Bangkok in March

March is the transition month — the cool, dry winter ends and the brutal hot season begins. Average highs climb to 35 °C, and on most afternoons in the third and fourth week of the month, temperatures will hit 38–39 °C in the sun on a still day. Air quality slowly improves as the burning season tapers off, but visibility on hot afternoons can still be poor due to a different problem: photochemical haze from heat and urban smog. Hotel prices begin to ease as the high-season rush ends; clever travellers find March's first ten days a sweet spot of still-cool mornings and lower prices than January.

The cultural draw in March is the Bangkok International Motor Show (typically last week of March into early April), which brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to IMPACT Muang Thong Thani. The smaller-but-charming Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra season also wraps up in March with outdoor concerts in Lumpini Park, free to attend. For sightseers, March is also the last month where temple visits at midday are bearable — by April you'll be timing your Grand Palace tour for opening hour only.