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Slovenian Alps
‘There’s a magic to sleeping surrounded by Alpine peaks, nestled up against the stars’
In spring, when the snow starts to melt from the tops of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps in northern Slovenia, and the crocuses are coming into bloom, I like to head to Velika Planina. For two weeks in April, the whole of this mountain plateau blazes purple with flowering crocuses. If the snow has lingered, it’s a striking symbol of the Earth’s annual renewal.
This plateau is the closest you can get to Narnia on Earth. For a CS Lewis fan like me, it recalls the sacrifice of Aslan to bring Narnia back from its perpetual winter under the despotic rule of the White Witch. There it was “always winter, but never Christmas”. Here in the Slovenian Alps, the crocuses hail the arrival of a different holiday: Easter.
It’s no random reference, either, because parts of the Chronicles of Narnia film series were shot in Slovenia, as were some episodes of the fantasy television series The Witcher, based on the books by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. This high-altitude plateau is a vast undulating meadow that has served as a summer pastureland for herders since the bronze age, as there were fewer bears and wolves around to threaten their cattle at such a height.
In the intervening years, a unique Alpine culture has developed. The herdsmen wear ponchos made from strips of resinous pine that repel water and make them look like Cousin Itt from The Addams Family, and live in low-slung cottages that recall the Hobbit houses of Middle-earth. They make a particular type of dried cow’s-milk cheese called trnič that is shaped like a breast; and play a game in which carved sticks are thrown to catch on to the branches of the dwarf pine trees.
Velika Planina is an 80-minute drive north from Ljubljana and its summit can be reached by car or cable car. It’s an easy day trip from the capital, but my family and I like to spend a few nights there every spring. We stay in one of the typical pine-clad cottages, which look ancient from the outside – many blackened by the use of cooking oil to preserve the wood – but inside they are fully kitted out, some with saunas (I Feel Alps rents cottages from €160 a night for two people; and Fairytale on Velika Planina has cottages from €100 a night for two).
There’s a magic to sleeping surrounded by the Alpine peaks, nestled up against the stars, the absolute silence only broken by the occasional cowbell.
Slovenian Easter begins on the Saturday, when families bring their Easter meal to church in baskets covered with a special decorative cloth to be blessed. On Easter Sunday, morning mass is held early, and afterwards the food forms part of an elaborate breakfast, each component of which has a symbolic value linked to the Passion.
Potica, a national dessert which is usually prepared like a round bundt cake filled with walnuts, is meant to recall the crown of thorns. Horseradish roots resemble the holy nails. Smoked ham is linked to the body of Christ. Red wine represents blood, as do hardboiled eggs that are dyed umber using red onion skin and are meant to represent Christ’s wounds.
As an American expat looking for hybrid dishes, I put all the ingredients between slices of potica and make a toastie, which I have dubbed the Easter Feaster. Slovenians are so welcoming that you’ll find a warm greeting regardless of your background – and even if you insist on making irreligious sandwiches.
Noah Charney
Formentera, Spain
‘Walk until the dunes narrow to a sliver of sand fringed by the gleaming turquoise sea’
Spring on the smallest of Spain’s Balearic Islands is the sweet spot: the superyachts and summer day trippers from Ibiza are yet to arrive, the beaches are practically empty and there are blankets of wildflowers.
With its petite proportions and flat geography, Formentera lends itself to biking or hiking. There’s a network of more than 60 miles of well-signed “green routes”, mainly using old rural roads, which means most of the island can be explored car-free. At just 12 miles long and little more than a mile wide at its narrowest, Formentera can easily be traversed on a bike in one day, especially if it’s an electric one. You can also walk the coastline beach to beach, or zigzag across the interior which, from the start of March until the end of May, is transformed into a patchwork of bright red, vivid violet and golden yellow as poppies, marigolds and mallow bindweed bloom between orchards of fig trees, lines of vines and farmers’ fields.
Reached via a green route to the north of the island is the spectacular saltwater lagoon of Estany Pudent, where bird spotting is particularly good in spring, when migratory species, such as osprey, flamingos and Eurasian teal stop by on the journey north after their winter breaks. Beyond Estany Pudent, another green route can be picked up, running farther north through the island’s rolling sand dunes, which are dotted with molinet, a plant that has small pink flowers at this time of year and is rarely seen outside Formentera. Keep going and the dunes narrow to a sliver of sand at Platja de Ses Illetes, and from there it’s possible to walk along the white sands all the way until the island dissolves into the sea.
The water gleams turquoise, partly thanks to the cleaning action of the Posidonia oceanica seagrass that grows here, and in spring it’s just warm enough for a dip. Spending a few days cycling or walking between beaches such as Calo des Mort, a crescent-shaped cove carved into the rocks, or at Es Migjorn, the five-mile stretch of sand that runs along the south of the island, with stops for a quick swim, makes for a lovely break.
