Itinerary

During this France and Switzerland Alps Photography Tour, we will be driving through scenic roads, hiking in incredible and unique areas, and sleeping in the mountains close to some of the most impressive locations. This tour is not suited for people with limited mobility. It requires a decent level of fitness as we will regularly hike in the mountain. The longest hike will be to the Lac Blanc which is a 5kms hike that can be done in about 2 hours (more details in the below description). We will drive daily for about 1 to 3 hours maximum. At this period of the year, it can be fairly cold higher up in the mountains and therefore being ready for the cold will be important.

Day 1 - Sunday 29th September

This will be the first day of our Switzerland and France Photography Workshop. All participants should arrive before noon at Geneva Airport. We will start driving immediately from Genva Airport to our first Location: Sixt-Fer-A-Cheval, one of the most iconic spots in the French Alps. After arriving at our hotel, we will head to our first sunset location which will require a hike of about 1h. We will then head for a traditional diner.

In the evening, we will do a briefing of the tour so that everyone can get to know the group and ask any questions.

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Diner: the group will be dining at a local restaurant close to our accommodation

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Day 2 - Monday 30th September

We will wake up early to catch the sunrise at an amazing waterfall: la cascade du Rouget. There, we will practice long exposure and panoramas. After shooting the waterfall, we will head for breakfast and then go for a few hours walk in the crater of Sixt Fer à Cheval. Numerous cascades, fall colored trees, and picturesque peaks will complete this walk.

We will drive for about an hour after lunch to head to le Lac Blanc in Chamonix, home to the famous Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4'871m).

We will take a funicular and then walk for about 2 hours to reach the mountain refuge, where we'll spend the night. Once there, we will have the opportunity to capture the amazing reflection of the opposite valley over the Lac Blanc.

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Breakfast: at our hotel

Lunch: stop on the way to Chamonix

Diner: dining at the Mountain refuge

Day 3 - Tuesday 1st October

After a good night rest, we will wake up for sunrise and shoot close to the refuge. After breakfast, our group will continue this Alps Photography Workshop with a hike to reach the cable car back to Chamonix. This hike will be easy as mostly downward. There are many opportunities for great pictures on the way. Once back in Chamonix, we will head for lunch and then take the train up towards one of the highlights of our trip, La Mer De Glace. This is the biggest glacier in the French Alps. Once up there we will let our luggage at the mountain refuge and start exploring the surrounding area until sunset. This may require hiking a bit, depending from where you wish to photograph.

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Breakfast: at the Refuge of the Lac Blanc

Lunch: in a typical restaurant in Chamonix

Diner: at our accommodation at la Mer de Glace

Day 4 - Wednesday 2nd October

We will wake up for sunrise and photograph the area around la Mer de Glace with the calm and relaxing morning light. Since we will know the location from the day before, looking for a nice spot should not be difficult. After sunrise, we will have breakfast and then head down and get back to our vehicle. Depending on the time, we will either have lunch in Chamonix or on the way to our next location.

We will continue this Alps Photography Workshop by heading to our next and first location in Switzerland. The drive will take about 2 hours. This location is still a relatively unknown location that has a lot to offer. Once there, we will check in at our hotel and then head immediately to our sunset location. This place will hopefully deliver on promises and offer us a moody atmosphere. And if not, it will still be amazing. We will head to the village right after sunset and have diner at a local restaurant.

Breakfast: at our accommodation at la Mer de Glace

Lunch: in Chamonix or on our way

Diner: in local restaurant close to our accommodation

Day 5 - Thursday 3rd October

We will head early to our sunrise location which should offer great atmosphere, playing with long exposures and frames while face a gigantic mountain and glacier. To avoid any time pressure with our accommodation, we will have a takeaway breakfast.

We will head after that to one of the highlights of this tour Swiss Photography Tour: Zermatt.  After a 2 hours drive, we will reach the beautiful village of Zermatt and take a cable car to reach our accommodation up in the mountains with an incredible view over the Matterhorn. Once checked in and after a 20 minutes walk we will reach one of the most beautiful lake in the area for sunset. We will get back promptly for diner to the refuge and head for a good night sleep. If the sky is clear, we migh head for some interesting astrophotography. 

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Breakfast: takeaway breakfast from our hotel

Lunch: on the way to Zermatt

Diner: at the mountain refuge

Day 6 - Friday 4th October

After an early wake up, we will head to our evening locaiton for sunrise and wait patiently for the amazing lighting of the Matterhorn. After sunrise, we will head back to our accommodation for breakfast. Once ready, we will go for a 2 hours hike crossing lakes and admiring the Matterhorn from variou angles. After being back to Zermatt, we will then drop our luggage at our accommodation for our second night in the area. Everyone will then get some free time, and have the opportunity to visit this lovely village. We will meet again for lunch and head in the afternoon towards the Matterhorn Glacier with the famous Gornegrat funicular. A our arrival we will enoy the beautiful views of the glacier. And end the day beautifully, we will hike downhill for 30 minutes to reach Riffelalpsee, another famous lake with a perfect reflection of the Matterhorn.  This will e our sunset spot. We will then get back to Zermatt for diner, and well deserved restful evening. 

