10 Best Photo Spots around Munich (in Bavaria and Tyrol) in Autumn

Autumn is a beautiful time for photography. When the leaves turn yellow and red and the mountains are covered in the first white snow cape it is the perfect time to head out for your photography adventure! We show you the ten best photo spots in Bavaria and Tyrol around Munich to visit in fall. Follow our guide for tips, the right time to visit and hiking opportunities along the way.

1. Ahornboden, Eng

📆 10. October - 10. November

The Ahornboden is located in a small and beautiful valley just 2h drive from Munich. There is a small toll road that leads from the village Hinterriß along the valley to the Großer Ahornboden where you will find hundreds of maple trees. In autumn if you are lucky the maple trees are in a full yellow coat and you can take photos with the snowy mountain peaks as a backdrop! Depending on temperatures and rain in the previous month the trees are getting yellow earlier or later in October and often this only lasts for a few days before they are getting brown and the trees drop their leaves altogether. A good rule of thumb is that the trees get to be yellow earlier if it starts to snow or gets cold earlier. To get there at the right time I recommend watching the webcam closely (although it has pretty bad quality).

So now you might think chances are pretty odd to see the yellow trees at the right time. But if you come later in October the larches are getting yellow! To see this you need to do a bit of hiking but I assure you that you will be rewarded with incredible views. A really nice hike to get these spectacular views is the hike to Hahnenkampel peak. You can read more in detail about it here soon.

2. Lake Sylvenstein

📆 10. - 20. October

On your way to Ahornboden you will pass Lake Sylvenstein. The best place to take photos here is at the bridge crossing over the lake. You can park your car at parking lots on either side of the bridge. If you have a drone this is the spot to fly. The bridge crossing the turquoise lake and the mountains in the back looks really cool. In autumn the trees around the lake turn yellow and red and thus the scene looks even more interesting and there might also be some mist hanging around in the morning which makes up for even better pictures from the ground and from the air. When driving further in the direction of Ahornboden you will pass another viewpoint from which you can overview the river delta where the Isar leads into Lake Sylvenstein. This is also a nice spot for drone photography.

3. Neuschwanstein castle

📆 5. - 20. October

Neuschwanstein Castle, the fairytale castle is probably the most famous place in Bavaria. And probabely the best time to take photos here is autumn. With the red and yellow colored trees all around the castle, it looks even more fairytale-like than normally. To get this perfect picture of the castle the best time to come is early to mid-october and it depends a lot on temperatures and rain at what time the leaves are getting the right color. Of course there are also webcams around the castle to see if it is the right time to go. Also check out our blog article for the best view of Neuschwanstein castle.

4. Seebensee and Ehrwalder Sonnenspitz, Ehrwald

📆 20. October - 1. November

Lake Seebensee is located in Ehrwald in Tyrol and is easy to reach by cable car and a short hike or mountain bike ride. In late October the larches around the lake turn yellow and the mirroring of the Zugspitze and the Ehrwalder Sonnenspitze in the lake looks marvelous surrounded by yellow larch trees. The larches turn yellow in the end of October until early November before they loose their needles.

If you would like to add a demanding hiking/climbing experience to your day trip I would recommend climbing the Ehrwalder Sonnenspitz peak. This is a difficult mountain tour that involves some climbing and is not suitable for beginners but great fun if you are a more experienced mountaineer. From up there you have fabulous views down to lake Seebensee and the surrounding mountains like the Zugspitze and the whole Wetterstein mountain range. Check out our blog article here for details about the tour to Ehrwalder Sonnenspitze.

5. Königssee, Berchtesgaden

📆 5.- 30. October

Lake Königssee is one of the most beautiful places in Bavaria. In autumn, when the leaves turn yellow and red you can catch a completely unique atmosphere when visiting the lake. Often in the morning there is fog moving around the lake which makes it possible to create more interesting photos (but also be aware that you might see nothing at all when you come to early and it is really foggy!). When visiting the area you should take a boat ride to St. Bartholomä and to the Obersee (a short walk from Salet boat stop) but be aware that boat transfer to Lake Obersee is suspended for autumn and winter month starting from early to mid-october. A good time for photos in autumn would be late morning (around 11), then there will also be nice light on Watzmann and St. Bartholomä church (unfortunately it is also when most other tourists will head out so be aware of the crowds!). You will have the best photo opportunities during the boat ride and when approaching the stop at St. Bartholomä so make sure to get a window seat on the right side in the boat!

