Last month, I covered dark sky tourism. But what about flower tourism? Turns out it’s blooming in the U.S., with more than 90,000 people travelling to Ennis, Texas each April to experience the city’s famous bluebonnets and its three-day Bluebonnet Trails Festival. But which other wildflower spots are best in the country?
Eager to find out, Spinblitz analyzed the USA’s most loved flower hotspots against key factors, including flower vibrancy, popularity, reviews, and picture-worthiness to reveal the must-visit spring flower spots. Below are Spinblitz’s top five:
Crested Butte, Colorado
Landing in first place as the most beautiful flower spot in the U.S., scoring 7.75/10,is Crested Butte in Colorado. The spectacular spring spot tops the ranking with the second most vibrancy of all locations, scoring 5.04 out of 10 with its dynamic display of many alpine blooms, which helped this flower spot earn the title of the “Wildflower Capital of Colorado.”
Crested Butte also hosts the annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026. The festival honors the beauty of the prolific blooms in the area, offering hikes, tours, workshops, and performances.
This flower hotspot features more than 100 species of flowers, including lupines, Colorado blue columbines, elephant’s head, and more beautiful blooms, which spill across meadows and mountains, drawing in onlookers and photographers with 429kInstagramhashtags.
Crested Butte. Photo by Michael Andrew Just (Shutterstock).
Catalina State Park, Arizona
In second place, Catalina State Park in Arizona scores 6.79/10, found at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The 5,200-acre park draws in more than 250k visitors every year, where sightseers can embrace the rugged terrain full of towering saguaros and desert flowers, including carpets of golden brittlebrush, lupines, and Californiapoppies, which bloom in March and April.
This spot is the most vibrant in the U.S. with a score of 7.76, overflowing with flowers coating the park, particularly the Sutherland Trail, a known flower hotspot. The park plays host to many of the state’s favorite native flowers and plants, as well as other colorful wildflowers bursting through the dusty terrain.
The vibrant park that is brought to life from spring rainfall is the perfect location to snap a picture, with 19,800 Instagram posts already online, displaying the desert’s beauty.
Catalina State Park, Arizone by Dennis Swena (Shutterstock).
Ennis Bluebonnet Trails, Texas
Ranking in third place with a 5.10/10 score, Ennis Bluebonnet Trails in Texas – the over 40-mile trail just south of Dallas – is brimming with charm, character, and blooms. The trail in Ennis is known as the “Bluebonnet City of Texas” and transforms each spring with the Texas state flower, creating sweeping blue blankets of color across the many miles of mapped driving trails.
The vibrancy score of 3.32/10, combined with the 4.7/5 Google review rating, makes this trail a must-see in Texas this spring.
Ennis Bluebonnet Trails. Photo by Brent Coulter (Shutterstock).
Falling Waters State Park, Florida
Landing in fourth place with 4.80/10, is Falling Waters State Florida nestled in Chipley, Florida. The park is home to Florida’s tallest waterfall, as well as a butterfly garden and native plants such as black-eyed susans, coreopsis, purple conflowers, andQueen Anne’s lace.
The wildflowers embellish the many hills of the forests and offer a highly regarded floral escape off the beaten path, boasting a review score of 4.7/5 on Google.
Willow Creek Trail, Colorado
Landing in fifth place, Willow Creek Trail in Roxborough State Park, Colorado winds through open meadows and stretches of forests, where wildflowers bloom in bursts of color, earning a 3.97/10 score. Here, you can find a purple and blue haze of vibrant lupines, fiery red Indian paintbrush, and bright sunflowers, earning this spot a 4.62/10 score for vibrancy.
Hydrangeas. Stock photo.
Besides these locations pinpointed by Spinblitz, there’s a hydrangea festival in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in July. New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch State Park is famous for lupines in June, and Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State will have a bloom of purple lupines, white avalanche lilies, red paintbrush, and pink penstemons in July and August.
In Oregon, visit the Camassia Nature Preserve in West Linn in April and early May for 300 plant species, but especially common camas, making for a white, purple, and pink landscape.
If you hurry, you might still be able to schedule a visit to catch the poppy fields in California’s Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County. Lancaster hosts the California Poppy Festival later this month.
Glacier National Park in Montana will boast clematis, pinesaps, purple asters, glacier lilies, among a total of 1,000 types of wildflowers, come June and July.
Have you ever traveled to see wildflowers? If so, let us know your favorite places by reporting in the comments.
Ancient civilizations, mysterious cultures, remarkable art, spectacular natural scenery, mythical caves, natural mineral springs, friendly people, charming traditional villages, nine UNESCO World Heritage sites, great food, and even better wine. Yes, I’m talking about Bulgaria.
Due to its coveted central European location, it isn’t surprising that Bulgaria “hosted” [sic] so many civilizations, and its borders shifted so many times. Presently and for the foreseeable future, it occupies the Eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula where its northern neighbor is Romania with the Danube River as a natural border. To the east is the Black Sea, in the south are both Turkey and Greece, and to the west are the Republics of Macedonia and Serbia.
The Balkan Mountain range runs horizontally through the country and gives name to the entire region. In the south are the stunningly beautiful Rhodope Mountains where we spent a good portion of our visit.
We flew into Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, early on a beautiful sunny day with a real blue sky, puffy white clouds, and no pollution – due no doubt to the lack of industrialization which collapsed, along with the Communist regime, back in 1989.
A street in Sofia, Bulgaria. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
Driving the short distance from the airport into the center of Sofia, I saw a sophisticated, clean, modern city with wide boulevards and modern outdoor vehicular-free shopping malls. Towering above Sofia and lending a pastoral air is the 2500 meter-high Vitosha Mountain.
Sofia has an eclectic charm marked by the distinctive architecture of the various periods of foreign occupation. The Communist era was the last to leave its mark with its solid, almost overwhelmingly massive buildings and monuments.
The Arena di Serdica Hotel. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
A special treat awaited us when we arrived at our five-star hotel in the center of the city, Arena di Serdica, which had been built over the site of a second to third century Roman Amphitheater. Serdica was one of the earlier names of the city, and Arena refers to the amphitheater that was uncovered while excavating for the hotel. Imagine walking into your hotel lobby that is part reception, part authentic antiquity, and open to the public as a free walk-through museum.
Just about anywhere you dig – not just in Sofia but anywhere in Bulgaria – you’re likely to unearth remains of an earlier civilization, with findings often dating back to the Stone, Copper, and Bronze Ages. The earliest known Thracian civilization dates to about 5000 B.C., and then there were the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottoman Empire, which was expelled in 1878.
