The most fascinating cities for street photography

Street photography is an independent, fascinating and often challenging genre in photography. It is exceptionally versatile and finds outstanding motifs and situations, especially in cities. The hustle and bustle of a shopping street, a busy square or the traffic on the main thoroughfare form a charming contrast to quiet streets on the outskirts of cities and in suburbs. Urban photography in cities is just as appealing in places with historical architecture as it is in a modern business district with high-rise buildings. You will find motifs in small towns as well as in a cosmopolitan city. The view through the lens always reveals new moods. Discover some of the world's most exciting cities for street photography in this article.

Best cities for street photography in Germany

Ultimately, the question of which cities offer the best photo opportunities is down to the individual preferences of the photographer. However, some cities regularly attract professional photo artists and amateur photographers with attractive motifs or unusual atmospheres.

• Berlin, with its historic buildings, the extraordinary architecture in the government district and the modern skyscrapers on Potsdamer Strasse, offers a wide variety of photo opportunities. On the top floor of the Kollhoff Tower, built in the style of early 19th century American skyscrapers, there is a viewing platform that is considered one of the best locations for street photography in Berlin. For photographers who want to capture everyday life in the city with their camera, a visit to the individual city districts is worthwhile. Old districts such as Kreuzberg and Neukölln as well as Marzahn and Hellersdorf with their typical prefabricated housing estates or the Märkisches Viertel with its high-rise housing estates form particular contrasts.
  
  
• Dresden boasts an outstanding ensemble of baroque architecture right on the banks of the Elbe. The historical architectural styles represented here bear their own name as Dresden Baroque. Modern architectural works of art such as the Kulturpalast, the Kugelhaus and the UFA-Kristallpalast form a contrast. The Loschwitz district with the Elbe castles and Weißer Hirsch on the slopes of the Dresden Elbe valley outside the city center form picturesque ensembles. The squares between the historic buildings and the narrow alleyways in the Old Town and the districts in the Dresden Elbe Valley are ideal photo motifs for street photography.
  
  
• Hamburg, a traditional seaport city, is also located on the banks of the Elbe and attracts photographers with great contrasts. The industrial-looking port facilities offer just as attractive motifs as the Inner Alster in the city center, the Landungsbrücken and Blankenese, situated on a Geest slope with its sophisticated villas and the Treppenviertel. One of the most popular locations for street photography for a view of this district is the viewing platform on the Cranzer Hauptdeich on the opposite bank of the Elbe. In the evening and at night, the St. Pauli entertainment district is the declared destination for passionate city photographers.
  
  
• Frankfurt am Main attracts visitors with the skyline of its banking district and the banks of the Main with its imposing bridge constructions.
  
  
• Dortmund is a city with many faces. The industrial monuments of the former Phoenix-West steelworks and the Zollern colliery are popular photo motifs. Westenhellweg crosses the city center and is one of the busiest shopping streets in Germany. The hustle and bustle of the city can be seen particularly well here. Popular photo motifs in the city include the Westfalenhalle, the Florianturm in Westfalenpark and the Signal-Iduna-Park, which is considered one of the most beautiful soccer stadiums in Europe. The viewing platforms of the Florianturm, which is around 208 meters high, offer a panoramic view of the entire city and the surrounding towns. They are ideal locations for street photography in Dortmund.
  
  
• In Düsseldorf, the elegant Königsallee shopping street, the entertainment district in the old town, the Rhine embankment promenade and the Media Harbour offer exciting motifs. The large and extensive grounds of Düsseldorf Airport with its own suspension railroad, its modern architecture and the directly adjacent hotels as well as the constantly taking off and landing planes are particularly worthwhile for street photography due to its impressive street layout.
  
  
• With the Viktualienmarkt and the city center between Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz,Munich offers both urban Bavarian and sophisticated motifs. Photographers will find the hustle and bustle of the big city combined with attractive inner-city architecture at Stachus. The banks of the Isar and the English Garden form a relaxed contrast to the big city. As an example of metropolitan road traffic, the central ring road is an interesting destination. It is considered the most congested stretch of road in Germany.
  
  
• Lübeck is another city with beautiful views, a charming old town with narrow streets and imposing historical buildings. More than a thousand cultural monuments in Lübeck are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city on the Baltic Sea coast is criss-crossed by charming landscapes with small lakes and the River Trave and its tributaries. With this diversity, Lübeck offers a wide variety of motifs for street photography.

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Not only the big cities are considered the best cities for street photography in Germany. Cities and smaller towns with narrow old town streets, half-timbered houses and historic squares are just as suitable for urban photography. Fascinating cities for street photography with historic cityscapes are, for example:

• Quedlinburg
• Freiburg im Breisgau
• Mittenwald
• Lindau
• Füssen
• Bad Mergentheim
• Cochem
• Hattingen
• Freudenberg
• Monschau
• Lüneburg
• Celle
• Stade
• Wismar

Photo motifs here are not so much the hustle and bustle of the city, but rather tranquil small-town moods against impressive backdrops.

The world's best cities for street photography

When it comes to the world's best cities for street photography, New York is top of the list for many photographers. One of the most popular locations for street photography in New York is Grand Central Station. The hustle and bustle in front of the historic architecture of the world's largest train station makes for a constantly changing, attractive motif. You should also visit the colorful Chinatown district, 5th Avenue with its skyscrapers and the Lower East Side with the East Village. Last but not least, Times Square and Broadway attract street photographers from all over the world.

The city center of Paris uniquely combines historic architecture with urban vibrancy and wide streets with busy intersections. One example of this is the Arc de Triomph with its surrounding traffic circle. The wide Champs Élysée, lined with trees and stores, offers equally attractive motifs as the narrow Montmartre district with Place Pigalle and the Sacrè-Coeur basilica.

Equally fascinating cities for street photography are Rome, reminiscent of an ancient open-air museum in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. If you want to take your camera equipment on a trip to the world's best cities for street photography, you should visit the following cities:

• Venice with its waterways
• the Mediterranean city of Barcelona
• Dubai with its unique architecture
• the streets and canals of Amsterdam
• San Francisco with its steep streets running up and down the hills
• the colorful hustle and bustle in the streets of Cape Town
• Istanbul with its rich culture
• nostalgic Kyoto with its traditional Japanese architecture

If you are looking for cities for urban photography, the extremely large Asian cities such as Bangkok, Tokyo or Singapore are also popular destinations. But even the smaller cities in all parts of the world offer impressive motifs for street photography.