Most of the time, flowers are a pleasant addition to a trip – but not the entire purpose of your vacation. However, when spring rolls around, there are plenty of great opportunities for the botanical fans in the world to come together and explore some of the most incredible flora and fauna around.
In honor of Spring, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite floral regions, gardens, and flower festivals worth visiting this year. Even if you only take a day out of your vacation to explore these stunning examples of blossoming beauty – it’s sure to be a moment you’ll remember forever. Just remember to take a sturdy travel umbrella in case you’re stuck in unexpected showers.
1. Columbia – Medellin
Every August, regional farmers in Medellin come together to build oversized and incredible floral displays. These bouquets are then mounted onto wooden pallets and carried across the streets of Columbia throughout a frenzy of cheering crowds. At the same time, there’s live music to enjoy, and plenty of great food to indulge in.
2. Japan – Furano
The mild summers within Japan make it one of the best places to grow lavender in Asia. At Farm Tomita, you can see streaks of stunning purple combined with fields of red poppies, orange poppies, and pink garden catchflies. The experience of seeing these blossoms in person is so breath-taking that many people assume the fields are photo-shopped.
3. Morocco – Marakesh
An amazing desert city that’s home to about 54 public gardens, including the new Mandarin Oriental Marrakech, with villas surrounded by no less than 100,000 roses – Marrakesh is impossible to ignore. If you’re looking for an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the season, this is an ideal place to see the best spring flowers.
4. South Africa – Cape Floral Kingdom
Named one of the world’s 18 biodiversity hot spots, the Cape Floral Kingdom in South Africa is a stunning haven for nature photographers, botanists, and travelers alike. It’s a good idea to travel along from Cape Town using the N7 highway, as this will let you pass by a range of incredible flower-rich areas. When late summer rolls around, you can always visit Namaqua National Park to experience fields filled with wildflowers.
5. Netherlands – Keukenhof
Nowhere does tulips like the Netherlands. If you’re looking for a beautiful and culturally classic way to celebrate spring, then head to Keukenhof. This amazing tulip festival takes place across the South of Holland for two months of every year. You’ll need to find out in advance exactly when the festival is being hosted, but in 2015, it ran until the 17th of May.
6. Italy – Tuscany
Few botanical gardens come close to the incredible rosarium known as Roseto Finischi in Tuscany. This location spans across a single acre, but it contains more cultivars than any other private rose garden in the world. If you’re looking for a chance to breathe in the smell of thousands of stunning roses, this is the vacation destination for you.
