Tannensee, Melchsee-Frutt
One of the best astrophotography spots in Central Switzerland – barely any light pollution, a clear horizon, and the Milky Way right above the lake.
Best time
New-moon nights from May to September, from 11 pm onwards.
Difficulty
Moderate
GPS
46.7748, 8.3140Tannensee lies at 1,674 metres in the middle of the Obwalden Alps – one of those places where you look up at night and forget to breathe. No traffic noise, no glow from a city, just the lake, the mountains and the sky.
I ended up here as part of the Four Lakes route – or rather, I deliberately stayed. Tannensee is an official bivouac site on this Alpine tour, and anyone carrying a tent sleeps right on the shore. That’s exactly what I did.
Melchsee-Frutt is car-free, sits at 1,920 metres and has almost no light pollution. The village itself is tiny – a few hotels, a gondola lift – but the night sky is enormous. On a clear evening the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye. With a camera and tripod it becomes something you won’t forget in a hurry.
Practical tips
- → Plan the trip around the new moon – even a half moon is enough to wash out faint stars.
- → Tannensee is an official bivouac site on the Four Lakes route – you can spend the night right on the shore.
- → Melchsee-Frutt is car-free and at 1,920 m – you get there by gondola or on the hiking trail from Melchtal.
- → Bring warm clothes: even in summer, night-time temperatures drop below 5 °C.
- → Fast wide-angle lenses (f/1.8–f/2.8) such as the Sigma ART are recommended – ISO 3200–6400, 15–20 second exposures.
- → Focus manually to infinity and test the focus on a bright star before it gets truly dark.
Photos from the spot
Did the spot work out?
I've done the groundwork: checked the light, scouted the trails and documented everything, so you can focus entirely on the photography.
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