Best Tourist Places in Spring

Best Tourist Places in Spring

Waikato, North Island, New Zealand

From Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, it’s about an hour’s drive south to the northern reaches of the Waikato region—a 25,000-square-mile mix of rolling farmland, black-sand beaches, volcanic mountains, and glowworm-laden caves. Fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey flock here to tour the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata. Adventure seekers can rappel and raft through the Waitomo Caves with theLegendary Black Water Rafting Company or ride the waves at Raglan, the iconic surf beach of Endless Summer fame. Waikato is also home to Tūrangawaewae Marae, the official residence of the reigning Māori monarch and site of Turangawaewae Regatta Day’s (March 15 to 16) impressive parade of war canoes on the 264-mile Waikato River, New Zealand’s longest. Get a bird’s-eye view of the region via hot air balloon at Balloons Over Waikato (April 3 to 7), or on helicopter transfer from Auckland Airport to Taupo’s plush Huka Lodge, the exclusive, 25-room Relais & Châteaux retreat near Huka Falls.

Tulpenfestival, Noordoostpolder, Netherlands

Late March through mid-May, precise rows of blooming tulips unfurl like crayon-colored ribbons across the flat Dutch landscape. While not as famous as North and South Holland’s Bollenstreek (Bulb District), central Flevoland is home to about 5,000 acres of bulb fields—tops in the country. Most of the fields are located in Noordoostpolder—the Netherlands' youngest tulip-growing area—located about an hour’s drive northeast of Amsterdam. During the annual Countus Tulpenfestival, April 18 to May 6, clearly marked routes make it easy to drive, bike, hike, or ride via special horse-drawn carriage and covered wagon tours along the polder’s most vibrant commercial fields. The fertile land here used to be part of a shallow North Sea inlet (Zuiderzee) reclaimed for agricultural use beginning in the 1920s through a complex system of pumping stations and dikes. On Noordoostpolder’s west coast, walk the brick-paved streets of historic Urk. This charming fishing village was a secluded Zuiderzee island until 1942, when the massive water-to-land reclamation project absorbed Urk into the mainland.

Danube Delta, Romania

From April to September, millions of migrating birds visit the Danube Delta’s sandy islands, floating reed beds, cane fields, forests, and freshwater lakes. Situated in southeastern Romania, where the Danube River meets the Black Sea, the 2,200-square-mile UNESCO Biosphere Reserve—and Europe’s largest continuous marshland—hosts more than 300 species of birds, including white pelicans, red-breasted geese, and pygmy cormorants. With few roads, travel is almost exclusively by water. In the gateway village of Tulcea, hire a private boat with an ARBDD-licensed Associatia de Ecoturism guide, rent a kayak or rowboat, or hop one of the regular or fast ferries serving the delta’s three main navigable channels—Chilia, Sfantu Gheorghe, and Sulina. Ibis Tours, Naturetrek, and the Traveling Naturalist are among the outfitters leading small-group, bird-watching tours into the delta. Packages typically include Bucharest airport transfers, meals, English-speaking guides, and basic lodging in floating pontons (hotel boats). Near the fishing village of Murighiol (accessible by car) visit the Halmyris archeological site to observe ongoing excavations at the legendary Roman naval port and supply depot.

Madeira Flower Festival, Madeira Island, Portugal

Madeira, Portugal’s “Floating Garden of the Atlantic” is 310 miles off the African coast, a 90-minute flight from Lisbon. In Funchal, the island’s largest city, buildings, streets, and storefronts bloom with floral murals, sculptures, and intricate flowering carpets during the annual Flower Festival (May 9 to 15). The main event is Sunday’s Flower Parade. Dozens of elaborate floral floats and thousands of costumed folk dancers move to the castanet rhythm of Madeira’s folkloric brinquinho—a whimsical, puppetlike percussion instrument powered by dancing wooden dolls. Saturday morning’s smaller Children’s Parade attracts hundreds of flower-costumed youngsters, each carrying a single bloom. Snag a viewing spot along Avenida Zarco’s black-and-white mosaic sidewalk, or wait in the Praça do Município (Town Hall Square) to watch the children build a blooming “Wall of Hope” with their flowers. Following the parade, dress in your “smart casual” best for afternoon tea at the Old World Reid’s Palace Hotel. Book a Tea Terrace table to savor panoramic Atlantic views along with buttered scones and a pot of Reid’s signature blend.