For a brief time until the end of World War II, Bulgaria was free. The Communist regime lasted from 1944 to 1989, after which Bulgaria became a parliamentary republic and joined the European Union in 2007.
The Boyana Church. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
Not wanting to lose a moment of precious time, we dropped our bags at the hotel and left to see one of Bulgaria’s greatest treasures – the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Boyana Church. This Bulgarian Orthodox church is a bit out of Sofia in the village of Boyana, and well worth the drive.
The church’s frescoes were painted in the 11th century, and the colors are still bright, although the walls have sadly deteriorated over the centuries. Due to the delicate nature of the interior, access is strictly limited, but waiting time is pleasantly spent in the fragrant pine tree forest surrounding the church.
Also in Boyana is the not-to-be-missed National History Museum with its huge collection of cultural artifacts from Prehistoric to present time. The large exhibition of Thracian golden treasures, which is made up of the earliest known gold and silver objets d’art in the world, is particularly noteworthy.
However, the high point of any visit to Bulgaria is a stop at the Archaeological Museum in Sofia – the oldest museum in Bulgaria and repository of Valchitran gold treasure from the 14th century BC. Many of the artifacts found were vessels for wine, which isn’t surprising since Thracians were very fond of the brew. Thracians considered wine a divine gift, and it was lavishly consumed in order to achieve a connection to their deities (some things never change).
Thracian wine vessels. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
The Thracians were renowned throughout the ancient world for their elegance in working with gold and silver, and their expertise is unimaginable even in today’s technological world. Their ability to craft shapes and designs in the minutest detail was astounding, and their depiction of faces – each one perfectly framed and different from the others – were surely sculpted from real people, a technique unknown elsewhere until centuries later.
The Thracian civilization was tribal in nature and inhabited a vast area in Central Europe from the Carpathian Mountains to the Aegean Sea. They never developed a written language, so what we know about them is mainly from Greek historians, specifically Herodotus (484-425 BC). He who wrote of their customs; religious beliefs; and birth, marriage, and burial practices in a somewhat disdainful manner that was heavily skewed by the more cultivated Greek attitudes of the day.
Thracians believed in immortality, and Herodotus wrote that the Getae tribe lamented over the birth of a child, loudly proclaiming all the possible misfortunes it could face in a lifetime while celebrating death with gladness and rejoicing for the happiness the deceased person would soon encounter.
Then there was the Krestoni tribe, who took many wives. When a man died, the wives viciously fought to decide which one was his favorite. When one wife was finally agreed upon, she was sacrificed by her closest relatives and buried with her dead husband. Nice tribute, huh?
Herodotus wrote: “The rich are buried in the following way: the corpse is kept exposed for three days; they slaughter animals and binge, mourning the dead before that. After that, they burn him or just bury him in the ground. Then they build a mound and organize competition games, and they spare large prizes for single combat according to its meaning.” The famous burial scene from the tomb in Kazanlak depicts the exact celebration as he described it.
St. Alexander Nevski Temple Church. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
Putting my fascination with the Thracians aside, we returned to Sofia for overnight but not before walking through the old town on its famous yellow brick road leading to the massive gold-domed St. Alexander Nevski Temple Church. The yellow cobblestones (ceramic handmade blocks) were a gift from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Tsar Ferdinand I on the occasion of his wedding to Princess Marie Louise of Burbon-Parma in 1893.
St. Alexander Nevski Temple Church interior. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
The road runs between the Royal Residence and the National Assembly building. Sadly, there was no sign of Dorothy or her dog Toto as we dodged traffic to cross the square – not to the fabled Emerald City, but to the very real and somewhat overwhelming Temple Cathedral.
It’s the largest in the Balkan Peninsula and was built in honor of Tsar Alexander II, who liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman rule and was named after his patron Saint. It’s another must-see in Sofia, along with the priceless Icon collection in the chapel just to the left of the main entrance. Off to the side of the church is a small park full of souvenir stalls, which were fun to explore and a good opportunity to talk to people.
Villa Gella living room. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
Next, we left Sofia for Villa Gella, a luxury retreat in the Rhodope Mountains and our home for the next few days. On our drive to the villa, we made a detour for Plovdiv,the city “founded” in 342 BC by Alexander the Great’s father, Philip II of Macedon.
Plovdiv is a thriving modern city – the second largest in Bulgaria – with one of the most unique and delightful old towns to explore … if you can persuade a cab to take the torturous drive up the hill or if your legs have the stamina to provide your own transport.
Luckily, we secured a ride with a cab that looked and drove as if the kindly proprietress gave in to many a pleading tourist. As was the custom of the day, the original settlement was established at the apex of the hill for defensive purposes.
Plovdiv Old Town House. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
Plovdiv is one of the oldest towns in all of Europe – perhaps as old as the 6th millennium BC – and already existed when Philip conquered the area and named the town Philipopolis after himself. When exploring the old town, take care to wear good walking shoes with thick traction soles, as the streets are more paving stones then cobblestones. They are steep and slippery, and it’s easy to be distracted by the delightful Bulgarian Revival-style houses, many well-kept 19th century originals with unique exterior decorations.
Plovdiv Roman Amphitheater. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
And for fun, have a snack at one of the cafés overlooking one of the world’s best-preserved ancient Roman amphitheaters. Unearthed in 1972 after a freak landslide, the ancient theater originally held 6,000 spectators. Today, it offers theatrical and musical performances with the same perfect acoustics it had more than 2,000 years ago.
After Plovdiv, we headed toward Thrace, the mysterious region that the Greeks believed to be the birthplace of Dionysus, the God of wine. This included a visit to the Valley of the Thracian Kings, a vast area pocked with burial mounds, many of which have never been explored.
Kazanlak Tomb. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
There are potentially priceless golden treasures and decorated tombs still to be discovered. This is the area where we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Thracian tomb at Kazanlak that graphically depicts the funeral tradition for royal or noble deaths described by Herodotus. The original tomb is too fragile to accommodate visitors, but an exact replica has been constructed next to it that’s open to the public for a small fee.
Kazanlak Tomb fresco. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
From the valley, we drove up into the Rhodope Mountains, which provided endless scenic views as we wound our way on a two-lane highway around its torturous, sinewy curves. After some time, I asked if the endless curves had ever been counted. It was a silly question that elicited an equally silly response – “the locals claim there are only two curves – left and right.”
