Mittenwald definitely added!!

Mittenwald is also renown for its nice walks in surrounding areas.

Can anyone recommend towns or spots that depict dramatic green valleys set against the alps? I understand that snow on the mountains will be limited. Just wondering how far I'll have to drive to experience scenes such as this

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e950dade6d.jpg

Drive few hours to Innsbruck and head west or east.

Garmisch has a few like Zugspitze and Mittenwald are closest but not a string of high snow-capped Alps.

Do a picture search on Google for
> Achensee
> Zillertal
> Stubaital
Any valley South or close to Innsbruck in Austria should offer in principle the vistas you're looking for.
In mid May, any place with moutains in the 3K range (meters, not feet) as backdrop will have the rocky mountain tops covered in snow - probably more snow than in your sample pic.
From a photographer's perspective, the main issue is not the lack of matching vistas but the unpredictability of weather in May.
It's not a "dry month" - and it may very well be that many parts of the Northern ridge of the Alps have clouds, overcast skies, rain, etc.
It's a very different beast than most of the Rockies where you have short intervals of very heavy precipitation, but a mostly sunny and arid climate in general. It would not be unseasonable or especially bad luck to spend one week in Zillertal in May and have rain and grey skies every day.
OTOH, clear sunny skies - especially if there was a dry period - usually mean haze by midday, especially when the location or direction of the valley forces you to shoot straight to the South.

Hallstatt is a bit farther afield but has the awesome Alps of your dreams in a spectacular setting.

as a photographer this is valuable information. Thank you for that. I try and make the best of every situation because you never know what the weather will be like. Overcast/foggy days are great for places like Edinburgh and a rainy day is actually preferable for waterfall shots. Out of all my photography trips only one destination (Ireland) was largely sunny and pleasant the majority of the time.


Ah yes Hallstatt. This was a "must" when planning begun but I regrettably had to drop it because of distance. It's farther into Austria than both Salzburg and the Großglockner High Alpine road. I just can't spend too much time there. As a substitute I'm strongly considering a spot in Northern Italy near a place called Fleres di Dentro. The mountains aren't as dramatic but there are some easily visible waterfalls and wonderful valley views. It's also a very easy drive from Innsbruck.

The Brennero Pass area is also nice for mountains.

I saw that too! I'll be driving right through it

As there are many public holidays in Bavaria and Austria in May, you should avoid the Brenner motorway pass road on the following days, if you can:

Southbound
Wed, May 9 (afternoon and later) and Thu, May 10
Fri, May 18 (afternoon and later) and Sat, May 19

Northbound
Sun, May 13 (from noon till later)
Mon, May 21 (from noon till later)

Badgastein near Brenneero I though was a wonderful place to stay.