Swiss Alps in Winter | Switzerland Travel Guide
snow-covered lakeside village Lungern, Switzerland
What comes to mind when you think about Switzerland? For me, it’s the rolling snow mountains, turquoise-colored lakes, and those lovely little villages sitting deep in the Alps.
Visiting Switzerland in the winter was a dream come true. It’s a totally different world than what I’m used to - extremely serene, tranquil, hugged by nature.
The peaceful landscape was so inspiring in terms of the approach to photography. The colors are minimal yet so rich in the shades. It forces you to think further about what’s going on in the frame, the lines, the light, the shadow. Almost like black & white photography in a sense.
These photos were taken in Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Lungern, Brienz, Murren, and other smaller towns along the way. with a mix of analog and digital.
Scroll down to read more about all the places I visited.
See PART 2 of Switzerland in Summer here.
Planning your trip to Switzerland and searching for a Lucerne photographer? Contact me to book your Switzerland engagement session or pre-wedding photos!
Lungern, Switzerland in the mist, from afar
Murren, Switzerland
Murren, Switzerland
Murren, Switzerland
Interlaken, Switzerland in the mist
Schilthorn / Piz Gloria, where James Bond 007 was shot in the 1960s
Iseltwald, Switzerland
Lucerne skyline covered in snow
Lungern, Sarnen, Giswil, Brienz, Iseltwald
Taking the train from Lucerne to Interlaken. I assume the train began to accent at some point, or the snow simply got stronger. Slowly the views outside the train window were turning whiter and whiter.
I was completely in shock seeing the first snow-covered lakeside village - I believe it was Sarnen. I’ve never seen anything like this, ever. Then the train passed by Giswil, Lugern, Brienz, Inselwald. The view just kept getting better. I stood in front of the window thinking how incredible all this was, the power of nature.
Fun fact: Lungern and Iselwald became popular later because of a Netflix Korean show “Crush Landing On You“. I didn’t recognize them in the show because it looked different in the summer!
Lungern Switzerland in winter
Lungernersee (Lungern lake), Switzerland
View of Zurich city
Lucerne
Winter Carnival Fasnacht
The fasnacht carnival in February was so fun to experience. People dressed up in all kinds of crazy costumes and masks and party on the streets of Lucerne. There are performances, music, food trucks, and joy everywhere in the air.
Murren
This is probably my favorite mountain village around the area. Going from Interlaken to Schilthorn, it’s the last “civilization“ to stop at and change into cable car.
A breathtaking 180 degree view of the mountain range is right in front the moment you step out of the little red mountain train. From the train station it’s a 15-min walk to the cable car station - so pleasant to walk through the village and appreciate the Alpine houses covered in white fluffy snow.
View of the valley from the cable car between Birg and Schilthorn, Switzerland
Birg / Schilthorn
As the first cable car station from Murren to Schilthorn, Birg has a better view of the whole mountain range than at the top of Schilthorn in my personal opinion, because of the level of height it’s at. Especially if you’re using a mid-focal range around 50-70mm like me. There’s a fun “thrill walk“ with a glass-bottom bridge built on the side of the cliff. It was fun to walk through.
Lungern Switzerland in winter
Interlaken
Interlaken served as a transit point during my visit to the mountains/valleys nearby. Thanks to the super convenient public transport system in Switzerland, visiting all the places by public transport wasn’t entirely impossible. In fact, many places can only be accessed by public transport, such as by cable cars and special mountain trains.
Interlaken, Switzerland
Murren village covered in snow
Main road in Murren village, covered in thick snow
Lucerne skyline in the winter