Traveling in the spring not only means fewer crowds and pleasant weather, but it also brings some exceptionally breathtaking scenery, including lush meadows and powerfully flowing waterfalls to brilliant blooming flowers. These incredibly stunning springtime destinations might inspire you to plan your next trip.
Castelluccio, Umbria, Italy
This tiny village is the highest settlement in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. Known mostly as the source of the world’s finest lentils available from local farmers, nature lovers are drawn to this town with a population of about 150 for its mostly undiscovered, dramatic beauty. It may be at its best in springtime when the fields are filled with thousands of colorful, blooming flowers, including red poppies and yellow rapeseed. There are also a number of well-maintained trails that offer everything from easy walks suitable for just about everyone to challenging treks for the experienced hiker.
Skagit Valley, Washington
Travelers from all corners of the globe come to Skagit Valley to view the nearly endless tulip fields, transforming the landscape into one of the most incredibly vivid sights of color you’ll ever lay eyes on. One of the world’s best spring vacation destinations, the area’s tulip festival is held during the entire month of April, with much of it designed as a driving tour through the hundreds and hundreds of different colored tulips. Visitors can also enjoy boat tours, art shows featuring local, regional and international artists, as well as entertainment and wine tasting.
Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital is well-known as one of the best spring destinations, with the season bringing an explosion of color when the hundreds of cherry trees sprout blushing blooms. The pretty pink flowers frame the area’s famous national monuments from late March through early April, which happens to correspond with the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. The pleasant weather makes it a perfect time to see the sights, from the National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol itself, while a number of local companies host all types of cherry blossom tours to help visitors make the most of their flower-peeping experience.
Lisse, Netherlands
Lisse is located in the Netherlands’ bulb-growing region, home to the world-famous Keukenhof park, known as the “Garden of Europe.” Often found on lists of the best gardens on the planet, from mid-April through the first week of May, visitors can see millions of hand-planted tulips, hyacinths and other spring annuals bursting with brilliant blooms. There are nine miles of walking paths that wind through the landscape, blanked in a kaleidoscopic rainbow of colors. For a close-up look and amazing photos, you can take a ride aboard one of the park’s whisper boats, an electric-powered boat with a virtually silent motor that glides along the shallow canals, providing field-level views that you can only get from the water. Bicycle tours of the beautiful fields are offered too.
Hill Country, Texas
The Texas Hill Country is known for its beautiful scenery with limestone and granite rocks, but it’s arguably at its best in the spring, when the weather is not too hot and often just right for spending time around its glistening lakes, giant oak trees and spring-fed creeks. This time of year, it’s also known for its brilliant wildflowers, especially bluebonnets that line the highways with blooms that stretch for miles. In this 25-county region in the central and southern part of the state, including the city of Austin, the famed bluebonnets generally start blooming in mid-March, continuing into April. However, there are all types of other flower varieties that appear later in the season. In Burnet, otherwise known as the “Bluebonnet Capital,” the Bluebonnet Festival takes place during the second weekend of April each year, celebrating the blooming of the wildflowers.
Columbia River Gorge, Pacific Northwest, USA
This canyon stretches for over 80 miles along the Columbia River, providing some of the most dramatic views all year round, but with the change of seasons in March comes thousands of vibrant yellow Oregon sunflowers, also known as arrowleaf balsamroot. Sunny slopes and open Ponderosa forests explode with color. Set in unspoiled surroundings, they create an especially breathtaking landscape. Hood River Valley, toward the eastern end of the gorge, is the epicenter for spring blooms, including beautiful pink and white fruit tree blossoms, and an ideal place to welcome in the season. The region marks the arrival of spring with its annual Blossom Time, a three-week-long celebration featuring special events throughout the area.
Hitachi Seaside Park - Hitachinaka, Japan
Hitachi Seaside Park, located in Hitachinaka, less than two hours from Tokyo near Ibaraki Prefecture on Japan’s east coast, is an endless flower paradise, beautiful year-round but especially magnificent in the spring when baby blue flowers, known as nemophilas. bloom across the landscape. During April and May, there are more than 4.5 million of these delicate flowers, resembling what some feel may be true heaven on earth. From Miharashi No Oka hill, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean too.
Loire Valley, France
When spring arrives, the stunning Loire Valley is filled with sleepy villages that are de-thawing from winter’s chill, while vineyard buds are beginning to burst and wildflowers pop up along the banks of the river. The area is famous for its dozens of historic chateaus, including Chambord and Amboise Castle, as well as the magnificent Chartres Cathedral, along with diverse and abundant wildlife. Riverboat tours are also available to make the most out of the beautiful weather.
Cornwall, England
Spring is the best time to visit Cornwall, in the extreme southwest region of the United Kingdom, with the area’s gardens in full bloom. It’s the only place in the United Kingdom to see flowering magnolia trees this time of year, signaling the true arrival of spring. You’ll find plenty of ways to burn off all the fabulous seasonal food available too, including wandering among the blooming flowers on the moors or even taking a dip in the sea. If a spring storm happens to come in, the crashing waves make for a mesmerizingly dramatic scene.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is one of North Carolina’s most beautiful destinations and is an affordable getaway in spring. You can explore its charming downtown area to see its collection of electric shops, cultural museums, and historical attractions. Visit top-rated breweries or take a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Add the iconic Biltmore Estate to your itinerary to see its opulent interior, or enjoy a tranquil day strolling through the blooming flowers at The North Carolina Arboretum.