Bagpipe player and dancers. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
After a warm welcome at Villa Gella and a delicious dinner, we were entertained by a traditional bagpiper who said the musical form originated in Bulgaria.
Villa Gella is a family-run, fully serviced, authentic destination unto itself with stunning views out the windows or from its terraces. Located in the hills above the traditional village of Gella, the Villa was our base for exploring Orpheus’ cave known as the Devil’s Throat, as well as the Rila Monastery.
The Devil’s Throat cave staircase. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
After a sumptuous Bulgarian-style breakfast, we left Villa Gella for the one-hour drive to Devil’s Throat. Our path was through the spectacular Trigrad Gorge, carved out of the mountainside by the Trigradska River, which flows sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right of the ever-winding road. But the rock face of the gorge always towers above, often blocking out the sky with its wind-shaped sculptures that captivate the imagination.
Devil’s Throat is a huge cave that the roaring river hollowed out under the mountain. It’s so massive that it could accommodate a large cathedral with room left over for the colonies of bats that call it home and terrorize tourists. Legend claims it’s the cave to the underground that Orpheus (a Thracian Prince) entered to bargain for the life of his beloved Eurydice.
The way into the cave is slippery and steep with handholds only at the most terrifying spots, all as the thunderous roar of the river cautions that one misstep could sweep you away. We descended past the depression in the wall where legend claims Orpheus, fearful that Eurydice was no longer following him out of Hades, foolishly turned, only to see her lost to him forever.
This celebrated place is called “Orpheus’s tears,” and there is a leak in the wall that mirrors flowing tears. Once we reached the bottom of the cave, we were told a 240-step staircase would lead us out to the natural entrance of the cave … or we could simply retrace our path with only 140 steps along with steep grades to maneuver. Piece of cake! We finally exited the dark, dank, cave, congratulating ourselves on escaping Hades’ wrath. Too bad Eurydice didn’t fare as well.
Rila Monastery. Photo by Barbara Angelakis.
The following day, we drove to another UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rila Monastery, located in one of Bulgaria’s highest mountains and regarded as a spiritual, educational, and cultural center. The fascinating story of Rila recounts the life of a 10th century hermit called Ivan.
He lived in a cave and existed solely on herbs. Some say he was crazy and tried to embalm himself. Others say he devoted his life to fasting and prayer. Regardless, he somehow survived his self-imposed punishment and began to treat and heal the locals with the herbs that had sustained him during his period of exile. His fame spread all the way to the tsar and tsarina, who rewarded him by building the monastery.
Rila Monastery is a spectacular expression of devotional iconography. The buildings are painted inside and out with Biblical scenes by Byzantine Russian Orthodox monks, and it still serves today as a working monastery. Ivan’s cave and grave can be visited.
We visited only a small percentage of the vast riches of Bulgaria, but there’s so much more for you to discover in this fascinating country!
Miami rewards location. In Brickell, location can define the whole stay. You are either plugged into the district’s pace or watching it from the sidelines. Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami gets that distinction right.
Opened in 2018 on Brickell Bay Drive, the 208-room hotel gives you direct access to one of the city’s most active neighborhoods, while still making space for something many urban properties never quite deliver: breathing room, water views, and a sense that the hotel itself has a point of view.
Brickell has evolved quickly over the last decade. Glass towers rise above Biscayne Bay. Global finance firms share blocks with rooftop bars, destination restaurants, and luxury retail. The rhythm here is fast and deliberate. A traveler staying in this district needs a hotel that understands that tempo while still giving guests space to reset at the end of the day.
Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami leans into that balance. The property sits steps from Brickell City Centre and the Financial District, placing guests within walking distance of the neighborhood’s core energy. From here, you can move easily through Downtown Miami, the Port of Miami, the Kaseya Center, and loanDepot Park.
Wynwood, the Design District, Little Havana, Coconut Grove, and Coral Gables are short drives away. Miami International Airport is nine miles from the hotel, while Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport sits 29 miles north. The hotel itself was built with a clear intention to give guests a vantage point over the city while keeping them connected to it.
Craig Haas, Area Director of Operations and acting General Manager of Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami, believes the building’s orientation plays a major role in the guest experience.
“Our proximity and convenience to Brickell City Centre, the Financial District, and Biscayne Bay are huge selling points, but there is so much to appreciate about the hotel itself as well,” he says. “Hyatt Centric Brickell has some of the most stunning views in this city because of where we are situated on the Bay, and the design of this hotel really capitalizes on that.”
A Queen Junior Suite at the Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
Every guest room includes a private balcony. Many overlook Biscayne Bay. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors bring in natural light and open the room directly to the skyline outside. Suites extend the effect further with panoramic windows that frame the city from multiple angles.
Closet amenities at the Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
Space matters here. The rooms are intentionally generous for a lifestyle property in a dense urban neighborhood. Leisure travelers often arrive eager to explore Miami’s cultural districts and nightlife. Business travelers frequently work between meetings in their zone-spaced room. The design supports both patterns without compromise.
Technology quietly supports the experience. USB charging ports, streaming entertainment, smart lighting, and digital climate controls create a frictionless environment. Bathrooms include upgraded personal care products, Drybar hair dryers, and BeeKind bath amenities.
The rooftop pool at the Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
Step outside the room, and the experience expands vertically. The 19th floor rooftop deck is where the hotel fully reveals its perspective on Miami. A heated outdoor pool sits beside a hot tub and a broad terrace lined with cabanas. Guests order cocktails and light bites from the rooftop lounge while the skyline stretches across Biscayne Bay.
Haas admits this space is the one he returns to most often.
“What stands out to me most about Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami is how well the property uses its physical space to elevate the guest experience,” he explains. “Every room includes a private balcony, which is a rare advantage in this part of Miami and gives guests a real sense of connection to the city and the Bay. The feature I personally appreciate most is the rooftop pool overlooking Biscayne Bay.”
Sunset on the rooftop. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
The atmosphere shifts noticeably after sunset. “When the sun goes down, the lights of the bustling City turn on, and you can take in all the beautiful night scenery,” Haas continues. “The reflections across the water and the steady glow of the skyline create a calm, almost cinematic view that feels completely different from the daytime energy. It’s a moment where the City feels both alive and peaceful.”
Inside the building, the hotel offers additional amenities designed for travelers who expect convenience without excess. A 24-hour fitness center includes strength training equipment along with space for stretching and yoga. High-speed Wi-Fi runs throughout the property. Valet parking, laundry services, and pet-friendly accommodations ensure longer stays remain comfortable.
