WAYFARER
Istanbul to Cappadocia: a spring route, in the shoulder season
- Sikkim's monasteries and the first rhododendrons
- Holi in Braj, and quieter ways to meet the spring
- Jeju and the haenyeo: South Korea's southern island in March
- Washington, Keukenhof and the Cape Winelands: three spring scenes
Springs and Blossoms
There is a short window each year when a place is at its most photographed, and a longer one, either side, when it is at its most itself. March is a month for noticing the difference.
This issue chases blossoms, but we have tried to do so with some restraint. Blossom sites are popular for good reasons and also risk being loved to death, so alongside the pretty places you will find a short guide to visiting lightly, and stories of people whose work keeps these landscapes going: the divers of Jeju, a Sikkim farming policy, the growers behind a famous tulip garden, and the journalist who dreamed up the cherry trees of Washington.
As always, those stories come from published reporting and official sources, not from our own interviews, and we say so on the page. Dates for blossom are forecasts, not promises. We have also marked where Ramadan, which in 2026 runs through most of March, affects a journey to Turkey.
Plan loosely, look closely, and tell us what you found.
— Gitanjali Gautam, Editor-in-Chief
This month's theme. March is the month when the northern hemisphere starts to flower and much of India reaches for colour. Tulips open in the Netherlands from 19 March, cherry trees flower around the Tidal Basin in Washington, rhododendrons begin their climb up the Sikkim hills, and Holi paints the plains. This issue follows the blossom, and asks how to visit it lightly.
Contents
Cover storyThe Great Escape
Northeast India · SikkimNortheast India: Beyond the Familiar
India · HoliIndia: Beyond the Usual
Asia · South KoreaAsia: A Continent of Experiences
Around the WorldAround the World
- Washington's cherry blossoms: how to see them without the crushThe National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from 20 March to 12 April 2026. Bloom is a forecast, so plan around the festival, not a single day.RESEARCHED
- Keukenhof and the bulb fields: tulips without tramplingThe garden opens on 19 March and runs to 10 May 2026. The fields outside have rules of their own.RESEARCHED
- The Cape Winelands in harvest seasonLate summer in South Africa: vines heavy with fruit, cellars busy, mountains dry and gold.RESEARCHED
Real stories from the roadPeople & Places
- The sea women of JejuOn a volcanic island, a community of women divers has harvested the sea for generations without breathing equipment.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The journalist who imagined the cherry treesEliza Scidmore, a travel writer and geographer, first proposed Japanese cherry trees for Washington in the 1880s. It took more than two decades to happen.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The hills that went organicSikkim set out in 2003 to convert all its farming to organic methods, and became India's first fully organic state.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
- The growers behind the gardenKeukenhof was started in 1949 by bulb growers who wanted a shop window. Today more than a hundred of them still donate the bulbs.PROFILE · FROM PUBLISHED REPORTING · NOT INTERVIEWED BY WAYFARER
Reader and contributor briefsBe part of Wayfarer
Food, heritage and natureTaste, Heritage & Nature
- The Taste of Travel: a Turkish breakfast, and an iftar tableTwo of Turkey's most sociable meals, one at the start of the day and one at sunset.RESEARCHED
- Heritage Without Borders: Hagia SophiaFifteen centuries, three roles and one dome. How to visit a building that is both monument and place of worship.RESEARCHED
- The Natural Calendar: MarchWhat to look for, where, and how sure we are.RESEARCHED
- Responsible travel: visiting blossom sites lightlyCrowds and cameras can damage the very thing people come to see. A few ways to do better.PRACTICAL · EVERGREEN
Practical toolkitTravel Smart
CommunityReaders' Pages
- The Traveller's Lexicon: hanamiA Japanese word for sitting under the blossoms.LEXICON
- Travel Quiz: MarchFive questions. Answers appear in next month's issue.QUIZ
- Your turn: spring, somewhereReader engagement idea for the next issue.READER INVITATION
- The Traveller's BookshelfThree books for a month of blossoms.RECOMMENDED READING
Festivals & events radar
Dates below come from our festival guide and are approximate. Always confirm with the official organiser before you book; lunar-calendar and annually announced events are provisional until confirmed.
