The Best Places to see Cherry Blossom Outside of Japan

Cherry blossom season in South Korea

When? Early April

Like Japan, South Korea’s cherry blossom season spreads from south to north as spring progresses – turning heads on Jeju Island before flourishing north toward Seoul. Here, cherry blossom might not be met with the same ecstatic fanfare as Japan, but the locals do make an occasion out of it (in a laidback kind of way). It’s simpler: a can of watermelon drink, a park, a picnic mat (or dotjari) – and then watching the breeze stir the trees and boughs.

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Cherry blossom season in Seoul

In the mighty metropolis of Seoul, cherry blossom might involve getting dressed in traditional garb (a hanbok) and going for a stroll around Gyeonbok Palace, Bukchon Hanok village, Mangwon market, and Insadong antique street. Beyond the parks and petals, you can also absorb artworks inspired by them at Ho-Am Museum of Art. In fact, the city is bristling with art museums, galleries, and cultural centers. And while the city might seem very, very big, its neighbourhoods feel more like townships and refuges (despite the towering glass buildings). The Hangang River is the city’s most popular cherry-watching spot, but you’ll also find cherry blossom festivities around the city. Yeoudio Park – which, 100 years ago, was an airport – is another popular cherry blossom spot. Our guides will make you feel like a blossom-watching local.

Cherry blossom season in Busan

In Busan, South Korea’s second city, we recommend taking a blossom stroll around Haedong Yonggungsa temple, Taejongdae Park, and Huin yeoul village. Unlike Seoul, Busan is a coastal port town. As such, it’s famous for its beaches and seafood – as well as the hot springs and mountains that rear up behind it. You might also know it for the Busan International Film Festival and its very global outlook. It also pays service – despite its modernity – to the past, and you’ll catch no small amount of the “old” world of South Korea among its streets, bars, beaches, and pojangmacha.

That’s a lot of names and places, but what they all amount to is a calm – and calming – way to enjoy the cherry petals at your own leisure, which younger families might find to be an improvement on the busier crowds of Japan. We’d also be quick to recommend Gyeongju, where you can petal spot through the Daerungwon Tombs, Bulguksa, and Seokguram grotto – or take the cable car at Songdo.

Cherry blossom season in China

When? March to April

China is a big country. In fact, it’s a very big country. And while so much of our image of China gravitates around cities, you’ll find the best cherry blossom in more remote regions. Even then, most travellers will stay close to the bigger metropolises – and you won’t find yourself missing out. Should you travel in March and April, we’ll be sure to make sure you have a chance to enjoy the country’s many, special blossom festivals.

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Cherry blossom season in Beijing

Yuyuantan Park holds a massive cherry blossom festival each April. With over 2,000 trees, representing some 20 different varieties, there is a lot of eye candy to enjoy. The park itself dates to the Liao dynasty (907-1125), so you can only imagine for how many centuries the locals have been coming here to enjoy some peace and quiet from the business of the city. That being said, the cherry trees in Yuyuantan were planted in the 1990s as part of a major programme of public works, adding to the park’s beauty – with the TV tower scraping the sky and wide, curving lakes reflecting the petals in their water. This is always a good place to gather your thoughts.

Cherry blossom season in Shanghai

Gucun Park is an order of magnitude larger than Yuyuantan – boasting 10,000 cherry trees and 28 species in its sprawling grounds. The annual cherry blossom festival, which has been running since 2011, brings the whole city together for festivities, hang outs, and happiness. Despite its relative newness, the park feels like it’s been around forever – and there are countless glades, lakes, viewing platforms, temples, and waterways to enjoy. The pink-hued Ferris wheel that sits in the park’s centre is almost impossible not to photograph. There is also – for a reason we can’t fathom – a large yellow rubber duck on the water’s edge. Kids will love this. And the adults too.

Cherry blossom season in Xi’an

In 1986, 1,000 cherry trees were imported from Japan and planted in the grounds of Qinglong temple. Today, these trees have matured beautifully. The temple itself is Buddhist, and it has been rebuilt several times during its long and storied history (going back to 582). The park surrounding Qinqlong temple is tightly packed with trees, boughs, and blooms of all varieties – and walks here feel both intimate and historic.

Cherry blossom season in Taiwan

When? January to early April

Taiwan isn’t just Taipei, even if this rollicking, historic city is the beating heart of the island. Beyond the metropolis, you’ll find a huge, bountiful hinterland famed for its parks, mountains, bamboo forests, and coastline. The cherry blossoms – being so fragile, yet so resilient – have taken root across the landscape.

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Cherry blossom season in Alishan

Alishan – an indigenous township in the Taiwanese mountains – is the holy grail of cherry blossom in Taiwan. Not only because the trees and blooms are so dense here, but because the setting and scenery are truly extraordinary. Technically, Alishan is designated as a “Scenic Area” – but this title doesn’t go far enough, in our minds. Alishan is a very special place. There’s also the very, very cute Alishan forest railway that – decked out in its cherry and cream livery – bends and clatters through the region. Beyond the parks and the carriages, there’s a lot of hiking at the tip of your boots, as well as coffee and tea plantations spread across the region – all of which we can take you to visit for guided tastings.