For corporate gatherings and celebrations, the hotel offers more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space. Two main venues sit on the 19th floor and open toward sweeping views of both the city skyline and Biscayne Bay. Indoor and outdoor configurations allow events for up to 300 guests while maintaining a sense of openness.
The Caña Restaurant and Lounge. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
The hotel’s culinary anchor sits just above the street. Caña Restaurant and Lounge occupies the second floor and acts as the central engine of the property’s food and beverage program. The restaurant draws on Cuban culinary traditions while introducing contemporary touches that reflect Miami’s international dining culture.
Breakfast at Caña Restaurant and Lounge. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, and happy hour all run through the kitchen. Even the rooftop bar is supported by the Caña culinary team. The restaurant has already earned strong recognition. In 2025, Caña received the Gold Winner designation for Best Cuban Restaurant in the Miami-Dade Favorites Awards presented by the Miami Herald.
Executive Chef William Milian. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef William Milian. His culinary story begins in Havana, where he grew up in a large household where multiple generations shared meals and daily life around a single kitchen. Those experiences shaped his view that cooking should be collaborative and communal.
At 23, he defected from Cuba and eventually built a career in Miami kitchens. His path included years working through the ranks at Two Dragons restaurant at the Sonesta Key Biscayne before formal culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Miami. Along the way, he worked with influential chefs including Michael Psilakis and José Andrés.
Food at Caña. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
At Caña, he brings those influences together while staying grounded in Cuban heritage.
“We’re grateful that our chef, William Milian, has such a strong connection to traditional Cuban food while also being able to innovate,” Haas says. “We have classic dishes such as Filete de Pescado a la Plancha, Vaca Frita, Masas de Puerco Frita, and Pollo Asado, but we also offer a plant-based Picadillo a la Habanera Vegano and creative small plates like Pulpo con Papas en Mojo Verde, and Vieras con Ají Amarillo with truffle oil.”
Dining here is intentionally social. One highlight is the brunch board designed for groups. The large presentation includes eggs Benedict, pancakes, French toast, smoked salmon, avocado toast, bacon, and breakfast potatoes arranged on a single board meant to be shared across the table.
Guests can also play Cuban dominoes while enjoying cocktails and cigars. The experience creates a distinctly Miami evening inside the heart of Brickell. The restaurant continues to introduce new programming, including a Cuban Classic three-course dinner offering traditional flavors and a beverage for forty dollars.
Haas also has a favorite dish. “My favorite dish at Caña is the Lunch Bowl,” he says. “It perfectly captures the restaurant’s Cuban heritage and commitment to authentic island flavors. Our chef does a phenomenal job with slow-cooked meats, citrus marinades, rice, beans, and fresh vegetables. It’s vibrant and satisfying and tells the story of the culture behind it.”
Reception at the Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami. Photo courtesy of the hotel.
Beyond the hotel walls, the property stays closely tied to the community. The team hosts an annual holiday event where families can visit with Santa. The hotel partners with the local LGBTQ Chamber and regularly organizes events supporting nonprofit organizations, including Breast Cancer Awareness initiatives.
Recognition continues to follow the property as well. Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami was ranked among the Top Hotels in Miami for 2026 by U.S. News and World Report.
Still, the hotel’s strongest argument may simply be perspective. Stand on your balcony early in the morning and watch Biscayne Bay reflect the first light of the skyline. Return later in the evening when Brickell’s towers glow across the water. The district moves fast, but the view reminds you that Miami also knows how to pause.
Some hotels place you near the city. This one places you inside it.
You read that number right. When I visited Wood River, Nebraska in late March, there were at least almost a half million sandhill cranes in the area. It’s the largest migration of these large birds in the world.
An eagle flies over the sandhill cranes roosting on the Platte River in Nebraska at dusk. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
They roost every night on the Platte River from sunset to sunrise, after which they take to the skies to visit the nearby harvested corn fields for grains, insects, small mammals, snails, and reptiles. National Geographic has called this annual migration one of North America’s greatest wildlife phenomena.
Large numbers of sandhill cranes flying overhead in Nebraska. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
I flew from New York City to Dallas and then to nearby Grand Island, Nebraska, which has a population of about 53,000 people. It was an exceedingly friendly town, even if the restaurant options seemed to be a bit sparse. No four-star hotels to be found, but my stay at Marriott’s Springhill Suites was nice enough with a mini-frig and a microwave in my room.
Fossil beds reveal that the cranes have been migrating through this area for ten million years – back when the cranes were of a more prehistoric variety. They stop in Nebraska to rest and increase their body weight so that they can make the long trip to Canada, Alaska, or Siberia in summer, where they breed. (I saw a pair in arctic Canada last August.)
Cranes fly overhead in Nebraska. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Nebraska’s Crane Trust works hard to preserve the cranes and their habitat. They have managed to band a few cranes with trackers in order to see where they go. At least one of the cranes with this tracker has indeed gone to Siberia. They use a fly-over strategy to count the cranes and estimate their numbers.
There are two types of sandhill cranes – lesser and greater. The difference is in size, but that difference is so slight that it’s hard to tell them apart. About 60% of the cranes in Nebraska are lesser, while the remaining 40% are greater. They start to arrive in mid-February and stay into April with the peak in mid to late March, which is when I opted to go.
Mating behavior on the river as one crane bows to the other. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Sandhill cranes mate for life, so while in Nebraska, many of the young ones “couple up.” This means you can sometimes see their mating dance among the hordes of birds on the river. They bow to each other and jump in the air.
Birdwatchers enjoy one of the blinds set up by the Crane Trust. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Platte River is quite shallow where the cranes roost, so they stand in the water to sleep and make lots of noise until they give over to slumber. There are two large “blinds” set up by the Crane Trust (little buildings with small windows) where people can watch the birds on the river without disturbing them. You see, these cranes are hunted in almost every other state in the U.S., which means they’re very squeamish and easily spooked.
For this reason, it was next to impossible for me to get a closeup of any of the birds with my 250mm camera lens. I probably needed a 1200mm lens for that (hence, the stock photo at the top of this article).
The cranes fly away from the river at dawn. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Still, it was thrilling to see and hear such huge flocks of these birds. In the one area of the river where we could view them from the blinds, tens of thousands of them converged. And sure enough, as soon as the sun set, more and more of them started flying in.
For sunrise, we got to the blinds in the dark while the birds were just waking up. We waited very quietly for the sun to rise, and as soon as it did, the birds slowly thinned out on the river and flew away to the fields.
