Top 10 Spring Highlights

To many, the daffodil (or narcissus) is the emblem of spring, and nowhere is this iconic flower more celebrated than in the valleys of Salzkammergut in the Austrian Alps. 2020’s Narcissus Festival takes place from 21 to 24 May, when the people of Bad Aussee organise the country’s biggest flower parade – on land and by boat across the lake. Bad Aussee is just 15km by train and bike from your hotel in St Agatha on our cycling holiday through the Salzburg Lake District. You may even see the Queen of Daffodils being crowned…

Related holiday: Salzburg Lake District cycling holiday >

With fruit blossoms coating the hillsides and carpets of wildflowers (including over 50 species of orchid) across the Akamas Peninsula, spring really is the best time to visit Cyprus, particularly if your trip coincides with Orthodox Easter. The Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated with great pageantry, the highlight coming after midnight mass on Easter Saturday when fireworks light up the sky above mountain villages like Lofou, while soup and flaounes – traditional Easter breads filled with cheese and eggs – are served to revellers.

Related holiday: Three Faces of Cyprus walking holiday >

Deep in the heart of rural southern France, the little-known region of Vaucluse is famed for the peach and nectarine blossom which covers the sunny hillsides in April. Spend a week at our tranquil Hotel du Poète, in the village of Fontaine-de Vaucluse, and you can enjoy leisurely walks through orchards, olive groves, lavender fields, oak woods and vineyards. By May, the fresh green shoots of the vines are bursting into leaf throughout the region, and the first strawberries and cherries are ripe enough to pick.

Related holiday: Colours of Provence walking holiday >

The Scoppio del Carro (‘Explosion of the Cart’) is based on an old folk tradition from Florence. Walk from Bologna to Florence, and time your visit to coincide with Easter Sunday (12 April 2020) to witness this unique spring event. A firework-filled cart is hauled by team of white oxen into the square, and then ignited by a mechanical dove flying down from the cathedral. The fireworks symbolise the Holy Fire created from flints brought back from the First Crusade, and guarantee a good harvest and stable life for the coming year.

Related holiday: From Bologna to Florence walking holiday >

To walk in the little-known Madonie National Park in mid-April is to experience the mountains of Sicily at their colourful best. Our routes follow winding paths lined with a wonderful array of flowers, the flowers beginning to blossom on the lower slopes in early spring, gradually climbing to the higher meadows as the sun’s rays reach over the peaks later in the month. Anemones, peonies and scented narcissus are amongst the most beautiful, while rare endemic violets and the tulip 'silvestre' are the most striking flowers in the Park.

Related holiday: Mountains of Sicily walking holiday >

It’s not just people who are drawn to the rolling landscapes of Spain’s Aracena Sierra in the spring. As the wildflower meadows burst into colour, bees and butterflies appear as if by magic to take advantage of nature’s bounty: butterflies seeking out the amber nectar to pollinate flowers; the bees to create their intricate honeycombs. It’s cheap, quick and easy to reach Aracena from Seville by bus, and you will soon be in flower-filled meadows, enjoying picnics of Queso de la Sierra (tangy goat’s cheese) complemented perfectly by the sweet local honey.

Related holiday: Treasures of Aracena walking holiday >

During the last week in March and throughout April, the brilliant colours of golden broom and French lavender carpet the landscapes of the Algarve, making this a very special place. Along the coast, it is common to see rock roses, sea pinks and blue pimpernels adding pockets of colour to ancient forts and harbour walls; while inland, the hills of the Serra de Monchique are carpeted with peonies, little blue scillas, and sombre bee orchids, their delicate fragrance lingering in the air as you walk.

Related holiday: Algarve's Coast & Hills walking holiday >

The reason that this is last in our Top 10 spring highlights is simply that spring arrives later in the Engadine, though by early June, the meadows and upland pastures are awash with delicate pastel shades and gently humming bees. Wander through larch woods and verdant meadows; follow riverside paths past crystal-clear lakes and pretty villages; climb above the treeline to discover a frescoed monastery above one of Switzerland's highest villages, all the while enjoying splendid views to the high peaks.

Related holiday: Villages of the Engadine walking holiday >