Guest contribution
The best Swiss photo spots on Instagram
Inspired by Visitswitzerland
Switzerland – a paradise for Instagram photographers? It’s possible that there’s no other country on earth that offers so many rewarding motifs in such little space for landscape and outdoor photographers: one unique landscape after the other. The almost endless diversity of nature: from a hint of the Mediterranean in the south to hundreds of rural and urban valley and lake landscapes and the comparably easy to reach high alpine mountain regions. Our cities and villages provide both historical and modern views. The journey is also the reward for photographers: pass roads and even train connections provide photographers with rewarding challenges. Thousands of photogenic spots are, as it were, on your doorstep.
So why look so far afield when there is so much beauty nearby? In the following we look into the 5 most popular photography themes on Instagram.
1. The Matterhorn: in a new light
The Matterhorn is the most photographed mountain in the world. It’s also a challenge for photographers: how can you get a new, more unusual perspective of the Toblerone mountain? With a good zoom lens we don’t have to travel to Zermatt but can capture it from the Riederalp above Brig, which is 40 km away.
On clear days the Matterhorn can even be seen from the Piz Corvatsch (Engadine) top station at sunset.
2. Any time of year: the Rhaetische Bahn trains
The famous red Rhaetische Bahn trains or the Glacier Express provide a great motif at any time of the year. One of the most famous photo spots in Switzerland is the Landwasser viaduct just before Filisur. It’s a 15-minute walk to the viewing point from the car park on the road. Most trains cross the bridge just before and just after the hour. In winter it looks like this:
3. The journey is the reward: pass roads
The Swiss passes are rewarding photo spots. Photography with drones is used here. The most famous view is the one from above over the “Julier Pass”. If you make an effort though you can also photograph it from Grevas Alvas without a drone. If you are up the Julier then you should also shoot the bends of the Maloja Pass and Albula Pass. Less busy passes offer new perspectives, like the Nufenen Pass here:
4. Only in Switzerland: idyllic villages with alpine panorama
Lauterbrunnen village with the Staubbach waterfalls in the background is probably the most well-known motif. Other very photogenic villages in the Bernese Oberland are Mürren, Gimmelwald and Grindelwald, which also frame the alpine panorama superbly. In Grisons, Guarda in Lower Engadine as well as Latsch and Bergün (well-known thanks to Martina Bisaz (link to her ifolor blog here)). In North-East Switzerland it’s worth taking a detour to Appenzell Innerrhoden, or Quinten am Walensee. Popular photo spots in Valais are Sembranchér and also the old town and old gates to Tourbillion von Sitten.
5. Instagram hikes: “Just hiking was yesterday”
“Just hiking was yesterday”, is the headline of a newspaper after a public Instagram hike in the Pizol region went viral. In this sense, hikes with Instagram photographers are less about the sporty aspect and how much faster you can get from A to B. Today you take your smartphone with you, share your experiences and inspire each other with photo hikes. Unfortunately, the most beautiful hikes are also usually the most crowded spots. But there are thousands of hiking trails and many of them are more or less unexplored on social media.
The most beautiful photos of Switzerland
With more than 309,000 followers on Instagram, Visitswitzerland is the inspirational platform for the most beautiful photo spots in Switzerland. The carefully curated content on the photo platform shows photos by select photographers and amateur photographers and inspires the Instagram community and above all travellers to explore new favourite corners of Switzerland.