Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse
Grossglockner High Alpine Road
Length
48km
Elevation
2,571m at Hochtor Pass
Hairpins
36 hairpin bends
Austria's highest. The Alps' most theatrical.
The Map
The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse stretches 48km between Bruck in the north and Heiligenblut in the south, crossing the main Alpine ridge at Hochtor (2,571m) and offering a side road to Edelweissspitze (2,571m) and the Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoint, from which Austria's highest peak — the Grossglockner at 3,798m — and the Pasterze glacier are visible. The road passes through Hohe Tauern National Park, making it simultaneously the most scenic and most protected driving route in Austria.
The Approach
From the north, out of Bruck an der Glocknerstraße, the road enters the Fuscher valley and begins rising immediately. The first section through the valley is thickly forested — Austrian fir and larch — before the treeline breaks and the high alpine section begins. The Edelweissspitze viewpoint junction is the first above-treeline landmark: from the viewing tower, the arc of the Austrian Alps from east to west is visible in sequence.
The Ascent
The road's character is more generous than the Stelvio — wider, better surfaced, with more forgiving corners. This is deliberate: the Grossglockner was designed as a tourist road in 1935, and its engineers specified sight lines and gradients that would be manageable for the touring cars of the era. The result is a road that is fast and satisfying rather than technically demanding. The challenge is alpine weather: clouds can descend within minutes, reducing visibility to zero, and ice can form at summit elevation even in July.
“A road this beautiful built this thoughtfully could only have come from a country that understood what mountains were for.”
— Dennis May, Autocar, Grossglockner road test, 1953
History
The Hochalpenstrasse opened on August 3, 1935 — a public works project of the Austrian Federal Government during the depths of the economic depression. Its construction employed over 3,000 workers over five years. Franz Josef II opened the road; it attracted 22,000 visitors in its first year. Today it receives 900,000 visitors annually. The road was used as a rally stage in the Alpine Rally and Austrian Grand Prix support events of the 1960s–80s. It remains a toll road; the collected revenue funds its maintenance.
What to Drive Here
Practical Notes
Toll road: approximately €37 for motorcycles and cars. Fuel available at Hochtor and Franz-Josefs-Höhe. The Pasterze Glacier viewpoint is worth the detour — and increasingly poignant, as the glacier loses approximately 10m per year. Mountain weather changes rapidly; check forecasts. The road is wide enough for RVs and buses (it gets both) — drive early in morning to avoid tourist traffic. The descent into Heiligenblut toward Carinthia is as beautiful as the northern approach.
Best Season
May through October
Access
Closed October/November – May
Surface
Asphalt, generally good, two lanes
Country
Austria, Salzburg / Carinthia