Cranes on the river at sunrise. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Crane Trust creates a convoy to go to the blinds for the sunset and sunrise tours. As they arrive on the road, they turn around and drive back toward the other direction so that the headlights won’t bother the birds when it’s time to leave.
Sandhill cranes feeding in the corn fields. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The Crane Trust also conducts driving tours in the late morning to see the birds in the fields, but again, you can’t get too close to them without spooking them.
A whooping crane in flight. Stock photo.
While there, I also got to see about six whooping cranes. Even among the thousands of gray sandhill cranes, they are easy to spot because they’re taller and bright white. We saw three of them in the fields on my driving tour, two in flight, and one on the river.
Whooping cranes are very rare and endangered. There are only 600-700 of them left in the wild. So it was a tremendous privilege to see them. The Crane Trust and others are doing all they can to bring these birds back from the brink of extinction.
At the Crane Trust’s nature center, you can also view their resident bison herd. You can help by donating to the organization, which I found to be run by a lovely group of people, including many volunteers who love the cranes. One of them even has a license plate that says “Craniac.” It’s quite a spectacle to see so many birds in one place. Highly recommended!
Shutdown and ICE at airports. I traveled by air toward the end of the month, but right after my trip, things got bad in the U.S., as TSA agents either quit (more than 450) or called out since they’re not being paid during the government shutdown. This has made TSA wait times the longest in its history. Meanwhile, ICE agents are now at the airports, purportedly to help the process, but many question whether they’re actually helping or making matters worse and only there to catch immigrants.
Professional line sitters? Yep, as the TSA lines are getting longer in airports, people are paying others $25 an hour to stand in line for them. There are apparently “placeholding concierge services.” Who knew? (I certainly didn’t.)
Should you travel to the Middle East? Dubai has said it’s open for business, but most countries are suggesting their citizens forego travel to all countries in the region unless it’s mandatory.
Dubai. Stock photo.
Fatal plane and truck crash at LaGuardia Airport. I arrived at this airport Sunday afternoon March 22nd, and by evening, I had heard about this horrible crash. An Air Canada flight collided with a firefighting vehicle on the tarmac, and both pilots were killed. Forty-one people were taken to the hospital. As a result, LaGuardia was shut down for a period of time going into Monday. Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, but it does appear to be human error. And there are reports that pilots have been complaining about safety at LaGuardia.
Air Canada CEO to resign. When the CEO of Air Canada posted a condolence message about the two pilots who were killed in the crash at LaGuardia, he came under fire for only posting it in English rather than both English and French, as the airline is supposed to serve customers who speak both languages. So as a result of the backlash, he will resign/retire at the end of the third quarter 2026.
Delta suspends many special servicesfor Congress. Due to the government shutdown, Delta has said many of the special services usually afforded to members of Congress will be suspended. So far, other airlines have not followed suit.
Airlines make it easier for passengers during the shutdown. As of this writing, Allegiant Airlines, Delta, and United are allowing customers to change or cancel their trips without having to pay a penalty during the government shutdown.
Honolulu, Hawaii. Stock photo.
Floods in Hawaii. Recent flooding in Hawaii caused extensive damage, and more than 200 people had to be rescued. The governor says the cost of the damage could rise to more than $1 billion.
Gondola crash in Switzerland. One person is dead after a gondola crashed down a mountainside in Engelberg, Switzerland on March 18th. I visited that town back in the 1990s, and I believe I took that cable car gondola. Strong winds are being blamed, so that’s a lesson for us all to avoid these cable cars when it’s windy.
No WiFi on Delta 717s this summer. During an upgrade, there will be no WiFi on these planes. Delta currently has 80 of the Boeing 717 aircraft.
Why can’t you retrieve your phone between airplane seats? It seems that airplane seats have mechanical components that can crush your phone and cause it to catch fire. So this is why airlines advise you to get help before trying to pull your phone out from between seats.
Alaska Airlines under fire. Brenda Song, fiancé of actor Macauley Culkin, called out Alaska Airlines on social media this month because the airline separated her from her toddler-aged children on a flight even though the family had purchased first class seats. This is an ongoing problem with airlines, and I think it’s atrocious that any child under the age of 12 is separated from their parent.
More overtourism tactics in Italy. The Isle of Capri will now only allow tour groups to number 40 people, and they will restrict the use of loudspeakers and umbrellas to keep groups together. Meanwhile, in Florence, outdoor dining is now banned on 60 UNESCO-protected streets. Almost 75 other streets will no longer be allowed to have advertisements or bright lighting.
Bali. Stock photo.
Be mindful in Bali. An American tourist was arrested by security guards when he walked in the Sukawati Village in the Gianyar Regency of Bali because he didn’t realize there was a mandatory stay-at-home order due to Nyepi Day of Silence celebrations. He wasn’t held for long before he was released.
American Airlines app changes. The app will now explain why your flight was delayed. This is a great effort toward transparency, and I hope other airlines do the same.
Southwest leaves two major airports. Starting June 4th, Southwest Airlines will no longer fly from Chicago O’Hare or Washington Dulles airports.
Want to move to Canada? The country has now made it possible to get Canadian citizenship if you can prove you have ancestors who were Canadian citizens – ANY ancestors. In other words, it’s no longer restricted to parents or grandparents. As long as you can prove it, you can go back as many generations as necessary.
United Airlines lie-flat rows. Starting in 2027, United will allow a lie-flat space when you buy three economy seats in the same row. The seats will come with leg rests that can be raised, and you’ll get a mattress pad, a blanket, and pillows. This will purportedly be less expensive than first class lie-down seats.
Hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1st to November 30th, could be less intense than usual this year. But they still expect as many as 16 named storms and possibly 4 major hurricanes.
Business class to the Maldives, anyone? Starting in December 2026, the business-class only airline beOnd will start flying to the Maldives from both London and Paris. If you try this out, please report back!
Once again Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is holding court at The Joyce Theater in New York City. This astonishingly gifted company grew out of the Lou Conte Dance Studio when in 1977 Conte gathered together an ensemble of four gifted dancers to perform community service at senior centers across Chicago.
Conte’s studio was located at LaSalle and Hubbard streets, ergo the unlikely name for a group that has since catapulted itself into a company renowned worldwide for its creativity, diversity, and downright grit.
The pre-recorded music used gives the company a range of options and flexibility difficult to achieve with a live performance and ranks center stage with the choreography, the ne plus ultra dancers, the set designs, and the dramatic lighting. Altogether, they make up a not-to-be-missed, exuberant experience. This season includes a two week engagement at The Joyce Theater located at 175 Eighth Avenue, New York City.
