10 of the World's Most Beautiful Places in Bloom

A summer in the South of France deserves a place on everyone’s bucket list for countless reasons. But reason #1: To witness the picturesque, Provençal villages come alive with endless fields of purple, fragrant lavender.

The Dutch are known for lots of pretty things--windmills, wooden shoes, canals. But its their amazing bulb fields that get us every time. Think corn fields, but with tulips. And for eight weeks between March and May, Keukenhof Garden, located just outside Amsterdam, showcases millions of the most gorgeous blossoming bulbs.

There is no better time to visit Tokyo than during early spring, when delicate pink cherry blossoms appear around the city. The act of viewing the cherry blossoms is so important, it even has a name--hanami.

No, you didn’t fall asleep in Oz; the vibrant poppy fields of Antelope Valley in the Mojave Dessert are very real. The dry land sprouts with orange California poppies--the state flower--from late winter to early spring.

The first signs of bluebonnets in the hills of Hill Country signal that spring has finally arrived. The flowers typically begin blooming in mid-March in Houston, then they sweep northward across the state, reaching Dallas by mid-April.

The pink rose is Bulgaria’s symbol of pride, and for good reason: It's gorgeous. They grow in the Rose Valley, where locals gather yearly for the annual Festival of Roses in June.

Predicting when these desert wildflowers will bloom can be tricky since it relies on a delicate combination of sun, wind, water and temperature. But you can usually catch the floral takeover in March and April.

Travel to Hawaii at the end of winter to catch the blooming sunflower fields in Waialua. If you’re already in Hawaii in winter, you’re probably happy. But the sunflowers will definitely take you to next-level happy.

Nope, this isn’t a picture from a fairy tale. For a few weeks in early spring, this forest in Flanders turns into a gorgeous carpet of bluebells.

There’s nothing quite like strolling through Central Park in April, when rows of cherry trees glow in gorgeous shades of blush to fuchsia and the paths are covered in pink petals. Grab a seat on the grass in Sheep Meadow, or wherever your secret spot is, and pass the day away.