If you are into hiking there is a really nice photo spot called Archenkanzel from where you get a panoramic view of the lake with St. Bartholomä church. You can start the hike from St. Bartholomä (more difficult) with nice views along the way or the easy one from Schönau. If you are interested see the details on our post here.

Another incredible viewpoint is the mountain top of Jenner at about 1800m. I would recommend taking the cable car or hike up (about 3 houres hike) to Jenner mountain peak for a perfect view over the lake and the surrounding mountains in the early morning. The morning has the best light on Watzmann mountain and adding to that there will be less crowds on the viewpoint! If you come in autumn it is possible that there is already a certain amount of snow up there so be prepared for a winter wonderland up there. To see the colored autumn leaves come here in October. You can see if it’s the right time on this webcam.

6. Church St. Sebastian, Ramsau

📆 5. - 20. October

Another beautiful photo spot is the post-card view of St. Sebastian church in Ramsau. The autumn colored leaves add a certain additional beauty to this view! You will get the best views from a bridge over the little river. Here you can picture the blue river, the picturesque church and the Latemar mountains as a backdrop. When you cross the bridge and walk a little bit away from the church you find another nice photo spot and classic instagram spot picturing the bridge, the river and the church.
So if you are already in the area for visiting lake Königssee the viewpoint in Ramsau is just a short stop over you should definitely not miss out on. From here it is also just a short drive from here to our next spot Lake Hintersee.

7. Lake Hintersee, Ramsau

📆 10. - 30. October

This beautiful lake is famous for the mini stone island with the two little trees and the Hochkalter mountain as a backdrop. This is a nice place to take photos in the morning when the autumn morning light turns our two little trees yellow. The scene looks especially nice when there is fog on the lake’s surface. There is also one spot where you can get a perfect sun star when the morning sun appears behind the forest. In late October or early November the forest around Hochkalter mountain is full of yellow glowing larch trees and makes up for the perfect autumn atmosphere. To catch the larch trees and Hochkalter with some nice light it would probably be better to come in the afternoon as the sun then stands in a better angle.

8. Church Maria Gern, Berchtesagaden

📆 10. - 30. October

The pilgrimage church of Maria Gern is another famous motive in the Berchtesgadener Land. The Watzmann and Maria Gern Chruch look like the perfect idyllic post-card picture. Here the sunrise is the best time for photos, when the mountain top of Watzmann turns bright rosa in the first morning light. In autumn if you’re lucky there is fog in the valley which gives the photo another interesting notion and sometimes the mountains already got their first cape of snow and thus look even cooler. Be aware that the area around is private property so always ask for permission

9. Kochelsee, Boat Houses

📆 October and November

The boat houses at Lake Kochelsee are a perfect motive in autumn when the morning fog still lays upon the lake and the first sunlight turns the boat houses into a misty magical scene. The fog often occurs in autumn month and when there has been rain on the previouse days followed by sunny weather. If you come in the morning this will make for the best photos. The boat houses lay on the north-east side of the lake in the village of Schlehdorf. There are four boat houses of which three are in private property. The most photogenic one accessible by car just a short walk from the parking lot. After you spend the morning near the boat houses you can drive up to Lake Walchensee our next photo spot.

10. Lake Walchensee

📆 10. - 30. October

Lake Walchensee is a bright turquoise mountain lake just a 1 1/2 hour drive from Munich. The lake is surrounded by mountains and there are two well known but incredible hikes starting there. THe first one is the Hike up to Herzogstand mountain (there is also a cable-car that leads to a viewpoint a little bit below the summit). This is a beautiful day-hike that can be combined in a round trip with Heimgarten peak. Details can be found on our blog entry here. Another shorter and easier hike leads up to Jochberg from where you also get views of Walchensee and Kochelsee. In autumn the trees around Walchensee turn bright red and yellow. This is a beautiful time for a walk on the lake’s shores and take some pictures of the beautifully colored trees mirrored in the lake.

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