Gnawa by Nacho Duato. Photo by Michelle Reid.
Each week features a different program. This review covers the first week, which consists of three dances. The first, GNAWA (pronounced Nawa with a silent G), was choreographed by the enormously talented Nacho Duato to the music of Ma’Bud Allah by Hassan Hakmoun and Adam Rudolph.
Gnawa by Nacho Duato. Photo by Michelle Reid.
Gnawa is the name of a Moroccan ethnic and cultural sect that consists of the descendants of peoples brought from West Africa during the 15th and 16th centuries as slaves. They have their own spiritual and religious practices that are expressed through music, giving a unique mystical and spiritual ethos to the sounds that can be used to facilitate healing trances.
Duato has used this captivating music to create a blending of movement to sound that is riveting. The dancers and music are one, each seeming to stimulate and expand through the other. Duato has captured the soul in the music, making his dancer’s body’s move in impossible configurations to achieve a quintessential whole.
The lighting by Nicolas Fischtel added to the dramatic staging by Jim Vincent aided by Cheryl Mann to create a magical experience. This is a world-class dance that should be seen by everyone searching for what’s possible though the collaboration of sound and movement.
Sweet Gwen Suite by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Photo by Michelle Reid.
The second piece switched tempo from the overwhelming emotion of Gnawa and brought a calming effect to the audience, which was still buzzing from the final cords of the music of the first piece. SWEET GWEN SUITE is a positive delight and a long-time favorite of aficionados of dance.
It was choreographed by everyone’s beloved Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon with music by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Johnny Mandel, and Lalo Schifrin. The piece is beautifully interpreted by an alternating cast of three. Our performance was executed by the charming Alexandria Best, flanked by Dominick Brown and Aaron Choate, and accented by lighting designer Harrison Pearse-Pollack.
Sweet Gwen Suite by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Photo by Michelle Reid.
In this piece, lighting contributed to the dramatic focus on Best, which she exploited to the max with witty, flamboyant, and sexy nuances of this well-known dance. Costumes by Bobby Pearce created a Spanish Flamenco edge to the piece, giving a new look and opportunity for enhanced expressive activity, which Best gave her best (so to speak) to achieve.
Best was center stage, while her tall, pseudo-gaucho-costumed, well-matched, inspired dancers Choate and Brown, made the pas de trois a perfect threesome.
Blue Soup by Aszure Barton. Photo by Michelle Reid.
After a brief intermission, the Company performed a piece by Aszure Barton entitled BLUE SOUP, as an homage to the name her mother gave her at birth. Costume designer Remi van Bochove created a series of costumes after Fritz Masten in incandescent blue, making the gathered ensemble indeed look like blue soup.
Barton is a renowned creator of dance worldwide, and her credentials include collaborations with almost every celebrity known to the world of dance. Blue Soup is mostly a group ensemble effort with the entire company interacting a good deal of the time with only intermittent spaces for solo and duet groupings.
Blue Soup by Aszure Barton. Photo by KT Miller.
Integrating the well-known voices of Maya Angelou, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, and Andy Williams (to name a few) added to the fullness of the performance and gave giving another “voice” to the activity moving in radiant blue sync on the stage. Blue Soup was the first large-scale work Aszure created in the early 2000s. Now, this performance 20 years later gives rise to its long-lasting relevance.
If you don’t yet have tickets for week two’s performance, I suggest you do yourself a favor right now and reach out to The Joyce Theater for ticket availability.
The March 2026 report on hidden destinations ruined by viral tourism found that Nara, Japan is experiencing the biggest influx of visitors. A new study by the digital entertainment platform JB.com shows which travel regions are struggling with overtourism driven by videos on TikTok and Instagram. If you’ve been planning to visit any of these areas, you might want to think again.
Nara, Japan, tops the list of hidden gems ruined by social media, with online searches for it jumping 568% in the last three years.
Chiang Mai went from a peaceful Thai retreat to a digital nomad hotspot, drawing 12 million visitors annually after becoming Instagram’s favorite coworking place.
Hikers now crowd the trails of Portuguese island Madeira after its sunset photos went viral, pushing tourist numbers to nearly 13 million.
The research looked at how social media affects lesser-known destinations by tracking three tourism and social media factors. They included how many times places were tagged in Instagram posts, how much online search interest in them grew over a three-year period, and how many tourists actually visit them each year.
Beautiful Madeira, Portugal. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Places were ranked by whether their visitor numbers outpaced what their infrastructure can handle. The study focused on spots that weren’t famous tourist cities before but suddenly got popular because of viral videos.
Here’s a look at the top 10 hidden destinations being ruined by tourist influx:
Destination
Instagram #
Search Spike
Average number of tourist visiting
Nara, Japan
3.5M
567.93%
14.9million
Chiang Mai, Thailand
8.2M
56.60%
12million
Bologna, Italy
9.2M
62.68%
11million
Albufeira, Portugal
1M
171.72%
4million
Kotor, Montenegro
1.4M
165.73%
812K
Madeira, Portugal
45.7K
12.15%
12.8million
Puglia, Italy
16.1M
32.39%
6,7million
Takayama, Japan
487K
86.29%
4.8million
Busan, South Korea
5.1M
36.02%
3.6million
Hallstatt, Austria
980K
77.93%
1million
You can access the complete research findings here.
1. Nara, Japan
Instagram hashtags: 3.5 million
Search spike: 568% increase (2023-2026)
Annual tourists: 14.9 million
Impact: Monthly searches jumped from 798K to 5.3 million
Nara now faces the biggest tourist influx due to its social media popularity. Online searches for the Japanese city jumped by 568% over three years, going from under 800K monthly lookups to over 5.3 million, especially after the free-roaming deer videos spread across TikTok. With 3.5M Instagram posts also depicting these scenes, Nara now receives nearly 15 million visitors every year, losing its status as a quiet alternative to Kyoto.
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai comes second after transforming from a meditation retreat into a digital nomad destination. The northern Thai city appears in 8.2 million Instagram posts, mostly showing coworking cafes and mountain sunsets. As a result, more and more remote workers started looking it up, with online searches for it up 57% over a three-year period. Chiang Mai now hosts around 12 million tourists every year.
