There’s no better way to celebrate the new season than flower chasing… Some places around the world are famous for their spring blooms, seriously you can’t think about Japan in the springtime without immediately picturing all of the vibrant cherry blossoms. And right now is the perfect time to plan your trip to see the world’s most blooming destinations. From Chile to India, here are the best places to catch the most beautiful spring flowers around the world. Here’s to flower power!
12. Keukenhof Gardens, Holland
Known for its abundance of tulips, a trip to Holland during springtime guarantees a few tulip sightings but a visit to Keukenhof Gardens is breathtaking. The Keukenhof Gardens open for just eight weeks each year, cover 79 acres and have over 7 MILLION flowers blooming each spring. The variations of tulips will be the showstopper but you can also expect to see daffodils, lilies, roses, irises and so many other flowering friends.
Whether it’s your first time to Holland during the spring or you’ve been before, no spring bloom is the same here because this garden is completely replanted every year! And if you want more, the Amsterdam Tulip Festival runs for the whole of April.
Best time to visit: April – May
View this post on Instagram
11. Medellin, Colombia
Every August, Medellin (also known as The City of Eternal Spring) gets flooded with flowers to kick off the 10-day celebration of Feira de Las Flores or the Flower Festival. The city comes alive displaying its culture with parades, music, and stunning flowers that are grown all around the area. So, if it is flowers you seek, be sure to visit the botanical gardens around town. Stop by Santa Elena AKA the heartland of Medellin’s flower growers, and don’t miss the flower parade.
Best time to visit: August
View this post on Instagram
10. Provence, France
If you are looking for endless horizons of purple, look no further Provence is the perfect place. Lavender fields and Provence are synonymous… you can’t visit without seeing the sprawling fields of lavender. A visit to Provence during flower season will have you fall in love with the picture-perfect blooms and calming lavender-scented winds. There’s nothing like the South of France in the warmer months.
Best time to visit: June – July
Image source:Michael / Unsplash
9. Perth, Western Australia
Western Australia is a flower lover’s paradise. With more than 12,000 species of wildflowers, you’ll have more than enough for your eyes – and nose – to soak up. And the flora hotspot is definitely Perth! Visit Kings Park for a botanical garden with over 3,000 unique flowers or hike Reabold Hill to for sweeping views of the Indian Ocean and wild flowers like bottlebrush and candle cranberry. So if blooms and being active sounds like bliss, you belong among the wild flowers in Perth…
Best time to visit: September
View this post on Instagram
8. M’Goun Valley, Morocco
Every spring 3-4,000 tons of flowers are collected from the M’Goun Valley. To celebrate the successful harvest, a three-day festival of roses takes place. If you’re looking to see endless rows of Damask roses across the beautiful valley, arrive before the festival in April. If you want to be a part of the celebrations (which include brightly-colored floats covered in paper roses, traditional food, music and dancing) May is your month.
All of the picked roses are used to create Moroccan rose oil, which is turned into a bunch of rosy products like shampoos, facial products and hand creams… you name it, roses are added to it. Time to stop and smell the roses we think.
Best time to visit: April – May
View this post on Instagram
7. Lake District National Park, England
Around half of the world’s bluebells can be found in the UK and our favorite spot is The Lake District, renowned for its bluebell woods. Take the famous Rannerdale Knotts walk to find a spread of blue on blue across the hillsides. Or go off the beaten path with a stroll through Dorothy Farrer’s Wood for a secluded hidden nature walk. Either way, this sweet flower creates an aura of magic across the woodlands.
Best time to visit: May
Image source:Click and Learn Photography / Unsplash
6. Andalusia, Spain
Spring in the south of Spain – not only is the weather perfect, but there are fewer visitors which means the cities are all blooming. The blossoming orange trees make the best natural air freshener and the amazing parks like Maria Luisa Park in Seville or Carmen de los Martires in Granada have vibrant flowers on show. But Cordoba’s Fiesta de los Patios and Courtyard Festival are the ultimate reasons to visit Andalusia in the springtime. It’s a two-week-long celebration where the city fills its historic courtyards full of flowers. Get ready for all the houseplant inspo you’ll ever need.
Best time to visit: May
View this post on Instagram
5. Cape Floristic Region, South Africa
One of UNESCO’s world biodiversity hotspots, this region accounts for less than 0.5% of the continent of Africa but holds over 20% of its flora. PLUS, 30% of the plants in this region of South Africa can’t be found anywhere else, so this is a definite must-see spring bloom destination. From Table Mountain National Park to The De Hoop Nature Reserve you can visit and explore eight different areas and parks. Not sure where to go? We suggest starting at Table Mountain National Park for a complete *jaw-drop* flower moment.
Best time to visit: July – September
View this post on Instagram
4. Valley of Flowers National Park, India
On the border of Nepal and Tibet, The Valley of Flowers in Northern India comes alive full of blooming flowers right after the first monsoon rain usually in July. There are over 300 alpine flower variations to see and when you combine those blooms with the vistas of valleys and mountain peaks will make you fall in the love with the beauty of this place. Picture perfect is an understatement, get ready for a full outdoor trek and adventure to catch these spring blooms.
Best time to visit: July – August
View this post on Instagram
3. Atacama Desert, Chile
A desert bloom is a phenomenon you really have to see to believe. Typically it only occurs in the Atacama Desert aka the driest place on earth every 4 to 7 years, but in recent years it has happened more frequently than that so you’ll have to be extra lucky to catch this spring bloom. But if you do, the wait is SO worthwhile. Expect desert sands and hillsides colored with purple, white, blue, and yellow flowers. So if a trip to Chile is in your near future you might get lucky and catch the desierto florido.
Best time to visit: September – November
View this post on Instagram
2. Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Another one of the best places to catch spring flowers bloom is Lake Tekapo in New Zealand where huge vibrant fields of lupins appear along the lakeshore. Seriously this is a photo opp like no other and the pics will make your IG grid a dream. The lupins range from pinks to lavenders to white, reds, and purples with mountains, beautiful skies, and turquoise glacier lakes as the backdrop. Fun fact, lupins are actually considered an invasive species and a weed… we wish all weeds were this pretty!
Best time to visit: November
Image source:Delphine Ducaruge / Unsplash
1. Antelope Valley, California Poppy Reserve
And our number one place to catch the BEST spring bloom goes to… Antelope Valley in California. If you’ve missed all the hype around Cali’s super blooms the past couple of years, don’t worry we’ll catch you up to speed… California has recently had good rainfall and chilly weather, which led to a full-blown poppy #superbloom which broke the internet as orange-flowered hills took over Insta. But whether the super bloom happens or not this year, Antelope Valley is the most consistent poppy-bearing land in California. Trust us these carpets of orange poppies are worth the trip.
Best time to visit: April – May
Image source:Mike Ostrovsky / Unsplash
Spring is definitely the best time to travel, flower child. And now that you know all the best places to catch spring blooms around the world. The only question is… where to first?