Northeast India & India
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holi (Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi) | Mathura–Vrindavan (Braj), Uttar Pradesh, and across India | Holika Dahan 3 March; Holi 4 March 2026 official | The festival of colours, with the most elaborate celebrations in Braj.. |
| Hola Mohalla | Anandpur Sahib, Punjab | March 2026, usually the day after Holi (confirm with the organisers) verify | A Sikh festival with martial arts displays, processions and community meals.. |
| Chapchar Kut | Aizawl, Mizoram | Week-long from 9 March 2026; main day reported as 13 March (holiday listings vary) verify | Mizoram's spring festival of dance and music.. |
| Tulip Garden Srinagar | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir | Opened 16 March 2026 per the administration; the season usually runs to mid-April verify | Asia's largest tulip garden, opening with spring.. |
| Rongali (Bohag) Bihu | Assam | Begins 14 April 2026 (Goru Bihu); Assamese New Year 15 April official | Assam's spring new-year festival of Bihu dance and song.. |
Asia
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jinhae Gunhangje (cherry blossom festival) | Jinhae, Changwon, South Korea | Traditionally 1–10 April; confirm with organisers verify | A large cherry blossom festival in a naval-port district.. |
| Japan cherry blossom season (hanami) | Japan | From late March; forecasts issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency and private services verify | Blossom moves north through the country over several weeks.. |
| Songkran (Thai New Year) | Thailand | 13–15 April 2026 (some cities extend) official | Thailand's water festival, UNESCO-recognised, with temple rituals and street celebrations.. |
Europe
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keukenhof | Lisse, Netherlands | 19 March–10 May 2026 official | One of the world's largest spring flower gardens.. |
| Eurovision Song Contest | Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria | Semi-finals 12 and 14 May; final 16 May 2026 official | The annual international song competition; Vienna hosts in 2026.. |
| Cannes Film Festival (79th edition) | Cannes, France | 12–23 May 2026 official | The international film festival on the French Riviera.. |
Africa & the Americas
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Cherry Blossom Festival | Washington, D.C., USA | 20 March–12 April 2026; peak bloom is weather-dependent verify | A three-week festival around the Tidal Basin's cherry trees.. |
Oceania & international
| Event | Where | When (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nowruz (Persian and Central Asian New Year) | Iran, Central Asia, the Caucasus and diaspora communities | 20 March 2026, at the spring equinox official | A spring new-year celebration of many centuries' standing.. |
| Eid al-Fitr | Worldwide | About 20 March 2026, after Ramadan; the date depends on moon sighting verify | The festival marking the end of Ramadan; many countries observe a holiday.. |
| Easter (Western and Orthodox) | Worldwide | Western Easter Sunday 5 April; Orthodox Easter Sunday 12 April 2026 official | A holiday period with processions and services in many countries.. |
Format example
Dated developments up to 1 March 2026, with source links. Each is labelled announced, planned or implemented. Re-confirm before relying on any of them.
- ANNOUNCED: Reports on 7 February 2026 said the UK plans to raise the Electronic Travel Authorisation fee from 16 to 20 pounds from 8 April. Source: The Local, 7 February 2026. https://www.thelocal.it/20260207/uk-to-hike-price-of-electronic-travel-authorisation-for-foreign-travellers
- PLANNED: The EU's Entry/Exit System, which began a phased start on 12 October 2025, is due to be fully in operation at all external borders by 10 April 2026. Source: European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en
- PLANNED: Japan's tax reform outline for fiscal 2026 includes raising the international tourist (departure) tax from 1,000 to 3,000 yen. Source: Travel Voice (Japan), December 2025. https://www.travelvoice.jp/english/the-japanese-ruling-parties-specify-a-rise-in-departure-tax-to-3-000-yen-in-the-tax-reform-outline-for-fy2026
- IMPLEMENTED: India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train began commercial service between Kamakhya (Guwahati) and Howrah on 22 January 2026. Source: Business Standard, January 2026. https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/india-first-vande-bharat-sleeper-train-launch-kamakhya-howrah-fare-route-126012200481_1.html
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