Inspiration

23 Spring Flower Pictures from Around the World

From Dutch tulip fields to the cherry blossoms of Japan. 
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The arrival of spring can mean many things, whether it's packing up those winter clothes or finally deciding where to go on your summer trip. But it also marks the time of year when landscapes turn from snowy wonderlands to colorful displays of blossoms. And we happen to find flowers that bloom in springtime—bluebells, wisteria, cherry blossoms, and wildflowers galore—to be especially stunning. From the famous tulip farms in Holland to endless seas of yellow blooms in China, here are the most jaw-droppingly beautiful spring flower pictures from around the world.

This article was last published in April 2018. It has been updated with new information.

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    Antelope Valley, California

    Best blooms: Golden poppies

    There's a reason California is famous for its wildflowers. Head to Antelope Valley for rolling hills of poppies—the official state flower—in vibrant shades of orange with hints of yellow. According to Visit California, the best viewing time is a sunny day, mid-morning (the poppies will have opened by then), generally in early April.

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    Okinawa, Japan

    Best blooms: Cherry blossoms

    Nowhere does cherry blossom season quite like Japan. There's even a Japanese word, hanami, specifically devoted to the act of viewing the pretty pink flowers. While hordes of tourists head to Japan each spring to see the blossoms in person, we suggest heading to tropical Okinawa—where the earliest blooms occur a few months earlier—to avoid the crowds. 

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    Hillegom, Netherlands

    Best blooms: Tulips

    Google “spring flower pictures” and your screen will be flooded with photos of tulips—tulips in Holland, to be precise. The flowers bloom throughout the region, although some destinations are definitely more tourist-packed than others. We suggest heading to Hillegom in the western countryside, which is a quieter alternative to the very popular Keukenhof gardens.

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    Burgervlotbrug, Netherlands

    Best blooms: Tulips

    Naturally, we had to throw more Dutch tulips in here: If you can't make it to Hillegom, head to Burgervlotbrug, a northern Dutch village where the flowers are grown in lines separated by color, creating an impressive rainbow effect worth seeing for yourself.

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    Hallerbos Forest, Belgium

    Best blooms: Bluebells

    Near central Belgium, Hallerbos, also known as "The Blue Forest," is covered in a swath of purple mid-April, during bluebell season—definitely an Instagram-worthy moment. You can reach the forest by bike or bus from the nearby town of Halle.

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    Córdoba, Spain

    Best blooms: Geraniums

    Not all spring flowers grow on farms or in fields, as evidenced by Calleja de las Flores ("Alley of the Flowers") in Córdoba. Located in the Spanish city's historic Judería Quarter, this colorful street bursts to life each spring, when geraniums bloom in flower pots hanging on every window, door, and wall. Fair warning: You won't be the only tourist there.

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    Luoping County, China

    Best blooms: Rapeseed

    Fun fact: Besides giving us the wonder that is canola oil, rapeseed plants produce vibrant yellow flowers. And when they bloom in February and March, they take over the fields of Luoping County in Yunnan, China, turning the landscape into something straight out of an Impressionist painting.

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    Pretoria, South Africa

    Best blooms: Jacaranda

    Jacaranda trees may not be indigenous to South Africa (the species was introduced from Brazil in the 1800s), but the plants have become somewhat synonymous with the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg. Every year from late September to mid-November, the blooms on the trees come to life, draping entire streets and sidewalks in various shades of purple.

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    Carlsbad, California

    Best blooms: Ranunculus

    Every year from March to May, ranunculus (also called buttercups) flowers take over 50 acres of The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch. Aside from tractor rides and artist installations, the farm features endless fields of soft pink, bright red, and buttery yellow flowers.

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    Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

    Best blooms: Abronia and primrose

    Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is an easy day trip from San Diego, yet feels unlike anything else in California. Aside from seasonal waterfalls and hundreds of miles of hiking trails, the 600,000-acre park is known for its wildflower "super blooms." When the area receives a rare rainstorm, the desert transforms into a gorgeous display of pink, purple, and yellow thanks to blooming abronias and primroses.

