Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse

Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse: Austria’s Great Alpine Drive

The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is a 48km mountain road in Austria that crosses the High Tauern range between Bruck an der Glocknerstrasse in Salzburg state and Heiligenblut in Carinthia. It was built between 1930 and 1935 as a public works project during the Great Depression, employed 3,200 workers, and required cutting through granite and limestone at altitudes up to 2,571m. The construction is extraordinary for its era and the road is worth examining purely as an engineering object: the hairpin sections, tunnels, and retaining walls are all still original.

The road is a toll route. Single-car admission in 2024 costs EUR 38 for one day. Motorcycles pay EUR 28. This is not cheap, but the toll funds the road’s maintenance within Hohe Tauern National Park.

The road opens in May and closes by November, depending on snow conditions. The exact dates vary annually; the official website at grossglockner.at publishes current status.

The main stops

Edelweissspitze, reached by a short side road near the northern end, sits at 2,571m and is the highest point accessible by car on the entire route. There is a round viewing tower at the summit. The panorama takes in over 30 peaks above 3,000m and on clear mornings, before cloud builds over the glacier areas, the view extends to the Dolomites in Italy.

Franz-Josefs-Hohe, reached via a separate spur road near the southern end, is the closest driving approach to the Pasterze Glacier - at 8.4km the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps. You park at 2,369m and a path leads to viewing platforms above the glacier terminus. The Pasterze has retreated by more than 2km since 1850 and the current ice edge is substantially below where the old photographs show it. The scale is still impressive. The visitor centre at Franz-Josefs-Hohe has exhibits on glaciology and the Grossglockner summit (3,798m) is visible from the car park.

Hochtor is the main pass summit at 2,504m, crossed in a short tunnel. There is a small exhibition on the Roman road that also crossed this pass in antiquity.

Cycling

The Hochalpenstrasse is a serious cycling challenge. The ascent from Bruck on the north side is approximately 25km with 1,800m of elevation gain. It is a regular item on organised cycling tours and can be done independently. The road has adequate width for cars and cyclists to pass safely but the traffic is heavier at weekends and during public holidays.

Where to stop

The Restaurant at Franz-Josefs-Hohe serves Austrian standards - Gulasch, Kasnocken, Apfelstrudel - at prices that reflect the altitude but are not extortionate. Heiligenblut village at the road’s southern terminus has a 15th-century pilgrimage church with a view of the Grossglockner and several guesthouses (Haus Senger and Liftgasthof Edelweiss are reliable mid-range options at EUR 60-90 per room).

The road gets busy on clear summer weekends, particularly the Franz-Josefs-Hohe spur. Arriving before 09:00 or after 16:00 avoids the worst of the coach tour traffic and the parking congestion at the main viewpoints.