With the festive season fast approaching, this week’s Travel Picture of the Week feels particularly fitting.

Captured by Lucinda Smith in the heart of Vienna in Austria, the photograph offers a lovely glimpse of the city dressed up for the holiday period.

What immediately catches the eye is the magnificent chandelier of Christmas lights suspended above the street. Its warm golden glow contrasts beautifully with the early evening sky, creating a scene that feels almost magical.

What’s more, the cascading lights draw you further into the image and give the picture a nice sense of depth, while the grand European architecture on either side provides an elegant backdrop.

I also like the inclusion of people going about their evening. Their presence captures the atmosphere of a European city in the lead-up to Christmas.

For those of us accustomed to celebrating Christmas in the Australian summer, it’s a delightful reminder of just how different the season can look on the other side of the world.

ENTER YOUR TRAVEL PICS

Each week we publish a Travel Picture of the Week in Wednesday’s digital edition of eTravel.

+ To enter, send your images by email to travelphoto@wanews.com.au.

+ Images must between 1MB and 3MB each, and you can submit two images with each email. (Only images attached in emails meeting these criteria can be considered.)

+ Your email must also include your name and a brief caption, so we can credit any picture selected to be Travel Picture of the Week.

+ Pictures can’t be created or overly enhanced by computer programs, of course.

+ And, of course, any images must be taken by you (no one can submit someone else’s photographs).

+ The experienced photographers of our Travel team will assess the submissions and pick one photo to be our Travel Picture of the Week.

+ Sign up for our FREE weekly eTravel digital edition at cloud.mail.wanews.com.au/thewest_newsletter