Valais is the most spectacular canton in the Swiss Alps — home to the Matterhorn, more 4,000-metre peaks than anywhere else in Switzerland, the great Aletsch Glacier, and dozens of side valleys most visitors never reach. This guide is the result of over five years of scouting it on foot, by car and by mountain bike: 50 photography locations across the entire canton, from the icons to the quiet corners I stumbled on by getting lost.
 
It isn't a list scraped from the internet. Every spot is one I've stood on, photographed and can tell you the truth about — the easy wins, the long climbs, and the occasional "honestly, skip this part." If you're planning a Swiss trip and want to come home with images worth the journey, this is the legwork already done.
 
What's inside
50 photo locations across all of Valais (and a few just beyond, around Lake Geneva)
100+ pages and 200+ example photos, each with camera settings
Hundreds of Google Maps links — including the exact point each example photo was taken from, to within ~30 m
The complete Zermatt & Matterhorn guide, included in full
 
The regions covered
Goms & the high passes — Furka, Grimsel, the Rhône Glacier
Aletsch Arena — Eggishorn, Bettmeralp
Binntal —  the mineral country
Lötschental — the golden-larch valley
Saastal — Saas-Fee and Hohsaas
Zermatt & the Matterhorn — 9 locations, from Gornergrat and the Riffelsee to Höhbalmen and Zmutt
Val d'Anniviers — St-Luc, Zinal, Grimentz, Lac de Moiry
Val d'Hérens & Mont-Noble — La Sage, Arolla, Ferpècle, Nax
Nendaz & 4 Vallées — Veysonnaz, Mont Fort
Sion region — the Bisse de Mont d'Orge, Derborence, Savièse, a meadow above Ovronnaz
Verbier & Val de Bagnes — example photo locations: Pierre Avoi, Lac Louvie, the high cabanes
Pays du St-Bernard — the Great St Bernard Pass and Lacs de Fenêtre
Martigny & Lake Geneva — Lac d'Emosson, the Gorges du Durnand, Château de Chillon, Les Pléiades
 
Every location includes
How to get there — GPS, car parks, hiking-trail info, cable cars and public transport
The best time of year and time of day to shoot it
Honest, practical tips — what to look for, what to watch for, how to plan around it
A weather forecast linked to the exact GPS point, plus PeakFinder and other useful links
Hiking details — distance, ascent/descent and walking time, with a map link
Google Maps links to the precise spots the example photos were taken from
 
Over five years of research and scouting — so you can save days of yours.
Language: English · Format: PDF (100 MB, 100+ pages)