Breakfast: at the refuge

Lunch: lunch in Zermatt.

Diner: diner in a local restaurant in Zermatt

Day 7 - Saturday 5th October

We will start the day of this Switzerland Photography Tour with a sunrise at a viewpoint above the beautiful Zermatt with the Matterhorn on its background. After sunrise, we will get back to our hotel for breakfast and then have a post-processing session. We will eat lunch in Zermatt and then head back to our vehicle and hit the road to our next spot: the Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in continental Europe. After taking a funicular ride to the top of the mountain, we will enjoy a nice photography session in the area. Dramatic atmospheres are common over the glacier. After enjoying the view, we will take the funicular back to our vehicle and go to our sunset location, the Rhone Glacier where I will bring to an amazing spot right above the glacier. After sunset, we will drive about an hour more and head to our hotel for the night and have diner there.

Breakfast: breakfast at our hotel.

Lunch: early lunch in Zermatt

Diner: diner at the restaurant of our hotel

Day 8 - Sunday 6th October

This Alps Photography Workshop will continue with an early wake up. After picking up a takeaway breakfast, we will drive about 15 minutes to our sunrise location. We will spend a good part of the day shooting a pass with many great views including some iconic, yet not well too known spots. Later during the day, we will drive to our next location: Rosenlaui, another Swiss Gem. This is a very iconic spot in Switzerland. After checking in, we will spend the evening photographing the famous Wellhorn in various locations.

Breakfast: takeaway breakfast

Lunch: Lunch on the way in a local restaurant

Diner: diner at our hotel

Day 9 - Monday 7th October

The day will start early with a sunrise over the Wellhorn at a location close to our accommodation. After sunrise, we will head for breakfast, and then go to a hidden spot full of opportunities. However, this will require to hike for about 45 minutes. This hike will be optional, but very rewarding.

The day will continue by heading towards our next location, Grindelwald. After lunch, we will take a cable car to the top of a mountain, unveiling incredible views over Jungfrau Hoch, another iconic mountain in Switzerland. After taking a gondola, we will reach our accommodation which will be right on top of the mountain for that night. After checking in, we will start a one-hour easy hike to our sunset location, where lake reflection should deliver outstanding views and obviously wonderful photographs. After sunset, we will head back to our accommodation for diner.

Breakfast: at our hotel

Lunch: lunch in a local restaurant in Grindelwald

Diner: at our accommodation

Day 10 - Tuesday 8th October

We will hike to the same location as  evening beofre in order to take advantage of the incredible morning sunlight slowly highlighting the valley as the sun rises. After getting back to our accommodation, we will take the cable car down to Grindelwald and drive for about 30 minutes to one of the most beautiful valleys in Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen. After lunch, we will stroll through the village and spend time shooting this it from various angles before going to our sunset location. After a quick ftrain ride, we will check-in at our accommodation, and then walk to our sunset location. After sunset we will have a relax diner and evening.

Breakfast: takeaway breakfast from our accommodation

Lunch: in a local restaurant in Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen depending on our timing

Diner: at our hotel

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Day 11 - Wednesday 19th October

We will start the day of this Switzerland and France Alps Photograhy tour with an optional sunrise. We will get back to the same location as the previous evening and enjoy different light conditions. After breakfast at our hotel, we will then do a photography review group session. We will then get down the mountain with the local train and have lunch in Lauterbrunnen. We will then drive early afternoon for about an hour to reach Oeschinensee, certainly the most beautiful lake in Switzerland, and perhaps in the world. After taking a Gondola and a short walk, we will spend a night right next to this Unesco World Heritage lake. Sunset will take place at some great locations offering incredible view of the lake.

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Breakfast: breakfast at our accommodation

Lunch: in a local restaurant in Lauterbrunnen or on our way to Oeschniensee

Diner: at our accommodation

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Day 12 - Friday 20th September 

This will be the last sunrise of our Switzerland Photography Tour. It will be spent near the lake ,or at the simiilar locations as the evening before. After sunrise, we will have breakfast at our acommodation and then take the cable car down to pick up our vehicle. We will then drive back to Geneva. If time and weather allow, we will make a quick stop to a secret location.

After an incredible trip hopefully full of good memories, each participants will be dropped either in the city center of Geneva close to the train station, or at Geneva Airport. That will be time to say goodbye, and remember all the beautiful things we saw and the great moments spent together with our group.