours from Taipei by high speed rail and bus, so plan on two or three nights — our guide to Kenting from Taipei sets it out.

March is azalea month at National Taiwan University, when the Royal Palm Boulevard turns pink and white for the university’s Azalea Festival. The campus is free and open to everyone; make an afternoon of it with Treasure Hill Artist Village and dinner on the night-market lanes, as described in our Gongguan guide.

Related Taipei guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the weather in Taipei in March?

Mild spring. The 1991–2020 normals give an average high of 22.7 °C, a daily mean of 18.8 °C and an average low of 16.0 °C, with about 108 mm of rain over roughly 14 days and humidity near 76%. Comfortable for all-day walking, and the peak of cherry blossom season.

Should I visit Taipei in March?

Yes. March is one of the two or three best months of the Taipei year: the Yoshino cherry peak, the azalea festival, mild temperatures and manageable crowds outside peak weekends, all before the summer heat arrives.

When do cherry blossoms peak in Taipei in March?

Yoshino cherries, the main March variety, generally peak mid-to-late March and hold for one to two weeks. Earlier Taiwan mountain cherries are largely finished by early March. The best March viewing is Tianyuan Temple in Tamsui, followed by Yangmingshan.

Where are the best cherry blossom spots in Taipei in March?

Tianyuan Temple in Tamsui for the Yoshino grove, Yangmingshan National Park for the broader flower festival, and the NTU campus for an easy in-city option. Pingjing Street, Neihu LOHAS Park and Wulai peak in January and February, not March.

Is there an official cherry blossom forecast for Taiwan?

No. Unlike Japan, Taiwan has no single official bloom forecast. Check the Taipei Travel city news pages, Yangmingshan National Park flowering notices and the Taipei Travel social accounts in the week before you go, and keep a spare day in your itinerary.

What should I wear in Taipei in March?

Light layers – a long-sleeve shirt, a light sweater or fleece, and a water-resistant windbreaker. Jeans or light trousers, walking shoes with grip, and a compact umbrella every day. Add an extra layer for Yangmingshan, which runs 4–6 °C cooler than the city.

Is March a rainy month in Taipei?

It has around 14 rain days but a modest total of about 108 mm, so most of it is light drizzle and short showers rather than downpours. It is considerably drier than May and June. Carry an umbrella and plan around it, not for it.

Does the plum rain season start in March in Taipei?

No. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration treats the meiyu or plum rain season as May and June, with fronts sometimes reaching northern Taiwan from early May. March rain comes from ordinary spring cold fronts.

Are there public holidays in Taipei in March?

March itself has no national holiday, but 228 Peace Memorial Day on 28 February frequently spills into it. In 2027, 28 February falls on a Sunday and the substitute holiday is Monday 1 March, creating a busy three-day domestic travel weekend.

How do I get to Yangmingshan for the flowers?

Bus 260 from Taipei Main Station, or Red 5 from MRT Jiantan, takes about 40–60 minutes. Inside the park the 108 shuttle loops the main sites on a day pass that typically costs NT$60. Do not drive on a weekend – Yangde Boulevard is closed to private cars during festival-period weekends.

How crowded is Taipei in March?

The city itself is comfortable. The flower sites are not, on peak-bloom weekends. Yangmingshan and Tianyuan Temple on a full-bloom Saturday are among the busiest places in Taiwan; the same sites on a Tuesday morning are calm.

Can I still use the hot springs in March?

Yes, and it is arguably the last really good month for it. Evenings are cool enough for the hot-cold contrast to work, and demand has dropped from the January and February peak, so day passes and public baths in Beitou are easier to get.

Are calla lilies out in March in Taipei?

The Zhuzihu calla lily season typically opens in mid-March, so late-March visitors catch the beginning of it. Peak calla lily viewing is April, which is why the two months pair well if you are choosing between them.

Is March a good month for day trips from Taipei?

Yes. Jiufen, Shifen, Yehliu, Keelung and Wulai all work well in March weather. Coastal sites are windier and several degrees cooler than the city, so add a layer for Yehliu and the northeast coast.

The Bottom Line

Taipei in March delivers the cherry blossom peak, an azalea festival most visitors miss, mild spring weather and the last comfortable hot spring evenings of the year. Target the second and third weeks for the Yoshino peak at Tianyuan Temple, go midweek if you have any flexibility, book hotels four to six weeks ahead for blossom weekends, and pack light layers plus a windbreaker for the mountain. Keep a spare day in reserve because bloom timing moves by up to two weeks, and remember the azaleas at Da’an Forest Park are open all month as a fallback. Blossoms, comfortable temperatures and a city running at full normal speed make March one of the most rewarding months to be in Taipei.