Grossglockner High Alpine Road offers scenic Austrian drive

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria is recognized as one of Europe’s most scenic driving routes. Spanning 48 kilometers with 36 bends, the road reaches a maximum altitude of 2,500 meters at Edelweisspitze, connecting Bruck in Salzburg to Heiligenblut in Carinthia.

Originally opened in 1935, the route passes through the Hohe Tauern National Park, which covers approximately 1,800 square kilometers across Salzburg, Carinthia, and Tyrol. Key landmarks along the route include the Kaiser-Franz-Josephs-Höhe at 2,369 meters, offering views of Austria’s highest peak, Grossglockner, and the Pasterze Glacier.

While the road provides extensive tourist infrastructure including museums, viewpoints, and hotels, environmental changes are noted; the Pasterze Glacier has seen its volume halved since 1851, retreating by approximately 50 meters annually.