6 Beautiful Places in Europe to See Flowers — From March to August
There are so many places in Europe to see flowers in bloom.
And you can begin to see flowers popping up as early as March if you travel to the right destinations.
While I love autumn colors, I’m all about a field of flowers.
And I’ll be sharing a couple of my favorite stories below.
Admittedly, there are a few places on this list that I haven’t traveled to … yet.
However, yes, they are on my list!
Ok.
Let’s get going.
But let’s be sure we stop and smell the flowers.
March: Crocuses • Alps of Switzerland
As the snow melts, one of the best places to see flowers in Europe is up in the mountains.
Yes.
You read that correctly.
You can witness the flowers popping up from the ground even as there may still be a patch of snow nearby.
Crocuses are white and purple.
And while I’ve not been to Switzerland in spring to see them there, I have seen them in the Dolomites of Italy in June — due to late snow melt there.
However, if you time it correctly and if the snow melts early, you may actually catch some popping up then, especially in the latter part of the month.
I find these little flowers to be the “hope of spring”.
April: Tulips • The Netherlands
Many folks travel to the Netherlands to see the tulips in bloom.
It’s definitely one of the favorite places in Europe to see flowers.
Keukenhof Gardens is at the top of the list.
You’ve probably seen pics like the ones below.
I am not sure what it is about the tulips that draws so many travelers.
Maybe it’s all the colors.
Perhaps it’s the promise of spring and the warmer weather.
I think we have all come to equate the Netherlands with tulips.
However, I am going to burst your bubble — a little.
Tulips originally came from Central Asia.
And it was the Turks who began to cultivate them — 3000 years ago!
When I was in Turkey, specifically Istanbul in April 2011, my guide told me about Turkey being the true home of tulips.
So…
While the Netherlands is known for its tulips and has kind of become the “home” of this flower, it is really the Turks that started it all.
Just an fyi.
Bonus destination for April
Gorse bushes • Ireland
While the gorse blooms a lot of the year, I’ve seen it incredibly bright and plentiful in April.
So if you love yellow, as my Little Mama did, I highly recommend Ireland in April.
May: Poppies • Tuscany Italy
I have been to Tuscany in May — on my very first trip to Italy
And I have seen the poppies.
But I don’t have any pics of them as I was on a bus when I saw them.
To see these bright red poppies amongst a sea of green grass is pretty special.
While these flowers may make their appearance as early as mid-April, it’s typically in May when the poppies reach their peak.
Umbria, the region next to Tuscany, also is a fabulous destination to see the red poppies in the green fields.
I highly recommend having a car so you can stop when you want for photos!
Tuscany is definitely one of the best places in Europe to see flowers.
PS You can catch sunflowers in Tuscany in August!!
June: Lavender • Provence France
One of the most famous places in Europe to see flowers is the Provence region in France.
You’ve probably seen images like the ones below.
Just gorgeous!
I haven’t been yet, but I’ll be honest, this experience is very high on my list so it may be happening soon.
The season typically is around mid-June to early July.
And the lavender is used in perfumes and cosmetics.
I hate to say this, but climate change may alter the fields so fingers crossed we are able to keep this from happening.
Because we need the lavender!
It also happens to be one of my favorite floral scents.
July: Wildflowers • Alpe di Siusi Italy
One of my favorite places in Europe to see flowers is in Alpe di Siusi.
Depending on the amount of snow, you may actually get some flowers in mid-late June.
But by early July, you can usually count on this high altitude meadow to be blanketed by wildflowers.
It’s one of the most colorful places I’ve seen.
I just love it.
Which is why I have so many photos of it — and why you are seeing quite a few below 😂
There’s one story that comes to mind which I’ve told a few times.
So if you’ve heard it before, bear with me.
It was summer 2019.
And I was staying in the nearby town of Castelrotto.
On one of my days up in Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm in German) I was walking up the road.
I noticed a man and his dog (on a leash) just a little bit ahead of me.
The dog kept trying to get into the grass and all those flowers.
His human kept pulling him back.
Until…
The man finally let the dog get into the grass and wildflowers.
And what did that dog do?
What any smart dog would do, of course.
He got on his back and rolled around in the field of flowers.
I started laughing as you could tell how happy this dog was — just rolling around in all those beautiful, fragrant wildflowers.
And all I kept thinking was that I wanted to be like that dog and roll around in these fields of colorful flowers.
Just bask in the beauty.
The color.
The scents.
I highly recommend a visit in summer to Alpe di Siusi!
Rolling in the fields of wildflowers is optional 😉
PS Come join the Marvel of the Dolomites Italy small group tour in June 2025! Hurry and sign up as time is running out!!
August: Heather • Scotland
One of my other favorite places in Europe to see flowers is Scotland.
The heather — a bush that produces light purple-lavender colored flowers — is amazing in August.
There are hillsides blanketed with it.
And even in more Scottish-like weather, you will still be astounded.
But if you catch the heather on a sunny day, you’ll be left breathless.
The best places to see the heather are in several areas in Cairngorms National Park such as the drive between Ballater and Grantown-on-Spey or through the Glenshee valley.
It’s just stunning!
While I was driving through the Glenshee area in August 2024, I met a lovely Canadian woman.
We had both parked our cars off at the same pull off.
The sun was shining.
It was warm for Scotland.
And the heather was in full bloom.
We chatted about traveling alone as women.
We gushed about how gorgeous Scotland in general is — especially this spot with all the blooming heather.
I think we chatted for at least 20 minutes (or more).
It’s amazing how sharing a spectacular scene like this can make strangers seem like friends.
The power of flowers!
Flower power 🌼
So those are the most beautiful places in Europe to see flowers in bloom
Of course, these aren’t the only destinations.
There are a lot of destinations in Europe to see flowers.
So if you have a destination you want to share, drop it in the comments below.
Or feel free to email me at Lynne@WanderYourWay.com
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