Grossglockner High Alpine Road [Großglockner Hochalpenstraße]

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is one of the most impressive panoramic roads in Europe. It leads right through the Hohe Tauern National Park to Austria's highest mountain. With breathtaking views, exciting exhibitions, and impressive natural beauty, this drive is a great excursion for the whole family.

A road with history

Since the opening of the panoramic road in 1935, it has become one of Austria's most popular excursion destinations. Historical finds attest that people already crossed the Alps here three and a half millennia before Christ. The present "Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe" is named after Emperor Franz Josef himself, who hiked to that spot in 1856.

The Alpine Road in Numbers

The Großglockner High Alpine Road measures 48 kilometers and winds its way up to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe in 36 hairpin turns. From there, the view of the Großglockner, Austria's highest mountain at 3,798 m, unfolds. Particularly impressive is the nine-kilometer-long Pasterze, the largest glacier of the Eastern Alps. The highest point of the High Alpine Road, which is open for about six months of the year, is the Edelweißspitze (2,572 m).

The Journey is the Destination

The Großglockner High Alpine Road is not about arriving, but about the experience along the route. Wonderful outlooks, informative exhibitions, rest areas with themed playgrounds, and rustic huts make the road the perfect program for the whole family. Whether for short walks, extensive hikes, ski tours, motorcycle rides, or mountain climbing – the panoramic road is rightly a popular destination.

Some Highlights of the Panoramic Road

Haus Alpine Naturschau (2,260 m) – modern museum with changing exhibitions and “Murmi-Show”
Edelweiß-Spitze (2,572 m) – a short detour from the main road with an incredible 360-degree panoramic view of over 30 three-thousanders
Fuscher Lacke and “Mankei”-Wirt – tame marmots and alpine delicacies
Hochtor (2,503 m) - state border between Salzburg and Carinthia, usually with year-round snowfields
Visitor Center Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,369 m) – important information about glaciers and ice with Glockner cinema, Glockner panorama room, "Kraftraum," and changing special exhibitions
Gamsgrubenweg - easily walkable panoramic path from the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe above the Pasterze to the waterfall angle (only walkable to exit tunnel 6, as of 08/2026)