Report on the highest mountain Grossglockner Austria. Panoramic road Großglockner High Alpine Road. Route map and accommodations
Every kilometer and every single one of the 36 turns of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a treat! Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe is the declared goal of each visitor. It opens up a grand view of Austria’s largest mountain, which even tops the largest glacier in the Eastern Alps, the about 8 km long Pasterze, with its 3,798 m. The snow-covered Johannisberg caps off the mountain panorama. The hiking trails into the Gamsgrube amidst the special conservation area of the High Tauern National Park affords unique views and sightings of rare alpine animals, such as the majestic ibex. The visitors’ center with exhibitions and numerous attractions rests on the ridge named after the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph!
The High Alpine Road for hikers, family with children and motor fans
Go on brief walks or extended hikes along the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Exhibitions and museums, information points and natural trails await discovery. Families with children will learn a lot about the construction of the road and the high alpine nature at four themed playgrounds. Motorized mountain friends have to check out the Grossglockner High Alpine Road with its unmatched driving experience and international events. Motorcyclists enjoy the top-notch road surfacing and driving safety training sessions for even more fun on the road. Tip: buy your ticket before starting your journey at the online ticket shop and receive a 15% discount in all shops of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road!
The Grossglockner high alpine road, better known in German How Großglockner Hochalpenstraße, is definitely the best thing I've ever seen in Austria. If you have already been there, then perhaps you will not be surprised by the news that this place is included in the list of “1000 places to see before you die”, along with the Grand Canyon, Petra or Venice. If you haven’t been, then you urgently need to add this place to your personal list of plans for the near future, because better than the mountains, as you know, there can only be mountains, let alone something else, but there are enough mountains in that area. About 300 three-thousanders on 1,100 square kilometers, 246 glaciers, the highest mountain in Austria - Grossglockner (3,798 meters), half-green, half-snowy slopes and an incredible zigzag winding road - without hesitation I call this place the pearl of Austria.
Officially, the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is 48 kilometers long: this is the toll part of the road (28 euros for a one-day pass), the most difficult to drive, but also the most beautiful. Unofficially, there is a traditional route starting from the settlement of Bruck, near Zell am See, and ending near Heiligenblut. If you go towards Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, you will still take this route, because there are simply no other roads there. In total, it turns out to be 75 kilometers of stunning panoramic views and an unforgettable day.
The first, free part of the road is very beautiful Alpine houses, green fields with cows grazing on them, mountains visible in the distance and other delights of the Austrian Alps. Very beautiful, but, in general, not very different from the green beauties of Zillertal, which I wrote about. Maybe it's more deserted.
The fog that descended into the valley gave a special charm to this area that day. Since the road gradually went up, at first we drove straight in this fog, and then suddenly we drove out of it and found ourselves as if above the clouds. Very beautiful pictures:
As you approach the Hohe Tauern National Park, where the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is located, the landscape outside your window gradually changes. Settlements are seen less and less often, but the views become more and more magical: lakes, waterfalls and, of course, mountains:
The closer to the toll section of the road, the more often snow-capped peaks are visible:
Immediately after entering paid section the road begins to go up sharply. But that's not the worst thing. The worst thing is that it begins to loop very sharply and steeply. If you believe the official website of the road and the signs placed on the highway, then there are 36 very sharp turns, these are the so-called Kehre. But, presumably, only the sharpest turns count, where the road turns almost 180 degrees. To all this you need to add at least a hundred more ordinary turns. As a result, I get quite sick in the car, and if it weren’t for the constant stops to take photographs, it would be quite difficult. But the views around you more than compensate for all this:
It’s not so high here yet, so the greenery is still visible:
Nasty goo-o-ors. As I already wrote, on the territory national park There are about 300 three-thousanders:
The road goes further and further upward, only snow is visible around and it becomes quite cold. By the way, in addition to very sharp turns, the road is also distinguished by its narrowness. Trying to overtake someone here is pure suicide. The road was built 75 years ago, when the Austrian economy was in decline and it was urgently necessary to give work to several thousand people. According to the initial designs, the width of the road should have been twice as narrow as what we see now!
