14-day October trip - Switzerland+Austria vs Prague+Austria

Having never been to Switzerland all I can do is reiterate your concern that the topics of photography in Austria and Switzerland might be very similar. But would it become a trip of looking for the one or two perfect of the jandra and would that be a good thing or a not so good thing? I have done some time in the Czech Republic and in Austria and I know the landscape is amazingly diverse. So maybe more opportunity to explore new visions and a bit more of the unexpected. I think with more lower elevations the opportunity for fall colors might be greater as well.

The Czech Republic and Austria tour will be less expensive, not that you spend less, but you have more funds for deeper exploration and forms of transportation to get you right up to those great photographs.

Just my W.A.G.

Just a heads up for photographers: Berlin's Festival of Light, possibly 09 - 18 October 2026 (link).

Train Berlin - Prague: https://int.bahn.de/en if you want to fly in to BER and continue journey from there.

Dresden in between offers great landscape impressions in Saxon Switzerland.

Tip from photographer to photographer: just buy and take the Tamron 18-300mm for your journey. Excellent quality.

I agree with Mr E and I would add Budapest to your list.

Switzerland is very nice but Swiss cuisine isn't known to be one of the very best in the world. Also, October is shoulder season and taking good photos at Alpine altitudes may be challenging.

Thank you Mr E, Mark and Barkinpark for your thoughts. Anyone else? Especially folks who have been to Prague / Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.

From a budget perspective Prague/Austria would be the winner over Switzerland/Austria in terms of affordability. To be honest, I don’t think you can make a bad decision here. Any of these three locations would be a wonderful trip.

I understand your question as being more photography-related, rather than about how expensive a location is or what kind of food you might get to eat—is that right? I have been to Prague, so I get your interest in going there for sure, but I have lived in Switzerland for the past eight years and love traveling around the country to take photos with my own gear (Canon) that I carry around in a backpack with a carbon fibre tripod - much like you described, so I will share my thoughts on taking photos here.

I think that fall is an amazing time for photography in Switzerland. As you already know, with the sun lower in the sky you have more opportunities for great light, whether that’s on buildings or natural landscapes. You can capture some really strong images of iconic locations, as well as places that are more off the beaten track.

One thing I really like about being here is the huge variety of landscapes in a relatively small area. This makes it easy to create a diverse set of images—not just the classic lake, meadow, and mountain shots (although those are definitely spectacular and worth going after).

You can take a look at last year’s fall foliage tracker to get an idea of how the season usually unfolds across the country:

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/experiences/summer-autumn/autumn/foliage-map/

The Lavaux vineyards are wonderful in the fall—in fact, I don’t find them particularly interesting at other times of the year. This is just one example of how you can access a variety of settings...again not just meadow/lake/mountain.

https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/PA449/tastes-of-autumn

While you’re in that area, you can also photograph Chillon Castle. It looks great from several angles and is especially interesting under a moody, cloudy sky. Since you’ll have a tripod with you, you can really take advantage of these conditions.

There’s also a very interesting camera museum in Vevey. I spent far too much time there, simply because I found it so engaging:

https://www.cameramuseum.ch/en/

The Bernese Oberland has an incredible number of photo opportunities, both for architecture and landscapes. I won’t even start listing them here, but if you decide that Switzerland will be one of your destinations, you can always ask more specific questions about locations (there are many more areas of interest as well!).

Martin Mägli is a great Swiss landscape photographer to look at if you want more ideas of what’s possible here:

https://naturbild.ch

Thanks Carol.

Thanks for your detailed perspective @SwissNomad. I am still processing your very useful post but it certainly steers me a little more towards not dropping Switzerland for this trip. The foliage map is very useful as well because my thoughts were to arrive around Oct 10 weekend and leave around Oct 25 weekend. But the foliage map indicates the fall colors may not be in full bloom by then. So, maybe a week later may work better. Martin Mägli's work looks really amazing and gives a lot more idea of the subject types in different areas. The camera museum looks very interesting too - although my wife may not be in favor of it or me spending time relapsing into the camera history lane. Have been into trying out old medium format film cameras way too much in the past.

Just like there is no place like Yosemite, there is no place like Switzerland. Zermatt is a must.

We have decided to do Switzerland and Austria - 7 days each not including the days of travel. Here is the rough itinerary suggested to me by Gemini. I have to research the individual spots or what to do, but broadly are these a right mix of days to each of the locations?

The basic idea is visit mostly the Alps in Switzerland and visit the lake district in Austria. And last couple of days in Vienna to unwind before returning home.

Also, we are healthy enough to do light hikes (few miles) but I would avoid major mountain hikes if the view points are say either steep climb away or very far away. What would you change based on this info?

Switzerland (Days 1 – 7)

Transport: Swiss Travel Pass (Train). Zermatt and Wengen are car-free, making rail the most efficient and scenic option.

Days 1-3: Zermatt & The Matterhorn (stay in Zermatt)

Photography Plan: Focus on the classic triangle silhouette. Take the Sunnegga funicular to Stellisee for the mirror reflection. For sunset, head to the Matterhorn Viewpoint at the village edge.

Days 4-6: Lauterbrunnen & Mürren, (stay in Lauterbrunnen)

Photography Plan: Dedicate one morning to the Staubbach Falls Viewpoint for waterfall shots. Spend your afternoon in Mürren, using the Thrill Walk, Birg for dizzying wide-angle perspectives of the abyss.

Day 7: Lucerne

Photography Plan: Sunset at the Chapel Bridge. Capture an elevated vista that includes the lake and Mount Pilatus in the background.

Austria (Days 8-14)

Transport: Rental Car. Pick up your car in Salzburg or drive from Lucerne to have the flexibility to chase the morning mist on the lakes.

Days 8-10: Salzburg

Photography Plan: Climb to the Fortress Hohensalzburg for a sunset over the Panorama Altstadt. Capture the baroque spires and the winding Salzach River.

Days 11-12: Hallstatt
Photography Plan: Arrive at the Panoramic Viewpoint - Hallstatt before dawn to catch the village as the lights are still on and the sky turns blue. Later, take the cable car to the Hallstatt Skywalk - Hallstättersee for high-angle landscape shots.

Days 13-14: Vienna

Transport: Car/Train to Vienna.

Photography Plan: Transition to "Cityscape" mode. Focus on the grand architecture of the Ringstraße and the interior geometry of the State Opera. Sunset from the Danube Tower or Mount Kahlenberg provides a sweeping view of the river and city lights.

Regarding Austria...

In Salzburg you may want to drive south toward Thomas Eder Steig to photograph the castle. You mind equally great panoramic photos of the city and river from the hills to the east of the city. And I would make time for a half-day trip to or while on the way to Vienna stop in Melk.

Have fun.

Thanks @jkh.