Mendoza, Argentina

March ushers in the vendimia, or grape harvest festival, season in the high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina’s premier wine-producing province. Hundreds of bodegas (wineries) are spread across a 57,000-square-mile valley surrounded by soaring Andean peaks. Catch an hour-long flight east from Santiago, Chile, to the bustling city of Mendoza, where you can sample over 90 regional wines by the glass and craft a custom blend at the Vines Tasting Room. From here, head south via remise (private taxi), rental car, or light rail to neighboring Maipú. Tucked among the orchards and vineyards are family-owned guesthouses like the five-room Finca Terrada, where grapes are grown to produce the Terrada label’s artisanal Malbecs, Merlots, and Torrontés. At the 11-room Club Tapiz guests can lend a hand in the harvest. Rent a bike or book a personal bike tour at Mr. Hugo's to visit Maipú’s wineries at a leisurely, albeit bumpy, pace. Many small wineries don’t accept credit cards, and most are closed on Sundays, so call ahead and carry plenty of pesos.

Coast Path, Wales

With the completion of its 870-mile Coast Path in May, Wales—situated west of England on the island of Great Britain—is home to the longest continuous coastal path around a country. The route, comprising several long- and short-distance trails, meanders along rocky Irish Sea cliff tops, sandy beaches, former railway lines, and ancient footpaths. Fourteen-mile Glamorgan Heritage Coast Path traces the area’s rich Norman history (cross the stepping stones to Ogmore Castle). Pictured here is Nash Point.

Well-known Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the country’s first national trail, typically takes about two weeks to complete. Use the efficient coastal bus service for a more manageable one- or two-day ramble from St. Davids (Britain’s tiniest city) along towering headlands blanketed with spring blooms.

Highlights along the 60-mile North Wales Path from Prestatyn to Bangor include Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve and Medieval Conwy Castle—one of a hundred still standing in the country. Book a room facing the castle at Bodysgallen Hall & Spa, a 17th-century manor house with lily ponds and 16 stone cottages spread across 200 woodland acres.

Vienna, Austria

Austria’s romantic, richly ornamented city of the Habsburgs, Mozart, and Lipizzan stallions is turning up the lavish, Old World charm for Klimt 2012, a year-long anniversary salute honoring “Gustav Klimt and the Birth of Modernism in Vienna.” The artistic genius and Art Nouveau pioneer would have celebrated his 150th birthday in 2012.

Special Klimt exhibitions are scheduled at city museums throughout the spring. (Pictured here is the Albertina museum.) Lighter, pre-summer tourist volume makes it easier to purchase tickets for multiple events, navigate the historic First District’s narrow cobblestone streets, and linger over Viennese kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake) at landmark Café Central. Baroque Belvedere palace (actually two palaces), housing the most extensive collection of Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present, boasts the world’s largest collection of Klimt paintings, including “The Kiss” and “Judith I.”

From May 25 to October 14, 350 Art Nouveau textiles from the collection of Klimt’s partner and muse, Emilie Flöge, will be displayed publicly for the first time at the Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art.

Istanbul, Turkey

Legendary hub of the Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman Empires, Istanbul has managed to retain its character through centuries of successive change. But unprecedented urban construction and proposed development around and over the Bosphorus Strait could forever alter the fabric and feel of the city.

Pay homage to the past while visiting April’s citywide International Tulip Festivalor June’s 40th anniversary Istanbul Music Festival (May 31-June 29) featuring 750 artists and 23 music performances. Wake to the call to prayer in Sultanahmet, the city’s ancient core, where navigating the maze of alleyways can feel as mystifying as the must-see places: Hagia Sofia, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum (housing 800-year-old Selçuk rugs), the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar (last stop on the Silk Road), and the hauntingly lit Basilica Cistern (the largest of the ancient reservoirs hidden beneath the city), pictured here. To gain perspective on the potential impacts of Bosphorus development, soak in the passing panorama from the deck of one of the continent-dividing strait’subiquitous ferries.

