10 Places To View Cherry Blossoms Around The World

Something synonymous with spring is an ocean of colourful flowers. And if we're looking at Japan specifically, it means that sakura season is here! With travel borders finally open and after a 3 year long hiatus, we're sure that everyone around the world is raring to catch a glimpse of this sakura fever. So do expect a larger crowd if you're planning a trip to Japan any time soon.

With that said, a little pre-planning won’t hurt for this year’s cherry blossom season, and what if we told you that there are destinations other than Japan with equally beautiful blooms! 

Mark these destinations down in your notebook and make your cherry blossom dreams a reality.

Thanks to K-Dramas, fans are well aware that cherry trees line the streets of Seoul every Spring. Major areas in Seoul as well as provincial areas in the country showcase fields of cherry trees that bloom from March to April! In the city, you’ll find cherry blossoms by major attractions such as Lotte World, Namsan Park, and Gyeongbokgung Palace.

If you didn’t know, you can see cherry blossoms all over Taiwan! Though they bloom relatively earlier as compared to Japan and Korea, you can catch these vibrant cherry trees in numerous parts of the country! 

A popular place for cherry blossom sightings is the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village in Taichung, Taiwan. Here, you can take part in their annual cherry blossom festival, which takes place every February. In addition to the thousands of cherry trees to take photos of, visitors can also enjoy performances and nighttime illuminations.

You’ll be surprised to know that Thailand boasts its own set of cherry trees in the Spring! The most popular area to spot these pink blooms in the country would be Chiang Mai, where a field of sakura trees bloom all through January to early February. In case you’ve missed it, Suan Rot Fai Park in Bangkok has yearly blooms as well that last until mid-February.

While New York City is known for its skyscrapers, neon lights, and billboards, the crown jewel of its neighbouring borough, Brooklyn, is where you'll find the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden; and every Spring, the garden is blanketed with beautiful cherry blossoms. From March through April, both locals and tourists flock to this side of New York specifically to see these pink blooms.

Every April, the garden hosts Sakura Matsuri, their annual cherry blossom festival. During this time, guests get a magnified look into Japanese culture featuring cultural performances and events.

The annual cherry blossom festival in Vancouver, Canada holds a beautiful origin story. In the 1930s, the cities of Kobe and Yokohama, Japan gifted Vancouver their first 500 cherry trees in honour of the Japanese Canadians who fought in the First World War. Now, the city boasts over 40,000 sakura trees, plus a month-long annual festival to celebrate the season.

A handful of London’s beautiful parks and gardens welcome an abundance of cherry trees every Springtime. Though Japan’s spring blooms are definitely unmatched, if you find yourself in London through March to early May, you won’t have a difficult time spotting cherry blossoms in this western location. Some of the best places to catch these pink blooms would be at Greenwich Park, Kensington Garden, Regent’s Park, and the Kew Gardens to name a few!

You're also bound to spot a multitude of fresh pink blooms outside of London! In the Spring, a day trip to Windsor Castle is a must, as the castle grounds boast their own set of cherry blossoms perfect for photos!

Can you imagine anything more beautiful than cherry blossoms blooming against the backdrop of Edinburgh’s medieval buildings? Springtime in this Scottish city is nothing short of beautiful, especially down Edinburgh’s Meadows, the Royal Mile as well as the University of St. Andrews.

For a city that hardly gets any warmth and sunshine, Springtime is a coveted time for the locals - and fortunately, they’re gifted with an abundance of gorgeous lush landscapes in the months of April and May.

If you’re looking for a field of cherry blossom trees, Jerte Valley in Spain can legitimately offer just that. Rows and rows of white-blush cherry trees cover the rolling hills, presenting a majestic sight that’ll be difficult to peel your eyes off of.

As a major producer of cherries, Jerte Valley is home to a whopping million and a half cherry trees, and with that amount of trees, it’s just right to have a two-week-long celebration of Spring. The 50,000+ guests that attend this annual event not only enjoy the beautiful landscapes, but are welcomed with cherry wines, liquor, and jams to enjoy.

In another show of friendship between two nations, the USA was given 3,000 cherry trees in 1912 by the Mayor of Tokyo to celebrate the friendship between the Japanese and American people!

Fast-forward to today, these cherry blossoms that can be found around the Tidal Basin in Washington attract both locals and tourists alike to enjoy its beautiful blooms that happen from late March to early April.  The best locations to get great photo ops are near the Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

A trip to Garden by the Bay’s annual cherry blossom event is a great way to enjoy sakura in Singapore! Be transported to Japan as you stroll through the gorgeous display featuring cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, and a myriad of other Japanese-themed decorations including iconic torii gates, marumado (Japanese circular windows) as well as Koinobori (Japanese carp streamers). 📆: Event is held in March yearly