Austria | Großglockner Hochalpenstraße: One-Day Tips

The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is a road you simply have to drive if you're anywhere nearby. On Friday 22 July 2022 we tried it as a day trip from Mittersill, with stops at viewpoints, at the glacier and a few steps on foot. It was part of our five-day stay near Mittersill.

What does a day on the Hochalpenstraße look like?

The road goes over Austria's highest mountain, from Ferleiten near Fusch in the north to Heiligenblut in the south, climbing in hairpin bends right up into high alpine terrain. It's best to set off in the morning, so you have time to stop at the viewpoints and still have some left over for the wildlife park in the evening.

Hairpin bends of the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße in a high mountain landscape — The hairpins of the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße.

Stops along the road

Fusch and the hairpins. After midday we stopped at the first viewpoints, by a stone building next to the road.
Edelweißspitze (2,571 m). The Edelweißstraße turn-off leads up to a viewpoint overlooking the hairpins. We had a beer on the terrace of the mountain hut.
Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,369 m). The end of the road, with a view of the Pasterze glacier, an exhibition and a restaurant.
The Pasterze glacier. The largest glacier in the Eastern Alps is easy to see from the viewpoint. Information boards show how much it has shrunk.
Ferleiten. In the evening, on the way back, we stopped at a small alpine wildlife park.

A stone viewing structure by the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße — A stone viewpoint by the road.

A man drinking beer from a pint glass on a mountain hut terrace, with a chamois statue and mountains behind — Beer on the terrace by the Edelweißstraße.

A man at the Edelweißspitze viewpoint with the valley and the road behind him — The Edelweißspitze viewpoint.

Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe and the Pasterze glacier

At Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe there is a big car park, a viewpoint and, inside the building, a small exhibition with a marmot. The Pasterze glistens high above and there is a glacial lake below it. It's worth walking a few steps down the path with boards showing what the glacier used to look like.

Großglockner Hochalpenstraße: A view of the glacial lake and the car park at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe — The view from Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe.

A stuffed marmot standing on a nest of hay in the exhibition — A marmot in the exhibition by the Pasterze.

A pint of Paulaner Weissbier on a wooden tray with the Großglockner on the beer mat — A Paulaner at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe.

The monument to Emperor Franz Joseph I (Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Monument) at the viewpoint above the glacial lake — The Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Monument at the viewpoint.

An information board on a rock with a historical photo of the Pasterze glacier — The board shows what the glacier used to look like.

A glacial lake below the Hohe Tauern ridges, with a figure by a cross on the shore — The lake below the Pasterze glacier.

A green ridge above a valley and a reservoir — A ridge by the Hochalpenstraße.

The wildlife park near Ferleiten

On the way back we stopped in the evening at the wildlife park near Ferleiten, a small alpine zoo with bears, lynxes and other mountain animals. It's a nice place for adults and children, and I've written about it in a separate article.

Großglockner Hochalpenstraße: A brown bear sitting on the grass by a wooden post in the wildlife park enclosure — A bear in the wildlife park.

A lynx lying on the wooden platform of a little house in the wildlife park enclosure, looking into the camera — A lynx in the wildlife park.

I wrote about Austrian food and beer in the mountains (including dinner after the wildlife park) in a separate article.

Practical info

Official road website (toll prices and opening hours; the road is closed in winter).
From Mittersill it's roughly an hour's drive, but count on a whole day for the stops.
The car park at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe and the viewpoints are among the stops where it's worth setting aside time.
Length and height: the road is about 48 km (30 miles) long between Fusch and Heiligenblut. The highest point is Edelweißspitze (2,571 m) and above it all towers the Großglockner (3,798 m), Austria's highest mountain.
Season: roughly from early May to early November, depending on snow. It's closed in winter. Exact dates and the times of the first and last entry are on grossglockner.at.
Toll: a day ticket for a car costs in the order of €40 to 50, and electric cars have their own tariff. Sources differ on the exact price and it changes every year, so look for current prices and advance-sale discounts with the operator or at ÖAMTC (the Austrian motoring club).
When to go: as early in the morning as you can, before the road fills up. In summer the viewpoints are often crowded in the afternoon.
What to bring: warm clothes even in summer, as it's noticeably colder at the top than below. On the way down use engine braking as well, so the brakes don't overheat.
A walk by the glacier: from Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe the Gamsgrubenweg trail leads off, about 35 minutes of moderate difficulty, with a close view of the Pasterze.