3. Bologna, Italy
Bologna ranks third with 9+ million Instagram pictures and videos, driving too many tourists to the city lately. The medieval town wasn’t built to handle 11 million annual visitors, but that’s exactly how many people now show up after seeing photos of its terracotta rooftops and pasta-making classes. Online interest in the city grew 63% in just three years, with the number of tourists considering visiting the town rising to 4 million people.
4. Albufeira, Portugal
Albufeira is also struggling with viral tourism despite being a small coastal town. Monthly searches for it more than doubled in just three years, jumping 172% from under 2 million to over 5 million lookups. With 1 million Instagram posts making it even more attractive for tourists, this seaside city in the Algarve region now receives 4 million tourists every year, far beyond what its beaches and infrastructure were designed for.
Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. Stock photo.
5. Kotor, Montenegro
Kotor rounds out the top five cities facing tourist overflow due to social media attention. The Balkan destination has become viral on IG, with visitors posting nearly 1.5 million photos from this Adriatic town. The search interest increased just as much, up 166% in three years. And despite having just 812K annual visitors for now, this is still overwhelming for a place with narrow cobblestone streets that were not designed for tour crowds.
The CEO of JB.com commented on the study:“Viral tourism is never good, especially for small towns. The infrastructure, like the sewage system, for example, is never designed for it. The roads can’t handle it. And locals get priced out as Airbnbs replace long-term rentals.
Even Barcelona struggled with this despite being a major city. Imagine what it does to a small Japanese city. That’s why we’re seeing more places add tourist taxes now. A few dollars per night won’t stop anyone from visiting, but it gives the city council funds to build infrastructure and catch up with tourist influx.”
Anyone who has navigated their way through a modern airport lately knows it’s like navigating a maze. As a travel writer/photographer for several decades, I have visited many countries (56 to be precise) and have flown in and out of any number of airports, big and small. I’m often struck by their increasingly complicated layout and how maneuvering my way through has become exceedingly time-consuming and challenging.
This brings us to my wife, Roxie Munro, who (more than anyone) knows her way around a maze. She has already had maze books published on a variety of subjects.
The cover of the book.
Now, in her A-MAZE-ing Airport Adventure, a child accompanied by Mom and Dad is taking a trip for a grandmother visit. The book starts at arrival at Sunnyside Airport, and from there, we move – never in a straight line! – through departures, check-in, security, airport shops, the food court, the terminals leading to the gates, and into a large plane interior.
After leaving the gate and rolling across taxiways to the main runway, it’s finally time for takeoff: “UP, UP, AND AWAY!”
The large full-colored spreads in A-MAZE-ing Airport Adventure are all rendered in Roxie’s distinctive style. (She has contributed 14 covers for The New Yorker magazine and has written and illustrated more than 50 children’s nonfiction books, ten of which feature true-life mazes like cities, ecosystems, museums, parks, farms, landscapes, and more.)
In addition to the winding mazes, each double-page spread includes a challenging list of relevant items to find. Direct instructions (after SECURITY, you “Enter the FOOD COURT and SHOPS. First get a cold drink, and then…”) guide readers through the mazes. In the back matter, an answer key to the maze path and finding elements keep frustration at bay while providing useful and reassuring flying facts.
Pages in the book.
I wish I’d had something like this when I was stuck in Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris during a surprise snowstorm at Christmas on our way to Tunisia late at night. In the huge, cavernous, almost empty gate area, most of the lights were off, and all the shops were closed. It was isolating and gloomy. We finally left at 3:00 a.m. after an interminably long wait.
Airports have improved in some ways. Before I started using digital cameras, I dreaded the strong x-ray machines in some airports’ security procedures, as they could damage certain types of film.
I remember climbing down from a small plane that had just landed at the tiny Spitsbergen airport at 2:00 a.m. in June (halfway between the top of Norway and the North Pole) and having to put on sunglasses to cut the glare of the brilliant sun sliding across the tarmac.
And the time after leaving New York for Istanbul when, midflight over Greenland, we turned around, dropped down to 10,000 feet, and flew two hours back to the closest large airport (Halifax, Canada). We landed at the far end of the runway to a phalanx of emergency vehicles.
We hung out, bored and exhausted, in the cold, empty gate area almost all night until we were cleared to continue. It turns out there had been a credible bomb threat. But children would have loved having a book like my wife’s to alleviate the tedium and fear.
Pages in the book.
Whether preparing for a trip or whiling away hours on a flight, readers will find this book absorbing and informative. It’s perfect for children going on a trip, learning about travel, and keeping interested at the airport and on the plane.
The review journal, Kirkus, said: “Keep this one in your carry-on—an activity book sure to make time fly.” It’s also great for children on the spectrum.
The book promotes fine motor development, map-reading, and observational skills, making it perfect for classroom activities, travel preparation, or interactive fun at home. Its design encourages spatial awareness, logic, collaboration, and creativity.
So airports serve many functions. They are very necessary, quite complex, and fascinating in numerous ways. In a straightforward concept, but a winding path, A-Maze-ing Airport Adventure shows us many of the important ways in which we interact with airports.
Watch the book’s 1-1/2-minute trailer below, and look for A-MAZE-ing Airport Adventure by Roxie Munro published by Schiffer Books on Amazon, in Hudson Booksellers in airports, and at your favorite bookstore.
After flying from New York to Amsterdam, we were collected at Schiphol Airport and driven to the Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium Hotel in a luxurious black limousine-sized car. It maneuvered through Amsterdam’s tiny streets – more suited to bicycles than limousines – with ease and deposited us in the Conservatorium’s elegant courtyard.
I was excited at the prospect of staying at this hotel and seeing how this historic neo-gothic building was adapted into a modern 5-star hotel while still maintaining a nod to the past. As an example, during construction of the atrium lobby, an old bronze bell clangor was found buried in the foundation and became the inspiration for the charming collection of rescued bells resting on the reception desk.
The antique bells at reception. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
While we were registering, I couldn’t resist ringing the dozen or more antique bells. One in particular resounded in the elevated lobby space that was topped with a glass ceiling, causing the bell’s sweet refrain to vibrate back to me. I made it a point to ring that bell every time we passed the reception, and the staff gave me a knowing nod and smile.
The building was designed by Dutch architect Daniel Knuttel in the “Oud Zuid” (The Old South) area of the city at the end of the 19th century to house the Rijkspostspaarbank. The building’s grandeur was in part responsible for the regeneration of the declining Museum Quarter (Museumplein) that is now one of the most distinctive and elegant of Amsterdam’s neighborhoods.
