The Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a 48km toll road climbing to 2,571m through the Hohe Tauern National Park, past Austria's highest peak (Grossglockner, 3,798m) and its largest glacier, the retreating Pasterze. It's open seasonally, roughly early May to late October or early November (2026: through November 2), with a day ticket costing €46.50 per car. Budget a full day for the drive plus stops — it's genuinely one of Europe's great scenic drives, not a pass-through road.
This isn't a road you drive to get somewhere — it's the destination. Forty-eight kilometers of hairpins climbing through a national park to a glacier viewpoint, with a toll booth at each end reminding you this is a genuinely engineered piece of Alpine infrastructure, not a shortcut.
What is the Grossglockner High Alpine Road?
A 48km toll road through Austria's Hohe Tauern National Park, connecting Fusch (near Zell am See) in the north to Heiligenblut in the south, climbing to a high point of 2,571m at the Edelweißspitze viewpoint. It was built in the 1930s specifically as a scenic and engineering showcase, and it's still one of the most-visited paid attractions in the Austrian Alps — not a road most people happen to drive, but one they specifically plan a day around.
When is it open?
| Detail | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Season | Early May – early November (through November 2, 2026) |
| Typical daily hours | Roughly 6am–8pm in high summer, shorter at the shoulders of the season |
| Closed | Winter — the road is not plowed or maintained for driving from November through April |
Exact opening and closing dates shift year to year with snow conditions, and the road can close temporarily even mid-season for weather — check the official site the morning of your visit if you're driving up in early May or late October, since a late snowfall can delay the exact opening by days.
How much does it cost?
| Vehicle | Day ticket price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Car | €46.50 (€40 for electric vehicles) |
| Motorcycle | €36.50 (€32.50 for electric) |
| Advance discounted ticket (car), bought at Heiligenblut center | €42.50 |
| Children under 6 | Free, in any vehicle |
The best stops along the way
- Edelweißspitze — the road's highest point at 2,571m, reached via a short detour loop off the main route; 360-degree views over the surrounding peaks.
- Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe — the most popular stop, with the classic viewpoint over the Pasterze Glacier and Grossglockner itself, plus a visitor center and a short walking trail down toward the glacier's edge.
- Fuscher Törl — a scenic pass roughly midway, with its own viewing platform and one of the road's more dramatic hairpin sections just below it.
The Pasterze Glacier
Austria's largest glacier, visible from the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoint — and visibly, measurably retreating: like most Alpine glaciers, the Pasterze has lost a significant amount of its length and volume over the past few decades, and a walking trail down from the viewpoint traces roughly where the ice used to reach in past years. It's a striking, slightly sobering sight alongside the scenic payoff, worth the short walk down rather than just the drive-by view.
How long does the drive take?
The drive itself, without stops, takes about 1.5–2 hours end to end at a relaxed pace given the hairpins and 50 km/h speed limit. With stops at Edelweißspitze, Fuscher Törl, and Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe — which is really the point of doing this drive at all — budget a full day, especially in summer when the popular viewpoints can have parking queues.
Getting there
| From | Nearest entrance | Approx. drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Zell am See | Fusch/Ferleiten (north entrance) | ~30 minutes to the toll gate |
| Salzburg | Fusch/Ferleiten (north entrance) | ~1.5 hours to the toll gate |
| Lienz / Carinthia | Heiligenblut (south entrance) | Varies by starting point |
Tips for driving it
- Fill up your fuel tank before starting — there's essentially nothing on the road itself, and mountain driving burns more fuel than flat roads.
- Bring a jacket even in summer — temperatures at Edelweißspitze and Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe run noticeably colder than the valley floor.
- Motorcyclists and cyclists both use this road regularly in season — drive defensively on the hairpins, and expect a genuinely mixed-traffic experience, not an empty scenic byway.
Mistakes to avoid
- Driving up without checking the season dates first — arriving in late April or November to a closed toll gate is a common, entirely avoidable disappointment.
- Rushing the drive to 'save time' — the hairpins genuinely require a slower pace than the distance suggests, and rushing also means missing the viewpoints that are the actual reason to pay the toll.
- Skipping the short walking trail at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe down toward the glacier — the drive-by view from the parking area is good, but the walk gets you a genuinely closer, more affecting look at the Pasterze.