The most scenic route in Austria - Driving the Großglocknerstraße
If you are passionate about cars and especially about driving – you should drive the “Großglockner Hochalpenstraße”. But you should also consider traveling via this route, if you want to experience some of the most beautiful alpine panoramas, which the Austrian alps have to offer.
The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is the highest route in Austria and connects the two states of Salzburg and Kärnten. The route is crossing the mountain passes of Fuscher Törl and Hochtor and reaches up to a height of 2504 meters. Driving this route is already a highlight. But in addition to this, you can find different viewpoints such as the “Edelweiss Spitze” and the “Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Höhe”.
The high-alpine street is an architectural masterpiece. The construction was started in the late 1920s and was done by manual labor for the most part. The impressive history of how the street was built can also be experienced in the exhibition “Bau der Straße” at the Fuscher Lacke. Besides this, you can find several more exhibitions along the route, which are for example dealing with the ecological or historical aspects of the Hochalpenstraße. Furthermore, you will find several huts, guesthouses and visitor centers as well as info points along the scenic route.
The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße blends in with the surrounding landscapes surprisingly good and contributes to this unique mountain experience.
The road is only accessible between May and October as it closes for winter season.
The Hochalpenstraße is mainly a touristic route and less a main thoroughfare. Therefore, you must pay a road toll in order drive it. The toll fee for a car is around 38€, but you can save some money, if you enter the route after 6 p.m. The prices are valid for one day and you can drive as much of the Hochalpenstraße as you want.
If you want to drive the Hochalpenstraße for a second time, you only pay 13,50€ for the second drive. Therefore, I would recommend keeping your billet as you need to show it in order to get a cheaper ticket for your second visit.
Another highlight, when driving the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is a visit to the small village of “Heiligenblut”. Sure, everyone knows the famous Austrian city “Hallstatt”, but Heiligenblut is as scenic as “Hallstatt” and far less known.
The small city lies at feet of the highest mountain of Austria – the Großglockner (3798 meters).
Heiligenblut got its name from the tale of a Danish knight named Briccius, which passed through this landscape and got buried by an avalanche in 914 AD. According to the legend, he was carrying a relic containing the blood of Christ. Briccius mortal remains can be found at the small, but prominent, church of St. Vinzenz, which is the most iconic photo motive of Heiligenblut.
The spire sticks up high over the rest of the city and it seems, that it tries to keep up with the Großglockner, which rises just behind it.
The perfect photo location to get this iconic shot can be found at the entrance of the city. You will pass it, if you enter Heiligenblut out of the direction of the Hochalpenstraße. Be careful: there is no walkway here.
