Birthday
HydrangeasThere are places where nature and people seem to have agreed on beauty: hills lined with cypresses, white houses above the sea, windmills among canals, lavender fields to the horizon. Here are five European landscapes worth seeing with your own eyes — and when to go to catch them in bloom.
Tuscany, Italy
The region around Florence is the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci was born here (in the town of Vinci), as was Michelangelo (in Caprese). Its signature view is the rolling Val d’Orcia with cypress avenues and vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In May and early June the slopes blaze with red poppies, followed by sunflowers in summer.
Cassis, France
A small fishing town 20 km from Marseille, overlooked by Cap Canaille, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe at almost 400 m. Nearby are the calanques — narrow turquoise inlets between white limestone cliffs, a national park since 2012. Cassis is also known for its white wines. The Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral wrote that whoever has seen Paris but not Cassis has seen nothing.
Santorini, Greece
This Aegean archipelago is what remains of an ancient volcano whose eruption some 3,600 years ago created a huge caldera. On the main island, Thira, the white houses and blue domes of Fira and Oia cling to the cliff edge, and the beaches come in black, red and white. Some link the Santorini catastrophe to the legend of Atlantis — a hypothesis, not a proven fact.
Kinderdijk, Netherlands
This village where the Lek and Noord rivers meet is famous for its 19 eighteenth-century windmills, which drained the polders for centuries. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. For the famous tulips in April and early May, head instead to the Bollenstreek between Leiden and Haarlem and to Keukenhof gardens.
Provence, France
This historic region in the south of France is known for lavender fields, olive groves and stone villages. Lavender blooms from late June to mid-July, with the best-known fields on the Valensole plateau and around Sénanque Abbey. Van Gogh and Cézanne painted here, and the region lent its name to a whole interior style.
Travel tips
- Flowering times depend on the weather, so check recent reports from local tourist offices before you go.
- Don’t walk into crops for photos — farmers ask visitors to stay at the edge of the field.
- The best light for photos is early morning and sunset, when there are fewer tourists too.
If the trip is still a plan, bring a piece of these landscapes home: bouquets with lavender, poppies or tulips are available with delivery in Kyiv from UFL. You may also enjoy our article on wildflowers.
FAQ
When does lavender bloom in Provence?
Usually from late June to mid-July; harvesting starts at the end of July.
When can you see tulips in the Netherlands?
From early April to early May; Keukenhof is open at about the same time.
When do poppies bloom in Tuscany?
Most often in May and early June.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