These are already snowy places:
One of the largest stops on the route is Edelweißspitze. She is the one high point all the way. This is a small branch from the main highway, the road there is very narrow and very steep. At the very top there is an extremely difficult parking situation. Only a few dozen cars can fit there, and all the places, of course, are occupied. I had to carefully monitor who was about to drive away, run to take a place before someone dived into the vacant heel, and wait until the cars moved away so that I could park. All this took about 15-20 minutes. Many of those who arrived at the top were forced to leave immediately, because there was simply nowhere to go. I guess they were waiting downstairs for some of the cars to come down, or they were walking up with their feet.
The lower part of this whole party is all sorts of cafes, toilets and souvenir shops, where stuffed animals of various alpine animals are found:
There are even krampus, about which I once wrote:
Actually, a view of the parking lot. These are all the parking spaces in these parts, there are no others. Here you can see four cars waiting for someone to free up a parking space. We stood there too:
The steepness of the turns on the highway can be assessed, say, here. Distinctive feature The road towards Edelweißspitze is also its narrowness. I can’t imagine how two cars pass each other there. Most likely not. You need to act in the standard “Asian” way, i.e. Just honk before every turn. However, on the main route the road is still wider than this:
If you believe the official website of the road, then 30 three-thousand-meter peaks are visible at once on the Edelweiss peak. One of the panoramic views from above the parking lot:
General view of the road, here you can estimate the number of turns, most of of which are not even considered these very 36 terrible Kehres, an example of which you saw above:
Another panoramic view of the road. Here you can see how the road in the upper right corner goes into one of the many tunnels.
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is open only six months a year: somewhere from May to October, each year the dates are slightly different. In winter the road is closed for safety reasons. Judging by how much snow there was around at the end of September, one can understand the prudent Austrians. By the way, during the “working” six months the road is maintained in excellent condition.
Another look at the crazy windings of the road. If you look closely, you can see small expansions in places on the road: here you can slow down if you feel bad about taking pictures of the panoramic views. There are such exits along the entire road, and you want to slow down, if not at every first, then certainly at every second turn.
I already wrote somewhere in the comments that I saw photographs online of Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse in the summer. Almost everything around is green, and snow-capped mountain peaks rise above it all. At the end of September, as you can see, the grass is still visible in places, but there is already a fair amount of snow. At the end of October the road is closed because there is too much snow and the road becomes dangerous to drive on.
Here and there on the road there are these strange buildings of unknown purpose:
In some places the road goes into tunnels:
This is what the unnamed version of the previous tunnel looks like:
Inside the tunnel it was dank and cold, however, it was never hot outside the tunnel. But inside the tunnels there are absolutely incredible ice pillars. This is frozen water that has penetrated into the tunnel through small holes. Desperate attempt to photograph this from the car window:
Then the poet’s soul couldn’t stand it and he had to create an emergency situation on the road, namely, get out of the car right inside the tunnel (there are, of course, no exits there) in the hope that no one will need to drive through the tunnel at that very moment:
These ice columns grow incredibly evenly:
Let's go back to the fresh air. A couple more general views from different exits on the road:
At some point, the road stops twisting so brutally and going up sharply. The crazy 36 turns are left behind, endless snow gives way to surprisingly green views. Far, far away in the distance a small piece of Grossglockner begins to be seen - the high mountain in Austria. This is already closer to the standard tourist sites of Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, which can be found on the website, in Wikipedia and in the booklets that are given to you at the entrance.
View of the road in the opposite direction. This is where we came from:
Here you can already see the handsome Grossglockner, below you can see a “small” wall - this is the dam of the next mountain lake, of which there are many here.