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Best Tourist Places in Winter

Best Tourist Places in Winter

Harbin Ice Festival, China

Hibernating is not an option in the frosted reaches of northeast China, where brisk Siberian winds keep the average winter temperatures in Harbin barely above zero degrees Fahrenheit. Hardy local artisans in the Russian-influenced "Ice City" celebrate the season by sculpting ice blocks chopped from the Songhua River into colossal crystalline pyramids and palaces, whimsical dragons and fairies, and frozen slides worthy of a water park. The monthlong Harbin Ice and Snow Festival (beginning January 5), showcases the frosty craftsmanship of local carvers and international teams and includes a Snow Sculpture Expo at Sun Island recreational area and the Ice Lantern Garden Party at Zhaolin Park. Daylight activities include figure skating, ice boxing competitions, and, for the daring, a polar plunge into an ice-free section of the frigid Songhua. After dark, bundle up to see the festival’s illuminated ice displays dazzle neon bright against the night sky. Harbin is accessible via train or plane from Beijing or Shanghai.

Salzburg, Austria

With the city’s historic Christmas markets in full swing, church bells chiming in the crisp Bavarian Alpine air, and snow frosting baroque palace rooftops, Advent in Salzburg delivers a multisensory infusion of gingerbread-warm holiday spirit. Festivities begin in early December with informal and organized Krampusläufe or Krampus processions. According to legend, the shaggy, horned demon Krampus frightens naughty children, while his benevolent counterpart St. Nicholas rewards the nice ones. The Salzburg region (and the town of Grödig in particular) is known for its costumed Krampus parades, as well as for romantic holiday markets on Cathedral, Residence, and Mirabell Squares; at Hellbrunn Palace; and in the Sterngarten. Sip mulled wine, ice skate on the Mozartplatz, and ride Austria’s oldest funicular railway, Festungsbahn, to view the surrounding snow-dusted panorama from imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress. Beyond Christmas, the city’s celebratory energies focus on the International Mozarteum Foundation Mozart Week classical music festival (January 24 to February 3). Events include opera productions and chamber music, soloists, and orchestral concerts.

Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Located southwest of Tanzania’s most famous safari destinations—the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater—7,809-square-mile Ruaha National Park is off the beaten adventure tour track, offering a quieter, wilder environment for exceptional game viewing and birding. The Great Rift Valley crosses the park, and the Great Ruaha River, a year-round lifeline for the park’s large mammals, forms the eastern border. In addition to having a high concentration of elephants (thought to be the largest of any East Africa park), as well as resident hippos and buffalo, Ruaha is also known as a birder’s paradise. January to April (the hot, short rainfall season) is considered the best time to view the park’s more than 570 species, including the Ruaha red-billed hornbill. Book one of the eight luxurious tents at secluded Jongomero safari camp to embark on ranger-guided game drives in open four-wheel-drive vehicles and small-group walking safaris and birding tours. The camp is just ten minutes from the nearest airstrip, facilitating a quicker civilization-to-safari transition from Dar es Salaam or Arusha.

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Carnival in Brazil’s first capital (and former Portuguese colonial capital) is a cruising Afro-Brazilian dance party stretching mile after mile along center city and coastal circuits. Convoys of trio elétricos (souped-up semitrailer trucks carrying live bands and DJs) snake past the costumed crowds, pumping up the volume on homegrown Bahia samba-reggae and axé (ahh-shay) music, increasing the frenetic energy with each passing block. Salvador’s local blocos afros (community bands/social groups celebrating African heritage and dress) create this Carnival’s distinctive timbal (high-pitched hand drum) sound. Official Carnival runs from February 7 to February 13, but in Salvador, the partying continues through the morning of Ash Wednesday, when percussion-led processions pulsate along Avenida Oceanica toward Ondina Beach. Founded on Brazil’s northeast coast in 1549 as a strategic seaport and, soon after, a New World slave market capital, urban Salvador remains an amalgam of European, African, and American Indian culture. Walk past multicolored colonial mansions in the World Heritage site old city to tour MAFRO (Museu Afro-Brasileiro), the nation’s preeminent Afro-Brazilian cultural museum.

