Kyoto, Japan: Cherry Blossom Season
Go to Kyoto between late March and mid-April, and treat the exact dates as a forecast, not a promise. Sakura, the cherry blossom, is Japan's best-known natural event, and hanami, the custom of sitting under the trees to eat and drink, is the reason people plan whole trips around it. Peak bloom can shift by up to two weeks depending on how cold the winter was. Private forecasters, including the Japan Meteorological Corporation, begin publishing predictions in the new year. Watching the dates firm up is one of the better parts of the planning.
The famous spots are famous for good reason. The cherry trees along the Kamo River. Maruyama Park, where the big weeping cherry is lit at night. The Philosopher's Path, a 2km / 1.2 mi canal-side walk between the temples of Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji, with trees on both banks. And Kiyomizu-dera, where blossom frames the view out over the valley. Early light through the petals, with a little wind lifting them off the branches, is the picture everyone tries to take. Photographs flatten it. Part of the effect is that you know it will be gone within days.
The crowds are real, and they are the price of admission. The Philosopher's Path on a bloom-peak weekend is slow going, sometimes shuffling. Go on a weekday. Be there before 8am. If the canal is too much, try the garden at Heian Shrine, which charges a small entry fee and is quieter for it. Check the current fee on the shrine's own information before you go.
Spring Japan Planning Guide
- Follow the 2027 sakura forecast from the Japan Meteorological Corporation (link below). Forecasts start in the new year and are revised as the spring warms.
- Book accommodation four to six months ahead for peak bloom dates. Prices climb sharply in the last couple of weeks before peak, so a late booking costs you twice: more money, fewer choices.
- Consider Tokyo as well. Shinjuku Gyoen and Ueno Park often bloom around the same time as Kyoto, sometimes a few days earlier. Check the forecast for both cities before you commit to one.
- Plan for the week after peak. Petals come down in drifts (hanafubuki, a blossom blizzard) for several days. It photographs beautifully, and the crowds thin noticeably.
- Do hanami the way it is done. Buy food and drink from a convenience store or market stall, bring a picnic mat, and sit. Standing in the middle of a path to take photographs is the one way to do it badly.
Seville, Spain: Spring and the Feria de Abril
Seville in April is the best week of Spain's travel year, and also the most expensive. Orange blossom scents the streets. The Alcázar, a royal palace still used by the Spanish royal family and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is at its best among the bougainvillea and orange trees. Temperatures suit walking. The Feria de Abril, the April Fair, sets up a canvas town of striped tents, strings of lanterns and flamenco that goes on late into the night.
The Feria runs for a week, usually in late April or early May, about two weeks after Semana Santa (Holy Week). Here is the part guidebooks tend to skip: most of the decorated tents (casetas) belong to families, clubs and associations, and are private. You can still go. The horse-drawn carriages and riders on the fairground avenues, and the sight of crowds in traditional Andalusian dress, are open to anyone. The fairground is in the Los Remedios district, across the river from the old centre. Beyond the fair, the city holds up well: the Gothic cathedral, the largest of its kind in the world, the Moorish Alcázar, and the sherry-and-tapas bars of Triana and Santa Cruz. Seville in spring rewards slow days more than packed itineraries.
Seville Spring Budget & Timing
- Feria de Abril 2027 dates: usually late April or early May, two weeks or so after Easter. Check the official Seville tourism site for the confirmed dates once they are published.
- Tapas and sherry: around $2.25–4.50 (€2–4; ≈ £1.78–3.56) a tapa and $2.25–3.35 (€2–3; ≈ £1.78–2.65) a glass of fino in traditional bars in Santa Cruz and Triana. Estimates as of October 2026.
- Alcázar: about $16 (€14.50; ≈ £13) as of October 2026 (roughly $16, £12.50; ≈ €15). Book online three to four weeks ahead in spring, because slots go quickly. Check the official site for current prices.
- Book accommodation two to three months ahead for Feria week. Prices can rise steeply, so look at Triana for better value.
- Tapas bars to try: El Rinconcillo, which dates its founding to 1670 and claims to be the city's oldest bar; La Brunilda for modern tapas; Bar Alfalfa for jamón ibérico.
- If your dates fall in Holy Week, the week before Easter, expect extraordinary processions, heavy crowds and full hotels. Go for that, not for a quiet stay.
The Netherlands: Tulip Season (Keukenhof)
Keukenhof is the one to book, and the Bollenstreek around it is the one to cycle. Near Lisse in South Holland, this is among the world's largest flower gardens: 32 hectares of parkland with around seven million tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs, replanted and redesigned each year. The garden opens for roughly eight weeks, from late March to mid-May, and attracts over a million visitors in that time. Most arrive in the second half of April, when the tulip varieties overlap.
The Bollenstreek, the bulb district between Haarlem and Leiden, is where the colour gets out of hand. Working fields run in stripes of red, yellow, orange, pink and purple to the horizon, so saturated that they look edited. Cycle it. The land is flat, the cycle paths are good, and riding through the stripes at ground level is nothing like looking at a photograph. As for where to stay: skip Amsterdam. Haarlem is about 20 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal by train, quieter and cheaper, with a medieval centre, a proper café scene and the Grote Markt. It is the better base for tulip season. It is also a small honest correction to the idea that every Dutch trip starts in the capital.
Keukenhof & Tulip Fields Practical Guide
- Keukenhof 2027 season: late March to mid-May. Check keukenhof.nl for the exact opening and closing dates, and buy tickets online in advance. Adult tickets were around $22 (€20; ≈ £17) as of October 2026 (about $22, £17; ≈ €20), children around $11 (€10; ≈ £8.69). Confirm current prices on the official site.
- Best time: a weekday morning in the first week of May is a good bet for a wide mix of varieties in flower. Avoid weekend afternoons in April, when the garden is at its most crowded.
- Cycling the fields: hire bikes in Haarlem or Lisse, roughly $13–17 (€12–15; ≈ £10–13) a day as of October 2026. Look for the bulb-fields cycling route on the Holland tourism site.
- Haarlem as a base: a direct train from Amsterdam Centraal takes about 20 minutes. Expect quieter streets, lower accommodation prices than Amsterdam, and good food around the Grote Markt.
- Photography: the fields look best in morning light. Many are working farms, so shoot from the road and do not walk into the rows. Flowers trampled for a photograph are someone's crop.