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Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Hochalpenstrasse · Fusch an der Glocknerstrasse → Heiligenblut · Austria

Length
30 miles
Drive time
1 h 30 min
Type
Mountain pass
Region
Europe

Before you go: ⚠ Toll road (~€45/car); closed roughly Nov–May and overnight

A purpose-built 1930s scenic masterpiece over Austria's highest mountain: 36 hairpins, glacier viewpoints, and tarmac so good it hosts manufacturer launches. The toll stings, but nowhere else in the Alps is engineered this perfectly for driving pleasure.

A purpose-built 1930s scenic road over Austria's highest mountain: Ferleiten / Fusch to Heiligenblut, 36 hairpins, glacier terraces, manufacturer-launch tarmac. It is a toll road, and it is engineered for this use — wide, cambered, sighted. Edelweissspitze is a short spur to 2,571 m and a lot of three-thousanders; Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe is the glacier balcony facing Grossglockner and the Pasterze. Those are the two photographs, both with proper car parks. Fuel at LM Energy Fusch before the toll — nothing until Heiligenblut, and the road shuts overnight.

Live seasonal copy says about €45 a car and closed roughly November to May and overnight. Check grossglockner.at for the year you are in: 2026 opened 25 April, car day ticket €46.50, and there is a legal night driving ban outside the posted hours (last entry is 45 minutes before close). Coaches by late morning. Early is the drive. Edelweißhütte on the spur does food in season.

Pair it with Gerlos and the Zillertal if you have the days, or treat it as the one toll road you pay for on an Austrian week. The vignette is separate; this ticket is this road.

Camping on the route is not allowed. Buy the day ticket, do the two terraces, and be off before the barrier rather than negotiating with a night ban. Franz-Josefs-Höhe is a sprawl of terraces and toilets; Edelweissspitze is the short, steeper spur with the bigger sky. Do both, but do the spur first if cloud is building. The day ticket lets you go in and out; the night ban does not care that you paid. If you are overnighting in Heiligenblut or Fusch, that is outside the toll, which is the practical base.

Highlights of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Where to stop on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Open Grossglockner High Alpine Road on the map → ⬇ Download GPX

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Route research: Ultimate Drives · More roads in Austria

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