Cayman Islands

Only an 80-minute direct flight from Miami, the Cayman Islands are close enough to the mainland U.S. for a winter weekend sand-and-snorkel escape. The self-governing British Overseas Territory encompasses three islands in the western Caribbean: 76-square-mile Grand Cayman (the largest and most commercialized), the Brac (12-mile-long Cayman Brac), and unspoiled Little Cayman, home to the must-dive Bloody Bay Wall—a dramatic drop-off plunging more than 5,000 feet. Arrange Bloody Bay Marine Park snorkeling or diving itineraries to match your skill level through Conch Club Divers at Paradise Villas. On Grand Cayman, stroll along coral-sand Seven Mile Beach and swim with yearling green sea turtles in the 1.3-million-gallon saltwater snorkel lagoon at Cayman Turtle Farm. Sign on with a local, licensed dive operator to view the aquatic life flourishing among the decks of the U.S.S. Kittiwake, a former submarine rescue vessel towed offshore and sunken in 2011 to create an artificial reef. For an all-in-one Cayman getaway, make family-owned Brac Reef Beach Resort home base for beachfront lodging, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and birding.

Petra and Wadi Rum, Jordan

Built by nomadic Nabataeans two millennia ago, rose-red Petra is a “lost” city well worth finding. The ancient commercial crossroads chiseled from bedrock cliffs is situated between the Red and Dead Seas, about a hundred miles north of King Hussein International Airport. Follow the 3,300-foot-long, serpentine entry path—the Siq—through towering sandstone walls to Al-Khazne (the Treasury). The elaborately carved, 13-story tomb served as the final resting place of the Holy Grail in the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Explore empty caves, visit the archeological and Nabataean museums, and hike 800 steps up to the top of Al-Dier (the Monastery). From Petra, head south to Wadi Rum (“Valley of the Moon”), the desert valley setting for Lawrence of Arabia, where local Bedouin guides lead rock-climbing treks, canyon hikes, jeep tours, and horseback and camel rides. Highlights include the Red Sand Dunes and the spectacular Seven Pillars of Wisdom rock formation, the latter named for T.E. Lawrence’s autobiography. End the day sleeping under the stars at one of the area’s Bedouin-style desert tourist camps.

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Best Tourist Places in Summer

Best Tourist Places in Summer

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Copocabana Beach, or Praia de Copacabana, is the Rio de Janeiro of the tourist brochures and deservedly so. It’s a breath-taking 2.5mi (4.5 km) stretch of bright sand that’s filled with people luxuriating in the sun and soaking up the atmosphere. As night descends the lights go on and football is played until the wee hours. Other groups start singing and dancing and still others are just there to check each other out. The busy sidewalks can get seedy at night so take care.Behind it rise the Sugarloaf and Morro de Leme and in between is one of the world’s most densely populated residential areas.It is possible to visit Rio and never leave Copacabana, many hotels are situated here and there are plenty of restaurants and bars and some decent shopping

Barcelona, Spain

To the south and east, Barcelona’s fanciful cityscape—from playful Joan Miró sculptures to Antoni Gaudí’s fantastical architectural swirls—meets the Mediterranean Sea. In summer, the city’s collective focus shifts coastward to eight white-sand beaches and Port Vell, the medieval Catalan harbor transformed into a world-class entertainment district as part of Barcelona’s 1992 Olympics makeover. Pictured here, “The Wounded Star,” a sculpture by Rebecca Horn, looms over Barceloneta Beach (accessible by metro), where you can spend the morning before cruising the harbor aboard a traditional, woodenLas Golondrinas. Back on shore, head inside Aquarium Barcelona where you can walk through the Oceanarium’s transparent tunnel for an underwater view of rays, sharks, and morays. Certified divers (ages 18 and up) can dive into the Oceanarium’s million-gallon waters as part of a shark biology program.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Peter the Great’s stately Baltic city built on 42 Neva Delta islands celebrates “White Nights” (near-round-the-clock summer light) with joyful abandon. Late May to mid-July the skies above St. Petersburg’s Peter and Paul Fortress (resting place of the tsars, pictured here during White Nights) and Nevsky Prospekt (the city’s main thoroughfare) glow pale blue, pink, and peach well after midnight. Cruise the canals and River Neva on Anglotourismo’s guided White Nights boat tour, and then stroll atop the Neva Embankments—elegant granite barriers built to control flooding—to watch the four illuminated Neva drawbridges open (around 2 a.m.). Stars of the White Nights 2012: International Music Festival (May 25-July 15) features some hundred opera, ballet, and symphony performances and concerts at Mariinsky Theatre and the Concert Hall. June 18, join the massive end-of-school festival, Scarlet Sails, for free concerts, a multivessel pirate battle, and the dramatic arrival of an 18th-century tall ship, its red sails illuminated by the city’s biggest summer fireworks show.

