The Best European Locations to Help Kickstart Your Photography Career

Exploring Europe is an exciting opportunity to broaden your horizons. While it’s a great continent to visit as an avid traveller, it’s also great for pursuing your dream career. Europe has many locations that can help you launch your career as a photographer, as you try different techniques while capturing some unique landscapes. Selecting the right destinations is very important, with some cities and towns providing you with much better opportunities.

This guide will advise you on some European cities that will be perfect for mastering diverse photographic styles, while giving you some great photographic scenes to put in your photo album book portfolio. Continue reading to help kickstart your photography career.

Most Photogenic Cities in Europe

Matera, Italy

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Matera is famous for its ancient cave dwellings carved directly into limestone cliffs. The city feels like a film set and is particularly magical at dusk when the cave lights are at their visual peak. Head to the viewpoint near the Matera Cathedral or hike into Murgia Materana Park to capture the entire stone city from across the ravine.

The city is divided into the Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, where visitors can explore cave homes, hotels and restaurants. There’s so much to do there, so you won’t get bored during your stay.

Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu is known for its "houses with eyes", which are historic buildings with eyebrow-shaped dormer windows in their roofs that seem to watch passersby. It’s one of the most unique sights in Europe, giving you plenty of opportunities to capture memories and photos. The city combines Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance styles to provide you with visuals that you won’t find anywhere else on the continent.

The Council Tower offers a bird's-eye view of the Big and Small Squares, while the Bridge of Lies provides a low-angle perspective for street photography. It’s great for taking artistic photos that will look wonderful when displayed above a fireplace or in a hallway.

Ghent, Belgium

While most photographers choose to go to Bruges for its wonderful scenery, nearby Ghent offers a more authentic medieval atmosphere that will give you the most unique shots. The city is built around a network of canals and features the massive Gravensteen Castle right in the city centre, which looks fantastic both at night and during the day.

St. Michael’s Bridge is the best location to capture locations at night, with you being able to capture the Three Towers of Ghent in one frame. It’s great for taking romantic photos with your spouse too.

Aveiro, Portugal

Known for its network of canals and brightly painted boats, Aveiro offers a more colourful alternative to Porto that puts you right on the coastline. It is also a hotspot for Art Nouveau architecture enthusiasts, with many structures making for the perfect snap. Take a short trip to nearby Costa Nova to photograph the iconic striped wooden beach houses.

Aveiro also has an open-air museum displaying traditional salt harvesting methods, giving you a unique experience to enjoy during your travels.

Valletta, Malta

Valletta is a fortified city in Malta that is built entirely on a peninsula, making it a beautiful location for taking photographs of the scenery. Its streets are famously steep and lined with iconic traditional wooden balconies in every colour. If you stand at the top or bottom of one of these streets, it makes for a really cool visual that will give you a photo to look back on very fondly.

The Upper Barrakka Gardens offer a dramatic view over the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities across the water, allowing you to capture Malta’s immense beauty in just one shot.

Zurich, Switzerland

The Altstadt on either side of the Limmat River is highly recommended for those who are staying in Zurich. It has narrow cobblestone streets, colourful buildings and medieval charm that offers visitors some unique photo opportunities. Key landmarks like the Grossmünster and Fraumünster churches are particularly photogenic, especially when illuminated at night.

Lake Zurich is great for getting panoramic water shots, with snow-capped Alps often visible in the background on clear days. The Limmat River also offers beautiful reflections of the city’s historic buildings.

Budva, Montenegro

This small coastal city in Montenegro has a beautiful old town with several beaches located on each side of it. You should explore the 2,500-year-old Venetian-style architecture and high mountain backdrops to get the best panoramic views and photographs. The Budva Citadel provides sweeping views of the Adriatic Sea, terracotta roofs and Sveti Nikola Island, giving you some lovely snapshots.

The best time for photographing the Old Town streets without crowds is the morning, as this gives you a soft, consistent light that is perfect for taking pictures.