On the street

If you ever seen a photo from Hallstat, it was probably from this spot. It gives the best view of the town. You will always see other photographers here and quite a lot of tourists taking snapshots. But it never to me, that there would not be a spot where I could put a tripod. Most tourist are there just for minutes, so it always changes. Just be careful of traffic, even if there are only few cars passing during the day, the street is quite narrow.

The bus stop

Right as you get into the tow, before you enter the walking zone, there is a buss top on the right. This spot gives a very nice view of the town. Completely opposite the first spot. Again there will be quite a few people here, but again, it changes quickly. There is a boat dock in the way a bit and you can’t get on it, but still the view is nice, especially if you zoom in.

Also if you want a photo with a swan in it, there are quite often around this area.

Parking area above the town

When you go through the city, you will notice signs pointing to the church that is a bit up the hill. You have to follow them, up a covered staircase to get to the church. Once you there, turn 180 degrees onto another walkway with another covered staircase and follow it. You will get up onto a parking area that is above the roofs of the town. The view is quite different to other spots here.

Down at the ship dock

If you want to get a bit closer to the water and get a photo of the front of the town, go here. Just know, boats dock here quite often, so especially during the summer, the view can be blocked. Not much issues during the Winter though. You can also see swans here quite often.

Five fingers viewing platform

Ok, Five fingers is not it Hallstat. Actually you have to go to the neighboring town of Obertraun, to this spot. From there you take two cable cars to get up to here, and you still have to walk about 20-30 minutes to get to the spot. But the walk is not that hard, as it’s quite even. Once there, you will get the best view in the area you can get. Just don’t go onto the Five fingers platform if you are scared of height :)

Top of the SNP bridge

If you can go to only one place in Bratislava, go here. The view of the city is just stunning, there are no windows blocking your shots and after sundown you can have the place completely for yourself :) You have to pay an entrance fee (7.40 euro currently), but I think it’s worth it. Parts of the bridge are currently under reconstruction, but the top is still accessible.

Bratislava Castle Fortifications

The opposite place to the previous spot. From here you have a great view of the SNP Bridge (New Bridge). If you didn’t know, the New Bridge is the smallest tower in the World Federation of Great Towers :) . Too bad the view of the city is obstructed by trees, but the view of the Danube is great.

Tyrsovo Nabrezie (Waterfront)

I love this place, as I can get a very nice reflection of the castle, when the Danube is calm. Great place during the sunset and blue hour. The whole path between the New and Old bridge gives you hundreds of different compositions you can try. Also there is a docket ship, which you can enter (there is a sign No Entry, but as long as there is no festival or something similar on the waterfront, nobody will stop you, but please be careful :) ), and get a unobstructed view. I noted the ship on the map.

Under the SNP bridge

All the bridge here give you nice views. Under the SNP bridge are steps, and you can get down completely to the water. I really like to do panoramas here, including the bridge and the castle. And if the water is a bit calmer, even a reflection.

Town Hall tower

If you want a nice view of the main square, that definitively go up the Town hall tower. To get there, go inside the museum that is in the town hall, and buy the ticket just for the tower. It’s around 3 euros. You can take a tripod up there without any issues.

The best time to take photos from there is during the Christmas market, as then the square is full with colorful stands and lights.

Michael’s Gate tower

Another tower you can go up into is the Michael’s gate. It’s not as tall, but still gives a nice view. It’s a museum, so you will have to pay for entrance. You can’t use a tripod inside, but on the balcony it’s allowed. They close quite early, so if you want a sunset shot, it can be done only in winter.

Apollo Bridge

A little further away from the center, but worth it. You can just walk here from the new Old bridge or from the Eurovea Shopping center. Really great for blue hour shots. Also the view from the bridge is very nice.

On the new Old bridge

The Old bridge in Bratislava was taken down few years back and there is a new bridge there now. It gives you a great view of the center, and also is great for long exposures with the passing trams. It shakes from them a bit, so be ready for that.

Under the new Old bridge

And to get a nice photo of the bridge, go under it. I prefer the view opposite from the city, as one can use the bridge to frame the old town and the castle under it.

Also if you manage to be in Bratislava during the White night event, there are usually some cool lights on this bridge.