Confused Grossglockner:
Here I went right into the middle of the road, so that it was clear what kind of view usually opens through the windshield of a car. To my right I can see a small piece of the next exit from the road where we parked:
Another version of the semi-tunnel through which we had to pass:
A little before reaching the tunnel, a view of a huge mountain lake-reservoir blocked by a dam opens up. You saw a piece of this dam in one of the previous photographs.
Immediately after the tunnel you come to the main attraction of these parts - the 10-kilometer Pasterze Glacier, located next to Grossglockner. The views there are absolutely fantastic, and photographs, unfortunately, cannot convey either the scale or beauty.
The hill from which this huge glacier slides:
Somewhere below you can see melting glacial lakes:
Quite an alien look, in my opinion:
The cul-de-sac near Grossglockner and the Pasterze Glacier is bustling with life. There are huge information Center, Swarovski Observatory, cafes, souvenir shops, multi-storey parking, several observation platforms and the beginning of a short trek through the mountains.
Here you can see the top floor of this entire civilization. Under the parking lot are just half of the delights listed above, i.e. this level of parking is located on the roof:
View of the mountains, lakes and road from one of the top viewpoints – the road that starts the local trek:
At the very beginning of the trek there is a monument to Emperor Franz Joseph, who once also made small treks in these places:
Let's go down a little lower, to where the presence of civilization is felt especially acutely. View of one of the observation decks from a slightly higher vantage point:
One of the main attractions of these regions is they, the promised murmultirs. A sign like this alerts you to the presence of vibrant mountain life right under your feet:
And indeed, below, right ahead, you can see many, many holes, from which well-fed marmots scurry back and forth, accustomed to being watched from somewhere above and throwing food to them:
In German, the marmot sounds touchingly pleasant - Murmeltier:
By the way, in German the verb “murmeln” means “to grumble”, “mumble”, so the marmot is literally translated as “a grumbling animal”, or “a grumbling and muttering animal”. :)
Lots of murmults. Judging by the number of burrows visible in the distance, there are a LOT of murmultires:
Actually, it’s not difficult to guess what the marmots walking below are waiting for: they are so accustomed to “manna from heaven” periodically falling on them from above that now they are simply brazenly walking around waiting for this very manna. This time they were sent pieces of bread as manna:
Well, it’s time to leave these lands after all. All good things come to an end, such as the time available. A farewell look at the views around us on the way to the southern exit from Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse:
If you remember, at the very beginning I wrote that the classic travel route is from the settlement of Bruck near Zell am See to the settlement of Heiligenblut, which is located along south side roads. Part of the road on this route is toll, part is free. The southern end of the road - the settlement of Heiligenblut - is a free piece of the road. If you follow the indicated route, you will have to go beyond the paid part (the ticket is valid all day for an unlimited number of entries and exits, and the paid part begins immediately after Heiligenblut).
It’s worth going beyond the toll part towards Heiligenblut for the simple reason that there is a fairly famous and incredibly beautiful mountain church here – the Church of the Holy Blood:
The church itself is probably not that different from other churches in the area, but because of its location and the legend that the blood of Jesus Christ is kept inside, Heiligenblut has become a very popular tourist destination.
Inside the church:
There is a small cemetery near the church, from where there are views of the surrounding area:
Well, let’s add some variety to the snowy snow: a beautiful yellow autumn...
This is a shortened version of three posts on related topics. Primary sources here.
Großglockner High Road and Pasterze GlacierThis was one of the days on the Austrian trip when, in the context of changeable weather, all group members especially felt the organizational skills of Mina Kofman, our wonderful guide. Having carefully studied the weather forecasts, she made several successful rearrangements in the trip plan and thanks to this and a considerable amount of luck, we enjoyed wonderful weather in all corners of Austria, although it is quite possible that in other places at the same time it was raining with might and main and/or the extraordinary views were hidden behind a veil of fog or clouds.
