No filter: 6 Wonderfully Photogenic Spots in Europe

 Instagram just teems with numerous travel-photos. But some locations are most popular among hundreds of thousands of instagrammers. We will tell you which places hold the palm of victory. Your inspiration starts in…

Reykjavik, Iceland

Walking along the streets of Reykjavik is already an adventure. The center is studded with small bright houses that will make you take out your smartphone again and again. Be sure to shoot the famous Hallgrímskirkja church reminding a spaceship. If you want, get inside for an organ concert. Then take the lift to the observation deck to make a picture of the capital from a bird’s eye view. The next photo session will be at the Old Reykjavik harbour. You will look great against the Harpa concert hall made of glass. But what will make your followers faint is Blue Lagoon. Its sky-colour water possess healing qualities. Better come here in the late evening, dive into the pool under the northern lights and make selfie in warm water.

Good Idea. If you want to take really cool photos, it’s worth going outside Reykjavik. Be inspired of our favourite places that do not need special processing and photoshop. Seljalandsfoss: steep cliffs with falling waterfalls. The Vatnajökull Glacier caves where the frozen water resembles rock crystal, that is why the caves look as if they are made of glass.

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Even the coast road itself is a masterpiece worthy to be published in your Instagram. It is edged with white rocks on one side and the sea and the villages clinging to the rocks on the other side. We think that the best way to feel the beauty of Amalfi is to make pictures of its cities: from Salerno to Positano, to admire the mountain views and to wonder how all these houses remain balanced while clinging to the slopes. You will immediately fall in love with the colour palette, which seems saturated but at the same time very harmonic, as if on the Impressionist works. When you see pastel houses, lemon groves, blue sea and mountains that you can capture in one picture, you realize that the Amalfi coast is one of the most photogenic places on earth. The villas on the Amalfi coast are just a must visit as the best views of the entire Amalfi coast open from their terraces. Such a photo session will be a beautiful close of your staying in one of the most beautiful places of the world.

Good Idea. Do not miss a chance to pay attention to the food here. Food in Positano is a work of art and worth of being immortalized. Choose La Sponda restaurant at Le Sirenuse Hotel. It not only looks beautifully, but has one of the best cuisines awarded a Michelin star. Its pasta with seafood is beyond competition. Be ready to see the hundreds of likes.

Gstaad, Swiss Alps

If you think the Swiss Alps are just for skiers, you haven’t seen this wonderful landscape in the summer. Inspiring hills covered in pines and little caps of snow, lush green valleys and friendly cows. We recommend to take a hike on one of the Gstaad’s many trails. We like the trail starting at Col du Pillon through the Glacier to the Auberge du Sanetsch mountain restaurant. We advise you to go hiking: pay attention to the interactive map, where you can set the number of kilometers, the level of complexity, and the desired time of your hike. Depending on the result, you can choose a trail. You can also head out on one of the mountain biking paths. Mountains offer a particular kind of beauty as the light here will be different every other moment.

Good Idea. Why not enjoy a delicious fondue right in the mountains and have a photo session on the picturesque background? Before the hike, get a ready-made picnic set: cheeses (usual or with truffle aroma), bread, spices, cutlery, and a fondue pot.

Santorini, Greece

It’s no wonder Santorini is the dream-destination for honeymooners. The island has a romantic air, thanks to its ancient homes, vineyards, painted stairways that give the impression of stepping right into the Aegean Sea, and cobalt blue rooftops competing with an equally blue sky. There’s a photo-worthy scene at literally every corner of Santorini. The best place for master shots is the Prophet Elias Monastery. By the way, it has a rich museum of icons. Yet another location is the Old Port, which you can reach by a cable-railway making pictures of sea views and white-stone city of Fira on the way. The unusual Skaros Rock (Santorini Balcony) is the favourite place of instagrammers. Many of those in love choose it for wedding photo sessions which are particularly impressive against the sunset. Your next destination is Imerovigli village, one of the highest points of the island, and, finally, the village of Oia, with its snow-white houses cut right in the rocks and the fairytale views.

Good Idea. Our instagrammers favoured taking in the famous sunset from the comfort zone of their villa, being safe of the tourist crowds. Renting a villa, you also get a monopoly for the best island views. We recommend to use the Instagram intensifying Lark filter. But if you want to show the natural dynamic character of the villages or market life, you better turn it off.

Provence, France

The fragrant purple “pastures” of Provence attract many view-hunters every summer. It seems sometimes that they just cannot imagine that there are other wonderful areas than those iconic lavender fields. Provence has mountains with walnut and beech forests on the slopes, the high blue sky and a restless mistral clearing the clouds away. Instagrammers were impressed with Village Perche villages, that is Slope Villages recognized as the most beautiful in the world. You can see Roussillon with its bright orange canyon and the uninhabited Les Baux-Des-Provence embodied in the rock. Having enjoyed the views, you can visit the market and buy farmer rosé wine, truffles, cheese, and mussels … And of course, to make the photos of all these. It is a joke, of course, but do not talk to the local residents too much. You will be so captured by the Provencal way of life that you forget to take photos at all.

 Good Idea. You may be sure to find a quiet cozy hotel or a historic villa with good cuisine, a swimming pool and a rich wine list in almost every Provencal town. Do not forget that interior and environment can also become a worthy object for your photo gallery.

Umbria, Italy

Umbria is neighboring the famous wine region of Tuscany. Although it is lesser known for tourism, it is equally wonderful for instagrammers. Umbria is the only Italian region with no coastline, so everywhere you turn your camera, you’ll see a valley, a mountain or a plain worthy of an artist’s brush. One may wonder, what interesting can be found here. Visit the ancient Roman town of Carsulae for unusual memorable photos. History and harmony-seekers from the Eternal City came here even in the Roman times. You can snap very unusual pictures at the Dunarobba Forest. What is so unusual about them? This is a petrified sequoia forest two million years old. The next photo session destination is the Medieval city of Assisi … That’s where to film The Perfume movie! One can move around the city only on foot, which is of benefit for you. The views inspire a slower rhythm of life so stretch out in a soft trattoria chair and take it all in, camera in hand. The right shot will come by itself.

Tip. If you want to shoot the views from above using a drone, do not to forget to obey the local rules. In Italy, you drone cannot get below 50 meters when it is over private property, power plants and government agencies.