Spring break beaches
For spring break, the best-graded beach destinations are usually the Yucatán Gulf Coast (March A, April A-), Southwest Florida (March A-, April A) and Cuba's Cays (March A-, April A-). The Louisiana coast is good with moderate crowds. March and April are outside hurricane season.
Every destination for spring break, ranked
A typical March and April at each destination (median resort). Click a column to sort.
| Destination | March | April | Area | High | Water | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Yucatán Gulf Coast | A | A- | Mexico | 88°F | 80°F | Busy |
| Southwest Florida | A- | A | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 81°F | 75°F | Very busy |
| Cuba's Cays | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 80°F | 80°F | Very busy |
| Puerto Vallarta | A- | A- | Mexico | 81°F | 77°F | Very busy |
| Veracruz | A- | A- | Mexico | 82°F | 79°F | Busy |
| Varadero & Havana | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 84°F | 79°F | Very busy |
| Huatulco | A- | A- | Mexico | 90°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Tampa Bay | A- | A- | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 79°F | 73°F | Very busy |
| Florida Keys | A- | A- | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 77°F | 77°F | Very busy |
| Los Cabos | A- | A- | Mexico | 83°F | 72°F | Very busy |
| The BVI | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 79°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| The Big Island | A- | A- | Hawaii | 79°F | 78°F | Very busy |
| Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 85°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| Turks & Caicos | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 79°F | 80°F | Very busy |
| The US Virgin Islands | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 79°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| Panama's Pacific beaches | A- | B+ | Central & South America | 89°F | 82°F | Busy |
| The Bahamas | B+ | A- | Caribbean islands | 78°F | 77°F | Very busy |
| The Leeward Islands | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 79°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| Barbados | A- | A- | Caribbean islands | 86°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Belize | A- | A- | Central & South America | 81°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Cayman Islands | B+ | A- | Caribbean islands | 84°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Maui | B+ | A- | Hawaii | 80°F | 77°F | Very busy |
| San Andrés | B+ | B+ | Central & South America | 82°F | 83°F | Busy |
| The Corn Islands | B+ | B+ | Central & South America | 82°F | 83°F | Very busy |
| St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenada | B+ | B+ | Caribbean islands | 84°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Roatán & the Bay Islands | B+ | B+ | Central & South America | 81°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| The Alabama & Mississippi coast | B | A- | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 73°F | 69°F | Busy |
| Oʻahu | B+ | B+ | Hawaii | 79°F | 76°F | Very busy |
| Puerto Rico | B+ | B+ | Caribbean islands | 83°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| The Louisiana coast | B | B+ | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 71°F | 71°F | Moderate |
| South Padre & the Coastal Bend | B | B+ | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 77°F | 72°F | Very busy |
| Colombia's Caribbean coast | B+ | B | Central & South America | 90°F | 84°F | Busy |
| Cozumel | B+ | B | Mexico | 85°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Trinidad & Tobago | B | B | Caribbean islands | 85°F | 82°F | Busy |
| Santo Domingo's coast | B+ | B | Caribbean islands | 84°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| Cancún | B | B | Mexico | 84°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| The Florida Panhandle | B- | B+ | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 72°F | 69°F | Busy |
| Costa Maya | B | B | Mexico | 85°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Guadeloupe & Martinique | B | B | Caribbean islands | 84°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Galveston & the Upper Texas Coast | B- | B+ | Florida & the Gulf Coast | 71°F | 70°F | Busy |
| Jamaica | B+ | B- | Caribbean islands | 86°F | 83°F | Very busy |
| Acapulco | B | B | Mexico | 87°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo | B | B | Mexico | 86°F | 82°F | Very busy |
| Mazatlán | B | B | Mexico | 81°F | 74°F | Very busy |
| Manzanillo | B | B | Mexico | 83°F | 78°F | Very busy |
| Kauaʻi | B | B- | Hawaii | 77°F | 76°F | Busy |
| Panama's Caribbean coast | B- | B- | Central & South America | 83°F | 85°F | Busy |
| Costa Rica's Caribbean coast | B- | C+ | Central & South America | 83°F | 84°F | Very busy |
| The Dominican North Coast | B- | C+ | Caribbean islands | 82°F | 80°F | Very busy |
| Haiti | B- | C | Caribbean islands | 86°F | 83°F | Very busy |
| Punta Cana | C+ | C | Caribbean islands | 82°F | 81°F | Very busy |
| Guatemala's Caribbean coast | C+ | C | Central & South America | 84°F | 84°F | Very busy |
| Holguín | C+ | C+ | Caribbean islands | 83°F | 79°F | Very busy |
| The Riviera Maya | C+ | C | Mexico | 85°F | 82°F | Very busy |
Questions
- Where is the best beach for spring break?
- For spring break, the best-graded beach destinations are usually the Yucatán Gulf Coast (March A, April A-), Southwest Florida (March A-, April A) and Cuba's Cays (March A-, April A-). The Louisiana coast is good with moderate crowds. March and April are outside hurricane season.
- Where is the water warm for spring break?
- The warmest water in March and April is usually around Panama's Caribbean coast (85°F), Guatemala's Caribbean coast (84°F) and Costa Rica's Caribbean coast (84°F). The northern Gulf Coast is still cool for swimming in March.