Cherry blossom season in the USA

When? Late March to mid-April

Yes, the USA. Right back home. Globally, there are more than 200 varieties of cherry blossom, so it figures that these species are adept at adjusting to all kinds of environments. Not least Washington, DC. The Tidal Basin – close to the Jefferson Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial – has been a popular spot for “at home” blossom watching for years. The shoreline of East Potomac Park is often crowded with blooms, all the way to Hains Point.

With all this in mind, it should come as little surprise that Washington DC hosts the National Cherry Blossom Festival – the story of which goes back to 1885, when Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore – a visionary writer and journalist, and the first woman on the board of the National Geographic Society – returned from a trip to Japan and first floated the idea of planting cherry trees along the Potomac. It wasn’t until 1912 that this plan bore fruit, after the mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, donated the city its first trees. The rest, as they say, is history – with thanks to Eliza and Yukio.

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Cherry blossom season in Thailand

When? January

Thailand is all about early blooms, and you’ll notice – just above – that the key time to go is January. This shorter, snappier season is down to a mix of factors – not least temperature and rainfall. Blossoms are fickle things.

Altitude plays a big role as well, and the wild Himalayan cherry tree is uniquely suited to these environments. Being a tropical blossom variant, they burst into colour right when the cold season snaps. In other words, Thailand’s petals are a very different phenomenon from those in Japan, and you’re less likely to see them – en masse – in cities and towns. This is a rural thing, a wilderness thing, so you’ll need to expect a little trekking. Put another way, Thailand’s blossoms – known colloquially as the “tiger queen” – are a reward that need to be searched out. But we’ll help you with that.

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Cherry blossom season in Chiang Mai

Thailand is a large place – sprawling and spread across many archipelagos and islands. One of our favourite places to see the blossoms in bloom is Chiang Mai – that historic, mountainous region in the country’s north.

Here, Doi Inthanon and Doi Suthep-Pui National Parks are the place to see them. The first also happens to be Thailand’s tallest mountain and is famous for its hiking trails and waterfalls. Locals know it as “the roof of Thailand”. The latter is a park named after a pair of mountains that contour its landscape. It is filled with waterfalls, viewpoints, and winding mountain trails – as well as the golden-bright Doi Suthep temple. The park surrounding it is a haven for wildlife.

Fortunately, we have some extraordinary trips that we can tailor for you in Chiang Mai – including the opportunity to spend long, peaceful days immersing yourself in the historic Lanna culture that has made Chiang Mai so essential a part of Thai culture.

Cherry blossom season in the Philippines

When? March to April

When is a cherry blossom not a cherry blossom? In the Philippines, it’s when a tree is the Balayong – which is also known as the Palawan cherry blossom. In fact, these towering, 15-meter-tall trees are closer to the rose family than “true” cherries, but their pretty flowers bloom just as pink. And it has roots – having been first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. That’s a lot of history.

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Cherry blossom season in Palawan

Festivals around the Balayong weren’t officially created until as recently as 2005, making them a fresh arrival on the international cherry scene. That being said, festivities on Palawan – where the Balayong Festival is celebrated – are a sight to behold, typically involving all kinds of dancing, floral parades, music, planting, food, and conservation. This is one that families will get a real kick out of. Take note of that.

Palwan itself is a tumbling and narrow archipelago famous for its lumpy hills, hidden coves, blissful beaches, and swimmable seas. In other words, not only is it one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines – but it also makes for a very different, and very tropical, way to see blossoms in bloom.

Cherry blossom season in the UK

When? Late March to April

That’s right – even the UK has its fair share of blossoms, petals, and blooms. And while there aren’t any dedicated cherry blossom festivals in the UK, they are such a common sight in cities, parks, and even private gardens that, should you travel to the UK in March and April, you will not be disappointed.

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Cherry blossom season in London

The “old smoke”, as it is fondly and affectionately known. But that smokiness was really a Victorian phenomenon, and today the city’s historic districts are alive with all kinds of nature and wildlife. Personally, we have a few spots that always make our cherry calendars – including Kensington, Chelsea, and Notting Hill. Just like the movie. Kew Gardens – otherwise known as the Royal Botanic Gardens – is also a very, very beautiful spot, as is Greenwich Park – summited by the Royal Observatory (commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II) and graced, at its feet, by the Old Royal Naval College, a UNESCO-recognized cluster of buildings built by the legendary hand of Christopher Wren and constructed between 1696 and 1712.

For an additional twist, we recommend Holland Park and its Japanese-style Kyoto Garden for a taste of cherry that feels like you’re far away in Japan, albeit on the other side of the world.

Take a bough

The cherry blossom is a comfortingly universal thing – and their brief, fragile blooms speak to us on an emotional level. Perhaps they say something about the human condition? This isn’t to get too gloomy on you, because seeing cherry blossoms is always an uplifting and happy occasion. Wherever in the world you happen to see them.

And while Japan makes the most out of their blooms, other parts of the world are far from immune to their charms – and we’d challenge you to find a person who doesn’t, in those first days of spring, find themselves slowing their pace and glancing up as the petals unfurl on their tender branches. Personally, I have very fond memories of growing up on a street lined with cherry trees – and my camera roll is about 9% petals. That’s a lot of storage space.