Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked country in central Europe, bordered by France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Italy. The Alps cover around 60 percent of its territory. Four national languages divide it: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Geneva sits at the French-speaking western tip. Lugano, by contrast, lies on a lake in Italian-speaking Ticino, south of the main Alpine ridge.

Lake Lugano

Before the trip, I had seen many photos of the lake. In most of them, the mountains seemed to grow straight out of the water. That was the frame I came for.

From the flower beds on the lakefront, Monte San Salvatore rises across the turquoise bay. The city spreads along the shore at its foot, and pedal boats dot the water. White and purple blooms fill the foreground. As a result, the frame holds three layers: flowers, lake and mountain.

Further south, Monte San Giorgio rises above the lake’s southern shore. Its rock layers hold some of the best-preserved marine fossils of the Triassic, and UNESCO listed the site in 2003. For a photographer, however, the lake itself is the subject.

Lugano

Lugano is the largest city in Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton. South of the Alps, Switzerland changes language and climate. Palm trees grow along its lakefront, and the sun shines often. We stopped here in summer, on the road from Milan to Liechtenstein.

The city wraps its bay like a crescent between two mountains. Monte Brè rises to 925 metres on one side, and Monte San Salvatore to 912 metres on the other. Funiculars also climb both. As for history, Lugano passed to the Swiss Confederation in 1513. Later, it became part of the canton of Ticino. Today, it is also the third-largest financial centre in Switzerland, after Zurich and Geneva.

Geneva

Geneva sits where the Rhône leaves Lake Geneva, almost surrounded by France. It is the second-largest city in Switzerland and the European home of the United Nations. The full Geneva guide covers the city in depth. This section, therefore, gives the short version, built around the photos.

The first frame needs height. From above the rooftops, the bay opens out past the red tiles of the old town. Beyond it, the marina lines the far shore. The Jet d’Eau stands at the edge of the frame. Even so, it pulls the eye first. It was a very hot summer day, and the hills behind faded into haze.

The fountain began as a safety valve. In 1886, the city’s hydraulic power network needed a way to release excess pressure. So a jet fired into the air beside the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices on the Rhône. Five years later, it moved out into the lake. Today, the old machine hall is an opera stage. At blue hour, its arched windows glow orange and repeat on the water.

St. Pierre Cathedral

St. Pierre stands at the top of Geneva’s old town, one of the largest historic centres in Switzerland. Construction began in the 12th century. Later, John Calvin preached here, and the cathedral became the centre of the Reformation in the city.

The usual approach in a building like this is a wide interior. However, the frame worth having measured about twenty centimetres. At the end of the choir stalls, a crowned dragon is carved into the wood. Its wings are painted blue, green and orange. Why it sits in a Protestant cathedral is explained nowhere I could find. In fact, that open question is what made the photo.

Palace of Nations

The Palais des Nations was built between 1929 and 1938 for the League of Nations. Since then, it has become the European headquarters of the United Nations. Guided tours are open to the public. Book ahead, and bring a passport or ID card.

One room alone justifies the tour. Miquel Barceló painted its ceiling as a cave, hung with thousands of coloured stalactites. He began in 2007 and finished in 2008. Shot from the back of the empty Human Rights Room, the ceiling fills the top of the frame. Below it, the delegates’ desks curve away under warm reading lamps. Every seat is empty. Above all, that emptiness carries the frame.

Photographing Switzerland

The second Lugano frame is a panorama from the lakeside promenade. Stitched wide, it bends the stone lake wall into a curve, with a single sailboat at the centre. At first glance, the result looks almost abstract. Still, the curve tells the truth about the place, because the city really does wrap the bay.

Both trips came in summer, so the light was hot, hazy and flat at midday. Therefore, the strongest frames came from height, colour and timing instead. In Geneva, that meant blue hour at the BFM. In Lugano, it meant the turquoise water, which holds its colour even under a high sun.

The flower frame is also a lesson in demand. I knew which view of the lake people already look for. So I made that view, then gave it a foreground that sets it apart.

When to Visit Switzerland

Summer is the warmest season and the busiest. In Geneva, temperatures can pass 35 degrees, and haze softens distant views. Meanwhile, the Lugano lakefront gardens are in full bloom from late spring through summer.

For clearer light, late spring and early autumn are the better choice. The terraces are still open, but the crowds thin out. Winter, on the other hand, belongs to the Alps and the ski resorts. In Geneva, the Jet d’Eau pauses in freezing weather. In addition, December brings L’Escalade, the city’s own festival.

Getting Around Switzerland

Swiss trains are fast, frequent and punctual. The Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in 2016, and it cuts the trip from Zurich to Lugano to about two hours. From Geneva, trains also run along the lake to Lausanne and Montreux. Boats, buses and mountain railways share the same timetable, and the Swiss Travel Pass covers most of them.

Borders, moreover, are close everywhere. Geneva is almost wrapped by France, so crossing into France takes minutes. Lugano, in turn, is about an hour by train from Milan, which has its own photography guide to Milan.

Frequently Asked Questions