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    Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan

    Best blooms: Wisteria

    Japan may be best known for its cherry blossoms, but the country's wisteria gardens threaten to steal the show every spring. Case in point: the wisteria tunnel at the Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu (about six hours outside of Tokyo). The flowers range in color from dark purple to white, and seemingly straight out of a fairytale.

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    Chamonix, France

    Best blooms: Wildflowers

    Chamonix isn't just a ski destination: The mountainous area becomes covered with wildflowers each spring, making the case for a hike, instead of a run, down the area's slopes.

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    Skomer Island, Wales

    Best blooms: Daisies

    Daisies are lovely in their own accord. But daisies and puffins? Now that's a killer combination. Skomer Island, located a couple miles off the coast of Wales, is known for both its puffin population and its abundance of wildflowers. Visit during the spring to see the tiny island covered with daisies, bluebells, and sea thrift, set to the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean.

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    Willow City, Texas

    Best blooms: Bluebonnets

    An hour and a half outside of Austin, the small community of Willow City, Texas, draws tourists each spring for its flowers. If you take the 13-mile drive along the "Willow City Loop," you'll see a stunning display of bluebonnets, which usually bloom late March or early April.

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    St James's Park, London

    Best blooms: Daffodils

    The sudden appearance of bright yellow daffodils is a sure sign that spring has arrived in London, with The Royal Parks planting around 1 million bulbs across their gardens every year. You can spot the flowers in pretty much any garden in the city, including Kew Gardens and Kensington Gardens, but we're particular fans of the display in St James's Park—mainly thanks to the London Eye backdrop, and the chance to mingle with the park's resident pelicans.

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    Hitachi Seaside Park, Japan

    Best blooms: Nemophila

    Hitachi Seaside Park is a stretch of flora-packed hills in Japan that could easily pass for a whimsical Dr. Seuss-invented landscape. The park is filled with kochia plants that turn bright red during autumn, but the star attraction is the sea of 4.5 million blue nemophila flowers (aka “baby blue eyes”) that spills over the field in late April to mid-May.

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    Namaqualand, South Africa

    Best blooms: Wildflowers

    Namaqualand, a region spanning South Africa's Northern Cape Province and the Namibian border, is known for its wildflowers, which usually bloom in the desert around August and September (which straddles late winter and early spring in the Southern Hemisphere).

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    Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

    Best blooms: Lupins

    At Lake Tekapo on South Island, New Zealand, purple-, pink-, and blue-hued lupin flowers juxtapose against the bright backdrop of the water. These flowers bloom from late November to early January, which is the end of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 

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    Dartmoor National Park, England

    Best blooms: Bluebells

    The acidic soil in Devon's Dartmoor National Park supports the growth of bluebells, making it the best place in the country to see the purple-ish beauties. And let's face it: Spotting a carpet of wildflowers in England is about as magical as it gets.

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    Skagit Valley, Washington

    Best blooms: Tulips

    The tulips in Skagit Valley, Washington, are so beautiful that they have their own dedicated festival, which has been running every April for the past 35 years. Activities include guided bike tours of "tulip country," photo contests, and art events. The flowers' peak bloom typically lasts for the entire month of April.

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    Cape Town, South Africa

    Best blooms: King protea

    The coastlines of Cape Town are among the best in the world, growing more beautiful the closer you get to Table Mountain. The slopes of the iconic mountain contain several thousand species of plants, but it's the king proteas that seem to reign the floral kingdom most proudly. Don't feel like hiking? You can also see the flowers in abundance at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

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    The Gardens of Ninfa, Italy

    Best blooms: Wisteria

    Located in Cisterna di Latina (about halfway between Rome and Sperlonga), this tranquil garden is a feast for the eyes with several types of roses, magnolias, wisteria, and other flowers blooming in the spring and summer. The addition of castle ruins and tranquil lakes—not to mention bilingual tour guides—only makes this floral destination more appealing.

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    Hitsujiyama Park, Japan

    Best blooms: Pink moss

    Located about 45 miles outside of Tokyo, Shibazakura Hill in Hitsujiyama Park becomes a carpet of pink and purple shibazakura (pink moss) during the spring, drawing crowds to appreciate the hundreds of thousands of flowers set to the backdrop of Mt. Buko.