The most famous mountain road in Europe leads to the heart of the High Tauern National Park, to Austria's highest peak, the 3,798-metre-high Grossglockner.

The climb up the Grossglockner is an extraordinary experience. You will enjoy 48 kilometres of high mountain road with 36 curves and the highest point at 2,504 metres above sea level. The road is narrow at times and wide enough for comfortable and safe overtaking. The small-radius corners will often turn you 180 degrees, but they are clear and well banked.
The views of the Alpine panorama are magical from all points. Along the way, you'll pass blooming alpine meadows with curious cows, massive cliffs of rock and the eternal ice at the foot of the Grossglockner.

Check the weather forecasts and webcams before you head for the Grossglockner. In bad weather conditions, the entrance is closed. The road opens at the beginning of May, but it depends on the current weather. Snow drifts can occur even in June.

The Hochalpenstrasse (high mountain road) runs from Bruckan der Großglocknerstraße to Heiligenblut in Carinthia. Other roads branch off from the main road and lead to various viewpoints, such as the Edelweißspitze and the Franz-Josefs-Höhe, where there is a waterfall and a small dam nearby. The best view of the Pasterze, Austria's longest glacier, 9 km long, can be seen here. When you hear the clear whistling, look towards the glacier - marmots like to play on its edge . You can also watch ibex leaping over the steep rocks and, if you're lucky, spot rare birds of prey such as the golden eagle and the bearded eagle.

The literal highlight of the ride is the Hochtor Pass at an altitude of 2,504 metres - the highest point of the entire route. If the weather cooperates, you can expect panoramic views of thirty-seven three-thousand-foot Alpine peaks and nineteen glaciers. It is hard to imagine that these glacial giants were climbed by our ancestors more than 2,000 years ago when crossing the Alps.

All motorists will be delighted with a free tour of the world's highest automobile museum. The Steyr 100, which was the first passenger car to cross the High Tatras in 1934, has a special place here. The driver was Dr. Franz Rehrl, Salzburg's regional governor, and with him as a passenger was the builder of the Grossglockner road, Franz Wallack.

It is hard to imagine that today's roads are built on the ancient paths used by our ancestors to cross the glacial giants of the Alps more than 2,000 years ago. In the Bronze Age, knives were transported here, later Celtic gold jewellery or Roman statues of the ancient hero Hercules. Archaeological finds, medieval harnesses and 17th-century galley chains attest to the lively trade in other periods.
During the Austrian monarchy, the Großglockner area was an imperial hunting ground. The starting point for hunting was the Gamsgrube hut from 1834 and the Glocknerhaus from 1875, which was also accessible to visitors by carriage from 1908. In 1924, the engineer Franz Wallack was given the task of designing a three-metre wide road with a maximum gradient of 12%, and in 1930 the actual construction began. The construction in difficult mountain conditions took a record five years and involved three thousand workers. The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse was inaugurated in 1935.

Practical information

Altitude: 2 504 m above sea level (Hochtor), Grossglockner 3 798 m above sea level.
Bruck - Heiligenblut 48 km

Opening hours:
from the beginning of May to 15 June: 6 am - 8 pm.
from 16 June to 15 September: 5 - 21:30.
from 16 September to the end of October or the beginning of November: 6 - 19:30
* last entry is 45 minutes before closing time

Maximum gradient: 12% (turn to Edelweißspitze 14%)