Kuchajda Lake

This place is just about reflection. The lake is usually very calm, and the sun usually sets behind the two Millennium towers, so you can have the whole sunset twice. Also once a year they have fireworks above this lake (usually at the start of June).  As reflections go, this place is never disappointing.

Port bridge view

Ok, this bridge is quite far from the center. It shakes really a lot, as it’s a highway bridge and even trains pass through it. But if you go there in the right time when the sun sets above the Danube, and you have a long lens, you will get a coll shot of the bridges and Bratislava castle. I would not walk there from the center. Find a connection that goes to the bus stop Pristav (Port) and walk from there. It’s still about 1km away from there, but that the closest you can get.

Baiterek Tower

Let’s start right at the center. The Baiterek tower looks great, even if it’s a bit harder to take photos of, as it’s really bright. There is a big park around it, so you can just walk around until you find the view you like the best. You can even go up the tower, but I skipped that. No outside platform means no really good viewpoint from the top. But you my enjoy it :)

Fountains in the center

Not far from the Baiterek tower, you can get to a nice city park with big fountains and flower beds. The tower is well visible from here, so you can use it as a background subject while taking photos here. hey turn off the lights late at night, so be there earlier if you want them to be colorful.

If you walk further away from the Baiterek tower, you will get to the Presidential Palace. But while it looks great, that’s the only spot in the city where I was stopped by a guard and asked not to take photos.

EXPO 2017 Sphere building

This is just such a unique building that you should just not miss. Looks good from all sides, especially in the evening. Since there are light on top and also inside that change and animate all the time, you can get a different photo just by waiting for few minutes. The overall area is quite interesting, and there is also this crazy sculpture right behind it.

Walkway next to Ishim River

There are quite few photo oportunities here. There are two bridge, with the new pedestrian one just looking great for some minimalist architecture photos (I don’t have a photo here, during my visit it was right before competition, and so it was not accessible yet). The other bridge, makes for a really nice curve and looks quite unique too. It also light’s up in the evening. There is also and amphitheater on the path that makes for a perfect reflection photo.

The GPS location is the one right in front of the amphitheater.

Road bridge in the center

Don’t skip this spot. As the road crosses through the city center there a bridge there. And the view towards both sides is just great. Many fountains and interesting architecture to behold. The bridge is short, so it does not shake that much and there is also a statue right in the middle of one of the walkways.

Horses at the Opera

Let’s finish this list with something a bit different. At the opera house you will find these golden horses statues. It really is something different compared to all the other photo spots I shared here. And they just look great :)

Vernazza – over the city spot 1

This is probably the most popular spot in Vernazza. It gives nice view of the town and you will see some photographers here almost always. It takes a bit of waking up the stairs from the town, but it’s not that bad. If you wan’t to do sunset from here, I would go a bit earlier, as it get’s full quickly.

Vernazza – over the city spot 2

This spot gives a quite similar view to the previous one. But there is one big difference. If you look at the tower in the city, it does not reach through the horizon in the back here. I find the way it breaks the horizon line very annoying, so I prefer this spot. This is only about 5 minutes walk up the stairs from the previous one.

Vernazza – on the path spot 1

This is the first spot that’s on the hiking path. But if you go here for the sunrise or sunset, the path is open and you don’t have to pay. The view from the side of the city is great and most photographers go to the bit further spot so it’s not so full here.

Vernazza – on the path spot 2

This is the more popular spot. You will see a railing with a lot of photographer here. In front of the railing there is a spot with quite better view, but one should not go there as it is dangerous. But everyone is responsible for their own actions, so do what you think is best.

Vernazza – down by the rocks

If you don’t just want views from above the city, I would suggest going down to the rocks. Makes for a great long exposure spot. The view of the city is also nice, I just got noghting as it was crazy sunny the day I was there, and that made for horrible photos.

Manarola – opposite the town

Let’s move from Vernazza to Manarola. The best view here is from the walkway opposite the town. You can either stay lower on the walkway, or go a bit higher, to the top of it, where is a small park. Again, if you want to go there, go a bit earlier, as it’s quite a popular spot with photographers. There photos are from the higher spot.

