Spain in spring

Have you ever experienced what it means to have a million and a half cherry trees in blossom around you? This “landscaping wonder”, which turns everything white, takes place in the Jerte Valley (Extremadura) in March or April depending on the weather and it is worth seeing at least one in your life.Do you want more blossoms, so that you can plan a journey? During these months, over 50,000 cherry trees also “wake up” in the Las Caderechas Valley in the Burgos and in the Sierra Mágina in Jaén. For its part, the Riojan town of Nalda celebrates the Fiesta del Ciruelo en Flor (Plum Blossom Festival) and visitors come to the countryside around Cieza (in the region of Murcia) to see the fruit trees in bloom.At the end of April, shift your focus to Asturias and its famous Cider Region if you want to see the apple trees flowering. Between May and June, the Northern Gredos (Ávila) becomes the World Capital for Spanish Broom in Bloom, which colour the landscape yellow. And now jumping forward to the summer, the Lavender Festival in Brihuega (Guadalajara), which takes place in July, is becoming increasingly famous. This is when the town’s fields turn purple, which no instagramers can resist.

Flowers are also the guests of honour at some of the most colourful festivals in Spain. Perhaps the best known is the Courtyears in Cordoba held in May (declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO), when you will be able to stroll around the city’s most beautiful courtyards, which compete to have the most eye-catching decorations with flowerpots containing geraniums, carnations and jasmine. Also in May, Girona celebrates the Temps de flors (time of flowers), and the patios, monuments and corners of the city fill up with plants and flower boxes.On the subject of flowers, in June we have the Corpus Christi in places such as Toledo, San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife), Sitges (Barcelona) and Ponteareas (Pontevedra) when the streets are adorned with enormous carpets made out of petals.

Enjoy the fact that the high summer temperatures have not yet arrived and delight in strolling around Spanish cities in spring. Dust off your sunglasses and try the most innovative tapas on the terraces on the hotels’ rooftops or in the renovated gastro markets.Another activity that is perfect for spring is exploring the famous urban parks, such as the Retiro in Madrid or Park Güell in Barcelona or botanical gardens, such as those in Marimurta (in Blanes, Girona), with impressive sea views and considered to be one of the best botanical gardens in all of Europe.