The cherry blossom street in Bonn's old town

What it is

In the 1980s the city of Bonn planted Japanese ornamental cherries along several streets of its nineteenth-century Altstadt, the old town district north of the centre. The trees have since grown to meet above the roadway. On Heerstrasse and Breite Strasse they form a low pink roof over cobbles, bicycles and tall townhouses for ten days to two weeks, usually in the middle of April. It is an ordinary neighbourhood, with people living behind every window, which is much of its charm. Residents hold a small street festival during the bloom in most years.

Before you go

• Come early in the morning. By midday the street is full of people taking pictures.
• People live here. Keep doorways clear and noise down.
• It is a ten minute walk from Bonn's main station, so there is no need for a car.

The flowers you will see

Cherry blossomThe spring-blooming flower of ornamental cherry trees, central to Japan’s hanami customJapanese flowering cherryThe cherry tree grown for its spring blossom in Japan and beyond

More in Germany

🇩🇪 Munich · All yearFlower stalls of the ViktualienmarktMunich's daily open-air food market, with a section of florists selling seasonal bunches, wreaths and dried flowers. 🇩🇪 Konstanz · Mar to OctMainau, the flower island of Lake ConstanceA small island reached by a footbridge, planted as one large garden with a flower calendar from tulips to dahlias.