On the day of the trip to Glosklockner, the sun was shining with all its might in the morning. In the few hours that we were at the top, the cloudiness increased, but visibility for many kilometers remained one hundred percent. But during the descent, or rather at the final stage, the sky finally became cloudy and it began to rain. But we again “ran away” from the rain, moving at a decent speed towards the pretty Austrian town of Zell Am See. We even managed to walk around it for a couple of hours and then we were covered in such a downpour that no one thought it was enough.
But this is a completely different story, and by the way, since the excursion plan for this day was wonderfully executed and exceeded, this downpour only cheered us up and although we got a little wet, this is nonsense, because we were immediately welcomed into its cozy embrace by the bus, the driver turned on heating so we could dry off, and on the way to the hotel we looked movie about the incomparable and beloved by the Austrians Empress Sisi. The day turned out great, in a word)
Orientation for photo-timeline observers:
| I am the author of all photographs in this post unless another source is indicated. All photos are clickable. If you want to look at the picture in more detail, click on it and a new window will open with the image in the maximum available size. You can read about third-party use of photos and text in my profile. |
1. So let's go back to the beginning of the day. The Pasterze Glacier was not the only attraction that we had to “taste” that day. The panoramic road Großglockner High Alpine Road, along which we had to get to the glacier, is one of the most famous mountain roads in the world.
This is not only a road from point A to point B, it is very attractive to tourists for its history and magnificent views, which can be observed by stopping at one of the many parking pockets of panoramic platforms. This road is visited, actually visited, and not just driven along, by about a million people a year.
And we can definitely say that this is one of the most visited places in Austria. And one more thing: this road is included in the list of 1000 most beautiful places peace! 
2. Like many other attractions, the Großglockner High Alpine Road is a toll road and has access restrictions. There are certain times of the day and seasons when you can use the road. From October to March and at night the road is closed. 
Read more in my journal:
3. We were lucky, we chose the “right” time of year to travel to Austria: August. The road we were interested in was open. Approximately in the middle of the climb, we began to come across snow islands. 
4. The driver stopped and we, joyful, went “to walk in the snow.” Let me remind you that this was in mid-August. The emotions from this activity, as you can see, are purely positive) 
Read more in my journal:
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5. In the 60-70s of the 20th century, modern highways were built somewhere nearby, which took over the flow of cargo and passengers, and the Großglockner High Alpine Road acquired its exceptional character as a landmark and excursion panoramic road. 
6. There are many panoramic platforms along the road. We settled on the largest one with the most amazing view. The half-green, half-snowy slopes are extremely picturesque all year round! How can you not take a photo against such a background?)) 
Read more in my journal:
7. They stretch nearby alpine meadows and you can see wonderful flora up close. 
8. Probably the most beautiful view on Großglockner High Alpine Road, combining the greatness of nature and the results of human activity without disfiguring the former. Unfortunately, due to the fact that from the bus window it is not particularly convenient to photograph what is happening on the road itself, I was not able to capture the following: this road is simply damn popular with all sorts of groups united by the brand of car or motorcycle, and of course with cyclists.
We came across groups of 5-15 Smart cars, then Lotus, then Mazda MX-5, then Jaguars, then Audi TT and of course motorcyclists on Harley Davidsons, motorcyclists on Hondas. , just motorcyclists and many, many cyclists. It was very unusual.
Even if they hadn’t told me that this was a special road, with the status of an important European landmark, I would have guessed that there was “something wrong” here. I immediately got the feeling that this was a special place. A place like a “car Broadway”, where people gather for a reason, but to “show themselves and look at others,” and of course, enjoy the fabulously beautiful atmosphere of these places. 
Read more in my journal:
9. We approach the Fuscher Törl gate - the monument is dedicated to the workers who died during the construction of the road. 