Portland, Oregon
Spring is the best time to visit Portland if you want to see why it’s called the “City of Roses.” With Portland’s climate perfect for growing roses, you’ll see and smell thousands and thousands across the landscape, with blooms beginning in April and peaking in June. This is also the time of year for the Portland Rose Festival, a month-long event running from mid-May through mid-June, featuring stunning flower shows, fireworks, parades, thrill rides, live music and more.
Paris, France
You may roll your eyes at the cliché Paris in the springtime, but there’s a reason that classic song lauds its many attributes during this season. This truly is the loveliest time for a trip to the “City of Lights,” with its spectacular colors and mild weather, in addition to its famous parks and gardens being absolutely breathtaking. It’s hard not to fall in love with Paris after a few days of gazing at roses, majestic sculptures, 17th-century fountains, and banana trees hiding in the magnificent corners of Parisian gardens. You won’t want to miss the Louvre, with its collection not only including drawings and paintings but the Carrousel gardens and Tuileries with explosions of spring color and fragrant paths.
Sognefjord, Norway
Sognefjord is the longest fjord in Europe, stretching for more than 127 miles. When the snow melts in the spring, brilliant wildflowers are revealed. In Indre Sogn, the climate is suitable for growing berries and other fruits, and it’s one of the major areas of fruit production in the country. The region is also known for its azure-colored glaciers and magnificent waterfalls, as well as towering mountains with breathtaking jagged peaks.
Bonn, Germany
This laid-back city on the Rhine is famous as the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, drawing travelers with its world-class museums and lovely riverside setting in addition to making a great jumping-off point to the Siebengebirge nature reserve and other attractions in the region. In the springtime, cherry blossoms burst into millions of pink flowers in Bonn, creating a magical tunnel avenue in the hip Nordstadt quarter, just a five-minute walk from Beethoven’s House that lasts for just two to three precious weeks each year. “Cherry Blossom Avenue,” is filled with ornamental Japanese cherry blossom trees on both sides of the narrow street, planted back in the 1980s, extending over the street, at some points into a full canopy.
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Japan
Fuji-Hakone-Izu is Japan’s most visited national park, home to the nation’s iconic Mount Fuji, along with volcanic islands, deep lakes, hot springs and waterfalls. It’s a glorious destination any time of the year, but early spring means cherry blossom season, with the plum and cherry blossom trees beginning to bloom in late February, typically lasting through March and into early April. Gazing at majestic Mount Fuji through the pale lavender and rose-hued branches in the park, you’ll realize that the long flight was more than worth it.
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
This national park just south of Quepos on the Pacific coast offers expansive white sand beaches bordering a lush, tropical rain forest, home to nearly 200 different bird species and more than 100 species of mammals, including monkeys, iguanas, sloths and toucans. Dolphins and whales can sometimes be observed just offshore. By traveling in the spring, you’ll miss the high season, otherwise known as the dry season, avoiding the biggest crowds, as well as the peak of the rainy season.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Spring may be the best time of year to visit Victoria, the capital of the British Columbia province. Winter frosts give way to beautiful cherry blossoms and azaleas in this garden city, with some 37,000 cherry trees in full bloom in springtime, lighting up the streets with their bright bursts of pink. You’ll see spectacular colors almost everywhere you look. It goes without saying that world-renowned Butchart Gardens is at its best in the spring, coming alive with some of nature’s finest displays on the planet. Victoria’s fantastic farmer’s markets open in April and May, featuring an amazing selection of produce, baked goods, homemade jams, delectable sweets and more.
Yosemite National Park
While it’s usually still a little early to see wildflowers in the park, spring is the best season to see Yosemite’s many magnificent waterfalls. As warmer weather begins to melt the snow, you’ll see numerous falls and cascades of all sizes along the Valley, including legendary falls like Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall and Vernal Fall, along with plenty of small, unnamed waterfalls. And you’ll be able to enjoy them without the big crowds, which won’t arrive until summer.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is captivating all year round, but with blooming magnolia trees and idyllic temperatures, it makes a fabulous spring destination. Steeped in history with antebellum plantations and centuries-old homes that are highlighted by brightly colored azaleas, while fragrant wisteria wafts through the air, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into paradise. The Spring Festival of Houses and Gardens is one of the region’s most anticipated annual events when some of the most magnificent homes in the historic district open their doors to the public, who can peek inside and at the gardens which sit behind classic iron gates.
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Spring may also be the best time to enjoy outdoor adventures in Joshua Tree National Park, located in the Mojave Desert of California. Step into this other-worldly-like landscape, and you may feel like you’re on another planet, with the thousands of bizarrely-shaped trees, unusual plants and gigantic boulders that tower hundreds of feet into the sky. Temperatures in the springtime are often idyllic, with highs that average around 80 to 85 degrees. You’ll also see colorful wildflowers splashed throughout the region.