Fuelling these adventures will be necessary and in spring there are two food festivals on the island. During the last weekend of April, restaurants compete to make the best pintxos – small bites of deliciousness often served on sticks – while for the last two weeks in May, restaurants showcase the best of local food with special fixed-price menus. Expect dishes such as frit de polp (fried octopus), bullit de peix (fish stew with potatoes) and flaó (a fresh cheesecake dessert with mint).
For easy exploring, stay in the centre of the island at Es Pas Formentera Agroturismo, a family-run eight-bed hotel in a 200-year-old whitewashed farmhouse on an olive oil estate with an outdoor pool (doubles from €130 B&B). Hourly ferries run from Ibiza to Formentera, taking about 30 minutes.
Elizabeth Bennett
Istanbul
‘There are endless options for rambling, enjoying ancient culture and delicious food’
Strolling through Istanbul in spring is a joy, just as tulips are coming into bloom and before the energy-sapping summer heat starts to build. There are endless options for urban rambling in this megacity, with days spent in scenic neighbourhoods, absorbing ancient culture and enjoying delicious food, but here are two favourites – one on the European side and one on the Anatolian side. Wear trainers for comfort, dress appropriately for the mosques and start early.
Walk the Bosphorus riviera. Begin at the little ferry dock at Ortaköy, by the serene waterside mosque, and walk for an hour or so in the direction of Bebek, 2½ miles (4km) away. By following the water, mainly on paths, you’ll see anglers assembling to cast their lines, small boats, ferries and military ships, joggers on the esplanade and ornate, photogenic yalis (Ottoman-era mansions) with their wooden latticed balconies.
Bebek is a wealthy neighbourhood where luxury yachts are moored, but once it was home to small skiffs and fish farms with huts on stilts. Stop for lunch at the swish Divan Brasserie Bebek, where you can have a glass of local wine or Turkish coffee, or a bowl of rich sütlaç (rice pudding) while sitting on a jetty over the water. Afterwards, cross the road for Meşhur Bebek Badem Ezmesi, which has been known for selling the finest marzipan in the city since 1904. It’s best to do this walk on a weekday as weekends in Bebek get crowded.
Explore Istanbul’s grand mosques, away from tourist-heavy Sultanahmet. Take an afternoon ferry to Üsküdar (from Beşiktaş, Karaköy or Eminönü) and first visit the Mihrimah Sultan mosque built in the 1560s for the 17-year-old Princess Mihrimah, favourite daughter of Süleyman the Magnificent. Because of its location by the docks, it often goes by the unassuming name of iskele (jetty) mosque, and its stone exterior gives few hints of the vibrancy inside. But upon entering, your eyes are drawn upwards to stained-glass windows as bright as fireworks and the simple elegance of mosque lamps hanging from a giant circular metal frame.
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Afterwards, wander through the market area behind the mosque, then walk back to the waterfront for the tiny Şemsi Ahmed Pasha mosque, built in 1580, where water splashes at the foundations. If you’re hungry, nearby Kanaat Lokantasi, a characterful place that opened in 1933, serves excellent rice dishes: order the chicken liver pilav or chestnut tekke pilav – made with pine nuts and currants, and based on an old Sufi recipe. Lastly, walk for 20 minutes up to the Atik Valide mosque (Old Queen Mother mosque), surrounded by plane trees, and marvel at the panel of floral Iznik tiles, the sort you find yourself staring at until your eyes begin to swim. Time your ferry ride back for the sunset.
The small, family-run Authentic Turkish Home Suite in Ortaköy is a lovely place to stay. It’s a wooden home converted into a guesthouse next to a charming tea cafe. It’s an easy walk to the ferry and there is a nearby bus stop. A three-night minimum stay starts from £169.
Caroline Eden
Lefkada, Greece
‘Expect paths that are a delightful assault on all senses: a riot of colour and fragrance’
It’s the colours that hit you on Lefkada, especially in spring, when it is lush from winter rainfall, with glossy green hills and electric blue seas shifting over white sand. Up on the mountains, seas of crimson poppies carpet the plains. As showy as it gets. Technically, Lefkada is an island, but it’s connected by a bridge to the mainland on Greece’s west coast.
We head up to the picturesque village of Eglouvi for a hike. All across the island, in recent years, locals have been clearing ancient monopati – old paths and mule tracks. However, summer is too oppressive for anything other than walking straight into the sea. Spring is when the land really sings. Expect paths that are a delightful assault on all senses, a riot of colour and fragrance, the clanking of goat bells, seaview trails fringed with almond blossoms. Judas trees, dense with purple flowers, elderflowers resplendent in white. Heady sage and rosemary. And wildflowers – tiny violets and pansies, ornithogalum, daisies and chamomile, iris, anemones, the occasional wild orchid and red peony.