10. Fuscher Törl Gate (2,428 m) 
Source: www.primokilometro.it
Read more in my journal:
11. Height 2369 meters. The Kaiser Franz Joseph Center is located here. The Center itself is not visible in the picture, because this picture was taken from one of its terraces. The center is a 4-story building located at an altitude of 2369 meters. In addition to a large souvenir shop, a restaurant and a large parking lot, there is also a multi-storey museum with an exhibition dedicated specifically to the highest Austrian mountain, Glossglockner, mountaineering, ecology and the Pastersee glacier.
This is the largest glacier in Austria. The length is about 9 km, located at an altitude of 3463 to 2100 m above sea level. There is also a short trail from the observation deck to the Pasterze Glacier. cable car, so nothing stands in the way of glacier adventures, which can be undertaken under the guidance of an experienced guide. 
12. Of course, there are a considerable number of observation platforms from which you can see this ice giant. 
Read more in my journal:
13. Since we were there in August, the glacier was gradually melting, of course. 
14. If you have enough time, you can go down the path and get closer to the glacier. In some places it is covered with a thin layer of rocks. 
Read more in my journal:
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For a week, until the 2nd... I went to Komarovo Great Passages This must happen.. After intense trips in a variety of directions, I must admit, I did not expect anything particularly attractive from the planned “dacha exile” during my trip to “Ridna Nenko Ukraine”. But that was not the case. A pleasant surprise: I was simply fascinated by the leisurely dacha atmosphere, transparent silence, delicious clean air, beautiful nature in the summer. I absolutely didn’t want to leave there; it’s good to look at these photographs now and at least mentally immerse myself in this dacha nirvana. |
15. And in some places the ice masses emit a blue-bluish light. Amazing! 
Source: www.geolocation.ws
16. Another local attraction and a very respected inhabitant and main mascot of this region is the Alpine marmot. 
Read more in my journal:
17. Their life has developed in the most favorable way: from above, from stairs and observation platforms, “manna from heaven” periodically falls on them in the form of various goodies. The gift shop even sells special food for marmots. But despite human generosity, marmots show caution and show neither gratitude nor affection to those who throw “manna from heaven” at them.
If a person approaches them, marmots begin to make loud whistles and other sounds in order to warn their relatives about uninvited guests. From March to October, like bears, marmots hibernate. Which, however, is quite justified: the road leading to these places is closed for the winter and there is no one to throw “manna from heaven” at this time of year)) 
Source: www.grossglockner.at
18. Where the melting glacial water has the opportunity to settle, you can see the same blue-blue color. 
Source: www.geolocation.ws
Read more in my journal:
19. It’s good that if there are traces of human presence there, they are very pretty. 
The Großglockner High Alpine Road is closed at winter period from November 4, 2019.
The Großglockner High Alpine Road is not an ordinary utility road connecting two neighboring regions in Austria. For faster travel there is the A10 motorway.
The panoramic Großglockner High Alpine Road is one of the most famous mountain roads in the world. It attracts tourists from many countries with an annual visitation of approximately 900,000 people, making it one of the most visited places in Austria.
The Großglockner High Alpine Road is part of Austria's cultural history, one of its major tourist attractions and a world-renowned feat of construction.
a brief description of
The road is closed at night - .
Location
The Grossglockner High Road is part of the 107 Austrian regional road and is located in the center of the Austrian Alps (Google Maps, Google Earth).
The distance from Salzburg is about 100 km, from Innsbruck - 120 km, from Munich - 200 km. Given the excellent quality of Austrian highways, it will take about 1.5 - 2.5 hours to get there from these cities.
The Großglockner road connects the states of Salzburg and Carinthia. Passes through the Hohe Tauern National Park. In addition, it leads to the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center, with panoramic views of the Pasterze Glacier and the Grossglockner Mountain.
How to get to Großglockner High Alpine Road
From Salzburg:
Exit the A10/E55 motorway at the Graz/Villach sign and follow it towards Italy until Bischofshofen (38 km).
