As the spring brings sunshine and urges us to get outside and get away, here’s a round up of some of the best sightseeing opportunities and experiences the season offers.
Cherry blossom season
At this time of year, bare cherry tree branches burst into blossom providing a beautiful spectacle few can resist. In Japan, where folk beliefs hold that cherry trees are sacred and their brief blooming permeates art and culture, people celebrate the coming of spring with festivals all over the country. These include the Goryokaku Cherry Blossom Festival (Hakodate City, Hokkaido), the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival (Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture), and the Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival (Tokyo). In Fukishima, the Miharu Shidarezakura, is a “waterfall” cherry tree believed to be over 1,000 years old. And at the Shichikawa Dam, in Wakayama, the pink flowers can be captured alongside the reservoir’s waters.
Other than Japan, many places are also blessed with cherry blossom in spring. As well as many informal opportunities to indulge in the Japanese spirit of Hanami (observing the blossoms’ beauty) in city streets and parks all over Europe, the Gardens of Europe of Keukenhof is a more formal chance to see the Netherlands come alive with blossoms and tulips, in a 32 hectare park. And “Heertrasse” Avenue in Bonn, Germany is prized for its cherry tree season too.
In the US too, cherry trees are a sign of hope and new life. Perhaps the most famous example of a plantation is in Washington DC, where over 3,000 trees have been planted since the first gift of two trees from Tokyo back in 1912.
Bluebells
Carpets of blue hyacinthoides adorn our forests and woods at this time of year. Near Brussels, Belgium, the Hallerbos is a woodland covering over 500 hectares of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant. Known as the “blue forest”, it is at its most magnificent around mid-April. The publicly managed wood is free to visit.
The free glory of bluebells continues in the UK, where the southern county of Sussex is beloved for its bluebell woods. Perhaps the most famous is the Arlington Bluebell Walk. An update on 22 April 2025 from its website said “There is the beginning of a blue sheen from the emerging bluebells in the sunny top half of Beatons Wood, emphasized by the remaining white wood anemones.” So it’s not too late to go bluebell bathing.
What about the southern hemisphere?
In Australia, autumn brings the turtle hatching season at the Great Barrier Reef, while in Canberra the changing colours of the trees are the star of the show reflected in Lake Burley Griffin and at the beech-rich National Arboretum. The Adelaide Hills are another prime candidate for soaking up the season’s woodland transformation, as is Mebourne’s Yarra Valley, or Sydney’s Blue Mountains. May also brings the Vivid Sydney festival, when performances, talks, and sound and light shows transform the city.
And over in Argentina’s Patagonia, summer temperatures are finally dropping and nature’s paintbrush is working its magic. A territory of national parks and forests, it glows yellow, orange, and red in the fall, with snowy mountain peaks and rich evergreens providing points of contrast. It is also a good time of year to drop down into Tierra del Fuego, approaching the Antarctic before it gets too cold.
Sporting events
After a thrilling US Golf Masters and a long-awaited green jacket for Rory McIlroy, what’s left for sports fans this season? Perhaps the most glamorous of all Formula 1 Grand Prix is coming up in the shape of the Monaco competition on 23-25 May, with yachts in the azure harbour beyond and multimillionaires popping by.
Talking of multimillionaires, UK’s football FA Cup, for men and women’s teams will play out over 17 May and 18 May respectively, at the soccer mecca that is Wembley Stadium. And shortly afterwards, tennis fans will turn their eyes to Paris and the Roland Garros tournament, marking for many the start of summer.