The Eglouvi-Karya loop is a moderately difficult six miles, according to the excellent Lefkadatrails.com, which provides free GPS hiking routes (its lively Facebook community organises everything from strolls to the whole 50-mile multi-day Lefkada trail). The full loop takes a few hours and gets steep, so take a tiropita (cheese pie) along or cut the walk shorter and make time for lunch. Greek tavernas can be a gamble in spring (many remain closed until Easter), but in Eglouvi you’ll find Lithanofli taverna under the shady plane trees. Here, you’re in lentil country; locals are proud of a special variety, grown and harvested by hand. Before the walk, try their delicious lentil soup (garlic, oregano, good olive oil). And don’t forget water – even in spring it gets hot.
After scrambling rocky outcrops and a fine-looking gorge, we found shade in a damp pine forest and then stumbled, agog, through a lunar-like quarry before the final push up to the summit. It was so beautiful that I forgot to moan about my feet. Profitis Ilias, the tiny whitewashed church at the top, has stunning 360-degree views (the churches in Greece always bag the best spots). I’m moderately unfit, it turns out, so I enjoyed the heavenly views while massaging my calves.
Maybe I should have started with something easier, I decide later, in Sivros, to the south. This pretty village sits on the mountain slopes, overlooking a valley to Vasiliki bay. As well as its rural charm, good (open) tavernas, olive museum and proximity to stunning beaches (a joy off-season), it’s a great base for walking.
Start local – Sivros is famed for beautiful clear springs, streams and waterfalls – or arrange transport to hikes elsewhere with Vasilis Deftereos, in whose lovingly restored stone cottage I’m staying (gardens with seaview, starting at €60 a night for a minimum three nights until May, sivroscottages.gr). With other locals, Deftereos revived the idyllic Sivros Springs trail. His is the ideal place to stay, not least because it’s on that trail. What’s more, this path can be completed in a couple of hours. Easy even for children, I’m told. Bliss. The full 50-mile trail across Lefkada can wait.
Susan Smillie
Copenhagen
‘Galleries give you a chance to combine art with beaches and blooming sculpture gardens’
There’s a curious day in the Danish calendar called Økodag “Dancing Cow Day”. On a Sunday of April, farmers let their organic dairy cows out of the winter barns and into the fields. The cows are so happy that they buck and hop, giddy for the fresh air and sunlight.
We don’t have many cows in Copenhagen, but we do know that feeling. After the long, dark winter, spring feels like hope. The dominant colour is bright yellow: pharmacy windows fill up with yellow adverts for birch pollen allergy medicines, and daffodils start to nod their heads beside cycle paths. There’s a bright energy in the air: we’re like the cows, dancing our way into the sunlight, finding new things to do beyond our apartments. It’s a great time to visit.
In mid to late April, the cherry blossom trees at Bispebjerg Cemetery are in full bloom. It’s lovely to walk under them, and it’s worth stopping in at Grundtvig’s church, just across the road, for a glimpse inside one of the city’s most impressive buildings. Or wrap up for a walk, skateboard or rollerblade along the smooth paths at Amager Strand, the city’s beach park and playground, where you can stroll beside the sea and catch a view of Sweden. It’s easy to reach by metro from the centre of the city.
Springtime also sees a rebirth of ideas in the city’s art galleries and museums. Modern art galleries Arken and the Louisiana give you a chance to combine beaches and blooming sculpture gardens with exhibitions, making them great day trip options.
Harbour seals return to the Baltic, fat with the fish they’ve fed on all winter, and plying the waters in their place are GoBoats (solar-powered pleasure craft), paddleboards and tømmerflåder, strange floating platforms powered by outboard motors. The latter are like rafts; some come with sofas, others carry live bands, and all spread a little anarchic and creative chaos on the waters. Rent one via cphraftent.com or boatie.dk.
Fashion brings the fun at this time of year, too: the city casts off its black uniform for colour, florals and lace. Find your favourites at the flea markets that appear on street corners on Sundays, selling anything from secondhand Ganni and Rotate to blue-and-white Royal Copenhagen porcelain. The best is Loppemarked på Bryggen, 150-stalls spread along the harbour in Islands Brygge, which opens in April under a froth of white blossom.
Keep an eye out for rhubarb tarts and cakes that start to appear in bakeries in the gap between Mardi Gras, when they’re full of cream buns, and the strawberry cake favoured in summer. Also try the special malty Easter beer – I like the bar and brewery Brus, which has a ridiculously wide selection of craft beers.
For a dose of spring optimism and a nod to summer, stay at 25 Hours Paper Island (doubles from £157, room only), one of the city’s newest hotels, whose rooms have a Danish summerhouse feel, all shiplap walls and maritime memorabilia. It’s steps from the city’s newest tiny garden, Opera Park, which has winding paths amid the blossoms and bulbs, and a central cafe with views to the harbour.
Laura Hall