Then turn at the sign Bischofshofen/Pongau onto regional road 311 and follow it until the exit for Bruck/Fusch (44 km).
After this, take road 107 and after 23 km you will reach the northern entrance to the Großglockner High Alpine Road.
The total distance is 105 km, travel time is 1.5 hours.
From Bolzano (Italy):
Take the A22/E45 motorway and follow it towards Austria until Bressanone (45 km).
Exit the motorway onto the regional road SS49/E66 and continue to the Austrian town of Lienz (100 km).
After Lienz you enter regional road 107 and after 43 km you reach the southern entrance to the Großglockner High Alpine Road.
The total distance is 190 km, travel time is 3 hours.
Road
A little history
The first mention of it dates back to the autumn of 1924, when a project for a gravel road three meters wide, with the possibility of expanding to five meters, was developed.
On August 30, 1930 at 9:30 am the first rock explosion was carried out. In the first year, mainly survey work was carried out.
Thirteen months later, on September 22, 1934, the first driver crossed the Hohe Tauern in a Steyr 100 (1.2 l, 32 hp, 100 km/h top speed, consumption of about 10 liters of gasoline per 100 km).
The Großglockner High Alpine Road was officially opened on August 3, 1935 and in its first year it attracted 375,000 visitors and 98,000 vehicles.
Fare
The price includes not only the toll, but also access to all Großglockner information resources, as well as use of all parking areas, including the garage in the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center.
Tariffs for 2019:1 In case of entry after 18:00, the ticket price is reduced to € 26.50 for cars and to € 20.00 for motorcycles.
2 sightseeing tickets are valid for one month for travel on the Großglockner High Alpine Road and Felbertauern Road.
3 return journeys on the same day are free.
A repeat visit in the same calendar year with the same car or motorcycle (with the same number plates) will cost € 12.00 (old ticket must be presented).
Working hours
The road is open to travel from May to October or November during the daytime. The exact opening and closing data of the road is determined based on weather conditions.
- From the beginning of May to May 31: 6:00 - 20:00
- From June 1 to August 31: 5:00 - 21:30
- From September 1 to October 26: 6:00 - 19:30
- From October 27 to early November: 8:00 - 17:00
The last visitors are admitted 45 minutes before closing.
WEB camera
Image from a web camera installed next to Fuscher Lacke:
Description of the road
The Großglockner high mountain road passes through the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park. It is 48 km long, including 36 sharp turns ( "a la hairpin") and rises to a height of 2,504 meters.
1. Northern entrance
2. Gate Fuscher Törl(2,428 m) - the monument was designed by the world famous architect Clemens Holzmeister. It is dedicated to the workers who died during the construction of the road. This place is one of the best points for photography.
3. Fuscher Lacke(2,262 m) - the exhibition "Building of the Road" impressively presents interesting story construction of the Großglockner High Alpine road.
4. Hochtor(2,504 m) - the highest point of the road and the border between the states of Salzburg and Carinthia. On the north side there is usually snow until the end of August.
5. Turn to the Pasterze Glacier and the Kaiser Franz Joseph Tourist Center.
6. Kaiser Franz Joseph Center(2,369 m) - view of the Grossglockner mountain and the Pasterze glacier.
7. Southern entrance onto the Großglockner High Alpine Road.
In the video below you can see a small section of the Großglockner High Alpine Road to get an idea of what to expect (you can watch other videos on our channel at YouTube).
Along the entire road there are a large number of special panoramic recreation areas. Here you can fully enjoy the surrounding views, relax and take wonderful photos as a souvenir.
Attractions
In fact, the main attraction is the road itself and the views that open from it. Along the route you will find flowering meadows, fragrant forests, mighty rocks and eternal ice at the foot of the Großglockner mountain.
Kaiser Franz Joseph Center
The center is located at the foot of the Großglockner mountain and overlooks the longest glacier in the eastern Alps - Pasterze.
The center is a 4-story building in which visitors are shown everything that is most interesting about the most high mountain in Austria - Großglockner.