Traverse City, Michigan, US

Traverse City is the biggest little beach town on the “Third Coast”—the U.S. shores of the eight-state Great Lakes coastline. The region’s 180 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline basically trace the upper left edge of Michigan’s “mitten.” Add another 149 inland lakes that are 10 acres or larger and you get a rambling Cape Cod-on-freshwater summer playground: quaint port villages, sandy beaches, historic lighthouses, rolling orchards, family-friendly festivals (including the National Cherry Festival, July 7-14), and summer-only Traverse City Beach Bums pro baseball games (team members bunk with local families). Head northwest from Cherry Capital Airport to the Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (pictured here). Michigan’s monumental sandbox is best known for its 150-foot Dune Climb (or roll), but there’s also 35 miles of pristine Lake Michigan beach. Take the 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive loop in time to watch the sunset from Lake Michigan Overlook observation deck, perched 450 feet above the water.

Stockholm, Sweden

Nearly 25,000 islands—only a thousand of them inhabited—make up Stockholm’s maritime “garden on the rocks.” The vast archipelago stretches more than 62 miles from north to south over emerald waters best explored via kayak, canoe, sailboat, or classic white ferry. Sweden’s allemansrätt (right of public access to land) makes it possible to roam freely throughout the verdant inner archipelago and the rocky outer reaches. In return for being responsible environmental stewards, travelers can picnic on sandy white beaches, camp on rocky islets, hike in pine forests, swim in secluded coves, and go ashore on any open space—all under a cobalt blue sky that, June through early July, doesn’t darken until 10 p.m. The closest island, Fjäderholmarna, is about a 25-minute ferry ride from the docks at Slussen, Stockholm’s public transportation hub, where you also can hop an eco-friendly bus, tram, or metro to connect to archipelago restaurants, museums, parks, and nature preserves. Lodging options include pastel wooden cottages in the village of Vaxholm, spartan youth hostels, quaint inns, and chartered yachts moored at the Royal Swedish Yacht Club’s historic marina in Sandhamn, site of Sandhamn Race Week, July 2-4.

Azores, Portugal

A remote location—about a thousand miles west of continental Portugal—has helped limit tourist traffic and development in this unspoiled North Atlantic archipelago. The nine major islands—connected by ferry service in summer, are home to green volcanic mountains, mineral hot springs, hydrangea-covered hills, rambling vineyards, white-washed seaside towns, cobblestone lanes, and traditional Flemish and Moorish windmills. Terceira (“the lilac island”) is known for its weaving tradition and 50 brightly painted imperios (empires), ornate chapels of the Holy Spirit. São Miguel, the biggest island, includes Ponta Delgada (the Azores' largest city), secluded black and white sand beaches, and natural steam vent ovens at Furnas Lake where Portuguese cozido (stew) is cooked in earthen pots buried along the volcanic shoreline. Faial, named “the blue island” for its abundant hydrangeas and blue-trimmed homes, features numerous grottoes, caves, churches, and museums, as well as the bustling Horta marina, a popular stopover point for transatlantic yachtsmen. May to September is the island-wide festival season with numerous religious processions and cultural events celebrating patron saints, the sea, and the local whaling heritage.

Istria, Croatia

More than 40 beaches on Istria’s 333-mile coast have earned a coveted Blue Flag for superior water quality and environmental management standards. While not as familiar to North Americans as Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, this densely forested peninsula at the top right-hand corner of the Adriatic Sea has been a popular summer hot spot since Austro-Hungarian Empire days. Head west and south for crystalline blue bays, tranquil coves, and white pebble and sandy shores bordered by fragrant pines. The Medulin Riviera, located near Istria’s southern tip, offers 49 miles of coastline, plus hilltop medieval villages and ancient ruins to explore. Just south of Medulin is rugged Cape Kamenjak, an edge-of-the-world nature reserve featuring sheer 70-foot cliffs, hidden coves, and flat stone outcroppings nature-made for sunbathing. The current is powerful here, so you may want to play it safe and watch the windsurfing and cliff-jumping action from the safety of the rocky shore. Make time to visit the regional capital Pula, home of the Pula Arena. This remarkably intact first-century Roman amphitheatre hosts numerous summer concerts and events, including the July 16-23 portion of the 58th Pula Film Festival.

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