From the colorful tulip fields of Keukenhof Gardens to the ephemeral pink blooms of Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival, the world’s most beautiful gardens come alive in the spring. Relax on your next vacation by wandering through gorgeous garden paths fragrant with flowers. If you can’t get away in the Spring, year-round you can find botanical delight in glass conservatories housing exotic plants from around the world.
Cherry Blossom Festival and Zen Gardens in Japan
This spring partake in hanami, the 1,000-year-old Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing. Picnic like a local under the cherry trees, paddle a swan boat through flowery reflections, and revel in the festival celebrations at night. The ephemeral pink blooms reach their peak around Tokyo for only a week or two in March or April. However, from the Zen rock gardens of Ryoan-ji to the serene ponds of Ninna-ji, you can relax in some of Japan’s most beautiful gardens when visiting Kyoto’s temples year-round.
Keukenhof Gardens in Holland
Just a short ride from Amsterdam, walk through a canvass of yellow, red, and white brushstrokes painted in tulips. Over 7 million flowers scent the air in Keukenhof Gardens including rare varieties and new cultivars developed by Dutch growers. These world-famous gardens are only open when the flowers bloom from mid-March to mid-May, but a visit to this floral paradise is definitely worth planning your trip around.
Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
Stroll beneath the futuristic purple branches of manmade Supertrees—their trunks textured with growing bromeliads, orchids, and ferns—at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. These stunning vertical gardens collect rainwater and solar energy and come alive at night with a musical light show. The world’s tallest indoor waterfall provides a cooling mist as you admire tropical mountain plants in the Cloud Forest conservatory. A masterful showcase of horticultural artistry, sustainability, and architectural design the Gardens by the Bay welcomes millions of visitors a year and are a must see when you visit Singapore.