There are a large number of parking spaces near the center. But it’s better to drive to the end of the road and park in a multi-story garage. Moreover, it is best to go onto the roof of the garage.
This way you will be closer to the Kaiser Franz Josef Center itself. And after you’ve examined everything you wanted, you’ll be able to quickly get to the car and move on. In addition, from above there is a wonderful view of the glacier itself.
More information about the Großglockner High Alpine Road on the official website - www.grossglockner.at
Impressions from the road
Despite the fact that reference information is published on the site, it is difficult to resist telling about your impressions.
Did we enjoy the trip along this road? Definitely yes. The road is well worth visiting, despite quite high price for travel. Moreover, both the surrounding views and the process of moving along the road with its sharp turns, descents and ascents deserve attention.
And at the Kaiser Franz Joseph Center it is very pleasant to walk in the mountains and recharge with positive emotions while enjoying the surroundings.
There are a lot of motorcyclists on the road who constantly rush past you. And you even come across instances like this.
And the number of cyclists climbing this mountain is simply amazing. Only here do you begin to realize how truly popular cycling is in Europe.
It so happened that in a short period of time we managed to visit two mountain roads - Großglockner and Timmelsjoch. And comparisons between them could not be avoided. Here you can see the description high mountain road Timmelsjoch.
In conclusion, a few photos with views of what opens right from the road.
The panoramic road Großglockner Hochalpenstrasse is a magnificent a tourist route, which introduces the beauty of the Hohe Tauern National Nature Park and leads to the Alpine attractions of the Grossglockner Mountain and the Pasterze Glacier.
Grossglockner high mountain road, photo novofotoo
The Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße road is laid among the most beautiful Alpine peaks. A winding serpentine road running through the nature park connects the lands of Salzburg and Carinthia.
Grossglockner
Observation deck
Observation deck on the Edelweissspitz
Heiligenblut cable car
Gate Hochtor
Road construction
The road was built in 1930–35. When the new highways Tauern and Velbertauern opened in the seventies, the Grossglockner route lost its status as the main transalpine route. However, it remains a popular panoramic route.
Where does it take place?
The tourist route passes by thirty peaks with a height of about 3,000 m, and it was named after highest peak– Grossglockner (3798 m). The name of this mountain translates as “Big Bell”, due to its dome-shaped shape. In cloudy weather, clouds descend on the elevated parts of the route. The highest observation deck of the route (2504 m) is located on the Khokhtor Pass. Mountain rivers and waterfalls flow along the green velvet slopes along the road; Herds graze in lush meadows, and “toy” alpine houses stand in the valleys.
The entrance to the highway is in the village of Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße (altitude 805 m). At the beginning of the road there is a branch of Grossglocknerstrasse - it leads towards the Pasterze glacier. There is a large tourist center of Franz Josef with restaurants and museum exhibitions.
Pasterze Glacier, photo Ben The Man
From the glacier the road passes through national park to the Carinthian commune of Heiligenblut - the final point of the route (altitude 1301 m). Along the route, travelers encounter representatives of the local fauna - alpine marmots and mountain goats.
In the high mountain village of Heiligenblut at the foot of the Grossglockner mountain there is a unique Gothic temple - the pilgrimage church of St. Vincenzo. The church's tabernacle contains a precious reliquary. It keeps the Holy Blood of Christ, a relic brought here in the 10th century by the knight Bricius.
For your information
The width of the Grossglockner road in different sections is 6–7.5 m; length – 48 km. Along the way there are sharp elevation changes and sharp turns (there are 36 of them in total). Tourist infrastructure facilities have been built along the entire route: parking lots have been equipped, convenient viewing platforms have been created, from where you can view panoramas and take magnificent photographs.
Road opening hours
Fare
There is a toll on the road. The fare for a passenger car in 2015 will be 34.50 €.
Other Alpine roads:
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