A note on what is opening for spring and what we are quietly watching. Our working calendar for March through May of 2026 has begun to take its shape, and certain departures are worth flagging now.
March — the small capitals
Vienna and Ljubljana together, in a single private fortnight. A combined week — palace hotels, small operas, private gardens just beginning — that rewards travellers who like a city that works at a quieter scale.
Late March — the Alhambra
Andalucia in late March sits between the end of the winter tourist weeks and the arrival of Holy Week crowds. An ideal seven to nine days: a private guide in Granada, a suite at one of the two hotels worth staying in within the Alhambra’s walls, a drive on to Cordoba and Seville before the Semana Santa processions begin.
April — Japan in bloom
Our standing April recommendation. Two weeks, Kyoto and a quieter second half — Takayama, Kanazawa, Naoshima. The best rooms have been held since the previous July, and there are still one or two available for 2026. For those new to Japan, this remains one of the most rewarding months we plan.
Late April — Cappadocia at dawn
A short departure we are opening again: a private week in Istanbul and Cappadocia, the best of the early-balloon mornings, a small cave hotel with only a handful of rooms. For first-time Turkey travellers, this is the journey we recommend.
May — the Peloponnese
The quiet Greek week we have written about before. A stone house in Messenia, a drive up through the Mani, an afternoon on a small private boat, and very little else on the schedule. One of our private favourites.
We are also keeping an eye on a number of departures that have had little attention so far: a Moroccan-Atlas week in the last days of March, a private Apulia fortnight in mid-May, a small-group Sicily departure centred on the Aeolians. If any of these read as the right spring for you, the early conversation is worth having now.
