Hi, Guys! Today I want to share with you the first part of the experience of a trip through the Alps in search of trails and the best photos.

First of all, I have been traveling and photographing quite different places for 10 years in search of landscapes, cultures and experiences, so my goal here is to share these visions with you to exchange ideas and learn together.

Returning to the Alps, it may seem like an expensive and bold trip for those who are going for the first time, but I will demystify that.

First of all, you can sleep in high-value, no-stress locations, and still get wonderful photos and trails like I did. It is more than enough to have a basic fitness and a little cash for the tickets and accommodations that I will show here.

I started my journey through Italy, at Milan Airport. I went in October where it is quite common to get some promotional flights there, and that was exactly my case with the Edelweiss airlines. Alitalia usually has very interesting flights, especially out of season.

Milan is a favorable point to make this trip due to its proximity to the Alps. We took a car at the airport and left, crossing the border to Switzerland in a few hours driving. A highlight of doing the trip in October is that you will catch the autumn exploding, so... just joy!

Our first stop was Zermatt. Before getting there, we left the car in a small town - Täsch - and took a train, since the Swiss city is completely car-proof (except for a few authorized ones). It's very easy to get to the station and buy tickets, since the structure is very similar to a mall: all automated and signposted.

Zermatt is a very interesting city for adventure and photography, as it comprises numerous trails and the iconic Matterhorn mountain, (the Toblerone chocolate). The coolest thing is that if you plan, you can stay in the city, eat well, and enjoy the high mountains by cable cars and trains without much effort. The trails vary in size and difficulty, but most of them can be done by people with reasonable physical shape.

In our case, we opted for an off-season pass that gave access to all cable cars and trains for 3 days (Peak Pass). That was a breakthrough because it guaranteed all our entry and scheduling for trekking and photographing.

We have programmed two main spots: the Riffelsee which can be reached via a light trail at the train station of the same name, and the Five Lakes Trail, which is a little longer trekking, but is well worth for visiting lakes with an uninterrupted view of the giant Matterhorn.

At the Riffelsee I strongly recommend you to wake up early to see the sunrise painting the mountain. It is an unparalleled experience and certainly yields incredible memories and photos.

On the 5-Seeweg, which is the Trail of the Five Lakes, you must go to the station of Sunnegga or Blauherd to start. I recommend that you go either early to enjoy the walk or go later in the afternoon to get the sunset light on the Stellisee. Remembering that if you choose to do the trail later, you should check the times of the cable cars to your return trip.

After enjoying Zermatt a lot, drive to the city of Lauterbrunnen to admire the waterfalls and mountains. This region is naturally amazing and close to the city of Grindelwald, where you can take a spectacular trail to the Bachalpsee. If you want to experiment calmly, book at least 3 days here in this region.

To save on accommodation, search for Airbnbs and Bed and Breakfast hotels on Booking.com. Another tip is also to always go to the markets and eat at home, which is much more affordable (unless you wanted to reserve a few days for those gastronomic experiences).

The last stop that I recommend here in these parts of Switzerland is to go to the small town of Gruyeres and Montreux through the rural roads. The journey itself is already rewarding and you will still be able to eat the best fondues and cheeses of Switzerland. Set aside a full day to take the journey calmly, then depart for France, in the city of Chamonix.

But this is already a topic for the next post... Until then, Guys!