The Butchart Gardens, Canada, is the seventh most beautiful spring flower spot in the world, according to a new study.
#7 worldwide- Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia.
With springtime (seemingly- it is Canada after all) here, there are beautiful gardens all around the world filled with flowers getting ready to bloom. But which of these spots deserve a place on your travel bucket list?
Looking at flower locations across the globe, our friends and experts at Japan Rail Pass analyzed a variety of factors – including Google reviews and ratings, Instagram hashtags, and the vibrancy of the flowers in spring – to give an overall score and determine which flower spots you absolutely should not miss this spring.
The most beautiful spring flower spots around the world
| Rank | Flower spot | Location | Rating | Reviews | Instagram hashtags | Vibrancy/10 | Score/10 |
| 1 | Keukenhof Tulip Gardens | Lisse, NL | 4.7 | 52,812 | 692,146 | 9.96 | 9.7 |
| 2 | Shinjuku Gyoen | Tokyo, Japan | 4.6 | 36,115 | 856,056 | 7.29 | 9.3 |
| 3 | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | London, UK | 4.7 | 44,465 | 764,996 | 6.49 | 9.2 |
| 4 | Nabana no Sato | Mie, Japan | 4.4 | 5,327 | 507,008 | 9.34 | 9.0 |
| 5 | Dubai Miracle Garden | Dubai, UAE | 4.6 | 75,704 | 139,165 | 8.78 | 8.9 |
| 6 | Island Mainau | Konstanz, Germany | 4.7 | 28,977 | 170,895 | 7.90 | 8.7 |
| 7 | The Butchart Gardens | B.C., Canada | 4.7 | 21,596 | 102,258 | 7.54 | 8.3 |
| 8 | Valley of Flowers National Park | Chamoli, India | 4.7 | 3,432 | 115,940 | 8.43 | 8.3 |
| 9 | Yangmingshan National Park | Taipei, Taiwan | 4.5 | 24,267 | 129,546 | 6.63 | 8.3 |
| 10 | Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden | Cape Town, South Africa | 4.8 | 29,003 | 51,526 | 7.78 | 8.2 |
Please find the full dataset here.
- Keukenhof Tulip Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands – 9.7/10
Credit – Sutterstock_Marina Datsenko
According to the research, the most beautiful flower spot in the world is the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens of Lisse, Netherlands, which has exhibited spring flowers to the public since 1950.
The tulips in spring achieve an almost perfect vibrancy score of 9.96/10, proving just how bright and colourful these stunning gardens are.
- Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo, Japan – 9.3/10
Credit – Sutterstock_Benny Marty
Next in the rankings, is the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo, Japan. From the wide variety of cherry blossoms in the national garden, it is the Somei (Yoshino cherry) that bloom in spring.
The beautiful Japanese garden has over 856,000 Instagram hashtags, more than any other spot in the top 10, with people all over the world travelling to view the cherry blossoms.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, UK – 9.2/10
Credit – Sutterstock_Charles Bowman
The third most beautiful spring flower spot according to the study is in London, England: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
With almost as many Instagram hashtags as Shinjuku Gyoen (764,996) and 44,465 reviews, it is clear that the flowers found here, cherry blossom, bluebells, and magnolias to name a few, are beloved by many.
- Nabana no Sato, Mie, Japan – 9.0/10
Credit – Sutterstock_martinho Smart
In fourth place is the Nabana no Sato flower park, located in the Nagashima resort in Mie, Japan.
The spot is known for its illuminations throughout the park in winter through to spring, as well as the blooming cherry blossoms and tulips which scored a 9.34/10 for vibrancy in the study.
- Dubai Miracle Garden, UAE – 8.9/10
Credit – Sutterstock_Sergii Figurnyi
The fifth most beautiful spring flower spot in the study was found to be the Dubai Miracle Garden in the United Arab Emirates, which occupies over 72,000 square metres, making it the largest natural flower garden in the world.
With over 75,000 reviews since its opening in 2013, and a vibrancy score of 8.78/10, it is clear that this impressive garden deserves its place in the top five rankings.