Art deco tiles at the Conservatorium. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
In the 1980s, the building was turned into the Sweelinck Music Conservatorium, and although they eventually outgrew the space and moved into a larger facility, students still return to play live music at the hotel in what is now the cultural heart of Amsterdam.
The Conservatorium opened as a hotel in 2011 with 129 rooms and suites.Renowned Milan-based designer/architect Piero Lissoni expanded the existing structure by adding a modern glass addition and topping it with a glass ceiling, thereby creating the atrium and lobby.
In the interiors, he used soft natural tones, accented with popping color details to decorate the rooms and public spaces. The resulting hotel has repeatedly enjoyed the distinction of being crowned the number one luxury hotel in the Netherlands.
A painting at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
The Conservatorium is perfectly located for visiting some of the world’s greatest museums. Across the street is the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. Down the block is the gem of the Van Gogh Museum, while within a short walking distance near the Vondelpark – created in the style of an English landscape garden – is the world-class Rijksmuseum.
A painting at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Lest we forget, the designer-fashion district of posh shops along P.C. Hooftstraat, one of the city’s most opulent shopping streets, is also nearby and will surely satisfy even the most demanding shoppers.
The reception and lounge are situated under the atrium’s glass ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling windows provide a view of the outside world. The lounge is a comfortable space to relax, make new friends, or to enjoy coffee, teas, and cakes.
The lounge at the Conservatorium. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
One day, while waiting for our car, I struck up a conversation with a friendly wheelchair-bound English woman being lovingly attended to by her daughter. They were spending a few mother/daughter spa days at the hotel’s spa and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Our deluxe room at the Conservatorium. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Due to the landmarked status of the original building, renovation was limited by its configuration, resulting in many of the rooms being duplex. We were fortunate to get a deluxe room. Incorporated in its design are windows framed by the exterior Gothic arch along with original ceiling support beams that add a note of whimsy.
A word about the staff at the Conservatorium, you will have to travel far and wide to find a more gracious welcome. From our initial greeting by the doorman to the guest service personnel, we felt like honored guests.
Tiako Restaurant at the Conservatorium. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
No luxury hotel the status of the Conservatorium would be complete without an award-winning restaurant. So there is Taiko, a contemporary Asian-fusion restaurant. The restaurant’s name is derived from a traditional Japanese drum called a “Taiko,” and each guest is drummed into the restaurant by a costumed drummer situated at the entrance.
We ordered Omakase, which is a tasting of the chef’s choosing, using the freshest ingredients in the kitchen. In this case, the Omakase was presented as a written tasting menu incorporating elements from different Asian cuisines including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and more.
A dish at Taiko Restaurant. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
The dishes were delectable and very interesting both visually and taste-wise. We had paired wines that included a number of sakes, plus some very nice European whites and at least one that tasted like a Thai Tiger’s Blood.
This was our final dinner in Amsterdam and a lovely ending to an unforgettable visit to the Conservatorium Hotel. But the property also has a bar and a Mediterranean restaurant called Ottolenghi.
Many American vacationers arrive in cities like Rome and Portofino with their luggage in tow, ready to sightsee straight from the airport or train station. What most don’t realize is that doing so could actually be illegal.
Italy has introduced some of the strictest tourist behavior laws in Europe, and luggage is right at the center of them. In Rome, dragging a wheeled suitcase down the Spanish Steps is banned under the city’s urban decorum laws, with fines starting at €250 (approx. $270) and rising to €400 ($430) or more if damage is caused.
In Portofino, a municipal regulation explicitly bans tourists from lingering in congested areas with suitcases, with fines reaching up to €500 ($540).
The Spanish Steps in Rome. Stock photo.
Jacob Wedderburn-Day, a travel expert and CEO of the luggage storage network Stasher, says the laws are catching ordinary Americans abroad off guard. “These rules punish people for doing what feels completely normal when arriving in a new city: bags in hand, heading straight to iconic landmarks,” he says.
“The problem is that marble staircases that have stood for centuries can’t handle millions of suitcase wheels grinding across them each year. Even the vibration from bouncing luggage down steps causes microscopic damage that accumulates over time.”
Spring is one of the busiest travel periods of the year for European city getaways, and enforcement of decorum laws tends to intensify during peak tourist seasons. Police in Rome actively patrol hotspots throughout the day and respond quickly.
“Never treat your arrival day as a sightseeing day if you still have your bags with you. Head straight to your hotel, or use a luggage storage service first. Getting hit with a fine by local police before your vacation has even started is not the kind of experience anyone wants,” Wedderburn-Day adds.
What Americans Need to Know Before They Go
While the Italian and Spanish laws covered below aren’t brand new, awareness among US travelers remains incredibly low. Wedderburn-Day highlights four other European rules that regularly catch tourists by surprise:
The Acropolis in Athens. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
No high heels (Acropolis, Greece)
“Greece has banned sharp-heeled footwear at ancient sites, including the Acropolis and the Epidaurus Theatre. The fine for ignoring it can reach up to €900 (nearly $1,000). On surfaces that are thousands of years old, a single step causes micro-fractures. This is one of the most expensive unknown fines in European tourism.”
Driving in flip-flops (Spain)
“Spain’s traffic authority (DGT) has confirmed that officers can fine drivers up to €200 ($215) if they judge that your footwear is affecting your ability to control a rental car safely. Guardia Civil officers have on-the-spot discretion.”
Majorca, Spain. Stock photo.
Swimwear other than at the beach (Spain and Italy)
“Barcelona has had a swimwear ban in place since 2011, with fines up to €300 ($325) for wearing bikinis or swim trunks on city streets away from the beach. In Majorca and the Balearic Islands, the fine rises to €600 ($650), and Sorrento in Italy carries fines of up to €500 ($540). The rules apply to men as well as women. No wandering into a restaurant shirtless, either.”
Pigeons in Venice. Stock photo.
No feeding the pigeons (Venice)
“Feeding pigeons anywhere in Venice has been illegal since 2008, with fines up to €500 ($540). Pigeon droppings and pecking cause serious damage to Venice’s fragile marble facades, and the clean-up bill runs into hundreds of euros per resident every year. Local authorities take it very seriously.”
Wedderburn-Day concludes: “The common thread running through all of these laws is that Europe’s most beloved destinations are under more pressure from tourism than ever before, and local authorities are responding with strict enforcement rather than education.
“The fines are real, they are being actively issued, and they catch people off guard precisely because the behaviors involved feel completely harmless. Do a quick check of the local rules before you travel and sort your bags out before you start exploring.”
