With well marked trails and truly wild scenery, Austria is a heaven for hikers and photographers alike!

For the last ten years I’ve explored Austria on foot, oftentimes with my camera in hand. During those years I’ve come across many undiscovered jawdropping gems, all worthy of extra exploring. That being said, here are the seven photo spots that stand out amongst the rest.

Austria is quite possibly the most underrated country of the Alps, especially when it comes to landscape photography. Switzerland, France, Italy and even Slovenia have recently gained a lot of traction for photo tourism but in Austria you’re oftentimes all on your own. To me, this is actually a great advantage as the country offers amazing potential for exploring. Add to that the great hospitality and hiking infrastructure and you have the perfect recipe for adventurous landscape photography!

Just a word of caution: some of these places are pretty remote. This means you’ll have to hike long hours and cellphone reception will be spotty at best. Make sure to wear appropriate hiking boots, bring a backpack with a rain jacket, enough food and water, a map (don’t rely on apps) and check the weather forecast before setting out.

Kellerjochhütte

Towering nearly 1700 meters over Inn valley, the Kellerjochhütte is the very definition of an epic viewpoint. On the other side of the valley the jagged limestone cliffs of the Karwendel mountains offer a dramatic backdrop for your compositions. The Kellerjochhütte itself is a privately run hut offering half board overnight stays and excellent home made cakes to reward you for the climb up.

Close to the hut you’ll find the Kellerjochkapelle which offers amazing compositions for drone pilots.

Sulzenaufall

The scale of the landscape around the Sulzenaufall is mind bogling as the Sulzenau river drops over 300 meters down to the valley floor. The best time to visit is probably late June or early July as the snowmelt will fill up the many streams and rivers and the Alpenrose is in bloom. To reach the waterfall you’re required a good bit of hiking and as such you’re likely to be the only photographer around.

Those who want to extend their stay in this beautiful valley you can book accommodation at the Sulzenauhütte which is located right on top of the waterfall and visit the amazing Blaue Lacke which feeds the waterfall.

Lienzer Hütte

In the case of the Lienzer Hütte, the journey truly is the reward. The hut is surrounded by a beautiful valley filled with wild rivers and waterfalls, fragrant flowers and lovely meadows. I recommend staying multiple days to explore the area. The best time to visit is late June as most flowers will be in bloom and the rivers are filled with fresh snowmelt. Higher up in the mountains you’ll find significant snowfields, perfectly finishing off that alpine look.

The hiking trail to reach the hut is ridiculously beautiful and lined with Alpenrosen.

You reach the Lienzer Hütte by driving to the Parkplatz Seichenbrunn, which requires some 10 kilometers of driving on a rough track through the valley. From the parking, take the Naturlehrpfad for the scenic route. On weekends you’ll find plenty of locals on the trail enjoying the natural beauty.

Join me on one of my photo tours to Austria

One of the many scenes we’ll photograph during our photo tour to Austria.

If these locations inspire you, consider joining me on one of my photo tours! During the tours I’ll show you my favourite photo spots while teaching you everything I know about landscape photography. Because of my intricate local knowledge I can help you easily find great compositions during the best light.

During my all-inclusive photo tours we will:

Spend the night in epic hotels and mountain huts right next to amazing photo spots
Explore undiscovered gems for unique compositions
Learn about composition and lens choices for landscape photography

Learn more

Gollinger Wasserfall

Surrounded by beautiful deciduous trees, this waterfall is known as one of the most pictoresque in Austria. As opposed to the other photo spots, this one is very easy to reach by car and as such sees quite a lot of tourists. You have to pay a small fee if you want to visit during the day but if you’re early or late in the day and the toll booth isn’t manned you can enter for free.

Neue Prager Hütte

Moonlit nighttime view on the Schlatenkees glacier.

The Neue Prager Hütte offers great balcony views of the epic Schlatenkees glacier, one of the largest glaciers of the eastern Alps. This place is pretty hard to reach (it requires some 1400 meters of ascent) but luckily the hike is well worth the effort. Make sure to have your camera handy as every turn reveals new views on the epic Großvenediger range.

The Schlatenkees glacier offers an insane backdrop for the final hike up to the hut. You’re likely tired at this point but it’s worth it to take the time and stop for photos.

Some of the best views are towards the end of the hike as the Schlatenkees glacier comes in full view. Use a short telephoto lens to make the most out of this composition.

Grosser Ahornboden

The Grosser Ahornboden is Europe’s answer to Yosemite valley. The jagged peaks of the Karwendel range tower over 1400 meter over the valley floor, which is dotted by ancient maple trees. Despite it’s potential for landscape photography, this place is completely unknown outside the German speaking countries. If you can, take several days to explore the valley for compositions as there are many scenes hidden away.

For many, the ancient maple trees are the main attraction of the valley.

The Grosser Ahornboden is easily reached by car, offering a rare combination of unique compositions that don’t require a lot of effort to reach. The best time to visit is late June to early October. If you’re lucky in October you can catch the fall colours, but these often don’t last very long!

Wildsee Fierberbrunn

Even in changeable weather, the lake and accompanying mountain hut offer a beautiful alpine experience.

We finish off the list with another mountain hut. Perched right at the lake shore you’ll find the pictoresque Wildseeloderhaus. This mountain hut offers great balcony views on the northern limestone Alps. If you hike to the back of the lake you can catch a brilliant reflection of the hut and the skyline beyond. In June you can catch blooming Alpenrosen for an extra foreground.

My Top Seven Landscape Photography Spots in Austria