Methodology:
1. Japan Rail Pass wanted to find out which are the best flower spots around the world to see in Spring.
2. To do this they collected data on 25 popular flower locations around the world including the following variables:
- Google ratings and reviews.
- Instagram hashtags (using all relevant hashtags including where applicable local language versions)
- Vibrancy score.
- Vibrancy score is a measure of how vibrant / colourful the flowers are. To do this an image of the main flower typically found in Spring time at each location was passed through a colourfulness detection algorithm. https://pyimagesearch.com/2017/06/05/computing-image-colorfulness-with-opencv-and-python/
3. Finally, all 4 variables were combined using weighted averages of percentrank/normalization to give an overall score out of 10.
The Cold European Country of Iceland Has the MOST Search Increases – Ranking Above Beach Favorite, Mexico Beaches, relaxing by the pool and all you can drink cocktails are usually synonymous with summer, but according to our study, Canadians want to escape the heat in favor of colder climes. With an average of over 689,980 monthly searches and a huge 122% increase in 30 days, Iceland surprisingly ranks in front of Mexico as a go-to vacation destination this summer. Looking at why Canadians might be interested in visiting the land of ice and fire, searches for ‘northern lights’ are up 10,900% and people looking at ‘portugal v iceland’ have increased 1,043% on Google. According to the regional data, Niagara Falls residents in particular are looking for a totally unique experience this summer, with searches for ‘Iceland summer vacation’ up 200% since the same time last year.
Cuba Revealed as Canada’s Most Desired Beach Destination This Summer – Ranking Above Mexico and Costa RicaWith more than 712,000 monthly searches and an increase of 36% in 30 days, Cuba is revealed as Canada’s most desired beach vacation destination for summer 2024. According to the data, Canadians are researching long distance swimming in the country, with searches for ‘swim from cuba to florida’ up 3,500% and ‘vacations to cuba’ up 333%.
The Dominican Republic Ranks in Top 10 With over 97,000 monthly searches for ‘The Dominican Republic summer vacation’ and a 35% increase in the past month – it’s evident the Caribbean Island will be one of the most coveted destinations by Canadians this summer, which is why it features in the top 10. When analyzing search trends on a city level, Montréal has seen a 25% increase in residents’ searching for the beautiful beach spot, and Ottawa shows a 20% surge.
Las Vegas Named the Most Desired Destination The gambling capital of the world is the most searched for city across the 10 cities of Alberta with searches spiking by nearly half (48%) since the same time last year. With 1.7 million monthly searches and a 12% increase in Canadian’s searching for the desert oasis summer vacation, Las Vegas has seen a 6% increase in search increases than topspot New York, the city also ranks above favorites Cuba and Mexico.
Greece Ranks Second as Research Reveals European Summer Vacations Most Popular with Ontario ResidentsThe data shows there’s a rapid number of Canadians looking to experience a European summer vacation this year, with both Greece and Italy coming up top in Ontario. Looking at the most searched for destinations, searches for Greece’s picturesque Santorini have increased by 67% since the same period last year across Canada, and Italy’s Rome have spiked 25%.
Costa Rica is the Most Desired Destination by Two ProvincesFilled with rugged rainforests, pristine lagoons and beautiful beaches, it’s little wonder the Central American country of Costa Rica is the most desired by two parts of Canada. Provinces of Quebec and Manitoba both had Costa Rica as their favorite destination, with searches for the tropical country up by an average of 81% across 10 cities in Quebec since the same time last year. Looking at locations on a city level, searches for ‘all inclusive Costa Rica vacations’ are up 300% in Quebec City, highlighting a need to escape busy metropolitan life.
Toronto’s 3 Favorite Summer Vacation Spots are all City DestinationsResidents hailing from Ontario’s capital, Toronto, are interested in keeping the summer city spirit alive, with 3 favorite destinations also being city spots. According to the data, Toronto’s favorite destination is Dubai with a 49% increase in searches since the same time last year. Closely followed by Rome (22%), and Miami (20%).
Travelers looking for meaningful and inspiring experiences in Utah can find 