Some also go down onto the rocks, but that’s a more dangerous location. Again, use caution if you want to go there, and you are there at your own risk.

Riomaggiore- down by the rocks

Another very popular spot. Not just for photographers. There will be many people here around sunset and you will be lucky when you get a spot at all. Don’t forget to take good shoes, as the rocks are a bit slippery. It get’s better later, as most of the people leave once the sun goes down.

Monterosso – view of the beach

Monterosso is a bit stretched out, but my favorite view was from the side, seeing the beach together with the ship and mountains in the background. This location is easy to access, just walk along the sea. Here you can even go completely down to the rock, and have a nice foreground. I don’t have one as the area was occupied with people, but you maybe have more luck :)

Monterosso – behind the tower

There is a little platform here with quite a nice view. If you look right, you will see a similar view as the one in the spot before. But if you look straight, you get this nice view of this tower surrounded by the sea.

Corniglia – side view

The last but not least, Corniglia. This town is on top of a hill, so be ready to walk up many, many and even more steps, or take the bus :) My favorite view here is from the side of the town, but since you don’t see the sea as much, it’s not as spectacular as the other ones.

Opposite Dürnstein

Probably the most well know view in the Wachau Valley. Right opposite of Dürnstein, there is a small beach. From there, you get a wonderful view of the town, framed by the hill behind it. If you do long exposure photography, you will even get a nice reflection in the Danube.

If you staying in the town of Dürnstein, you can get to this spot by taking the little boat ferry that goes across every few minutes. By car is not as easy to get across, as the closes bridge is in Krems.

Also, be careful when a bigger ship passes by. The water level on the beach can go up rather quickly from the created waves.

On top of Dürnstein Castle

The view from the other side is also great. You can walk up to the Dürnstein castle ruins and have the whole town under you. It’s not an easy climb as the steps are quite steep, but it’s manageable. There are many spot along the walk that make for a good photo oportunities. These two photos are from the complete top, from a huge rock in the middle of the ruins.

Abbey Church of Dürnstein

You can also visit the Abbey Church while in Dürnstein. I’m not 100% sure if tripods are still allowed inside, as I have not been inside in a while, but last time they had no problem with them. So you can always try :)

Spitz castle ruin

The Spitz castle ruin is another great spot with a great view. It’s on a small hill above the town of Spitz. You have to walk a bit up from the parking space, but it not far. The ruin is freely accessible (as the sign says, enter at your own risk) and can be entered at any time.

You can also walk up to the tower that’s in the middle of the ruin, but the steps there are a bit more steeper.

Red gate in Spitz

On the completely opposite side of Spitz you will find the Red gate. This is also a ruin, a part of a fortification. You can get really close to it by car and there is a small parking space for few cars next to a nearby house.

The area is freely accessible, there are not fences or anything like that there.

Spitz vineyards

Right form the Red gate, you can walk into the vineyards in Spitz. You will find no fences or gates here, and you can walk all around the town through them. The vineyards make for a great foreground element when you try to take photos of the town of Spitz.

Aggstein castle ruin

Let’s continue to another castle. The Aggstein castle ruin is on another hill further down the in the valley. Again, it’s very easy accesible, as there is a road going completely up to the castle. There is also a big parking space right next to it.

The castle is not always open (there is a winter break) and you will have to pay an entrance fee. You can use a tripod inside without any issues. You can go up to both sides of the ruin and from one you get a nice view of the castle, from the other the view in the Wachau valley is just spectacular.

The rocks behind the Aggstein castle ruin

Right behind the castle, there is a huge rock formation. It looks like you can’t climb onto it, but that’s not the case. If you go along the walkway, that is in front of it, you can get around and on top of it. From there you get to view the whole castle. But be sure, there are no railing or anything, so you enter there at your own risk.

Melk Monastery

The monastery in Melk is just huge. You can go in for a tour, but you can’t take photos there. Still if you like to see a very beautiful cathedral from inside, you should visit it.

It’s not that easy to get a nice shot from the outside, as the monastery is on the hill. But my favorite spot is from the nearby bridge, where you can see the front of the monastery in a reflection.

I’m missing a photo here, as while I have been in the are few times, I either had no time to get a shot or the monastery was under reconstruction. But will add one here as soon as I have one :)