Heiligenblut · Carinthia / Salzburgerland · Austria

Grossglockner High Alpine Road

alpine-roadglacierviewpointgoogle verified

moderate

10/10

best: summer-morning

dramatic, alpine, awe-inspiring

A local would say...

Thirty-six hairpin bends built in the 1930s to let ordinary people see a glacier — an engineering project disguised as a scenic drive.

A feat of 1930s engineering that swings giddily around 36 switchbacks over 48 kilometres from Bruck to Heiligenblut, passing jewel-coloured lakes, forested slopes and the 8-kilometre Pasterze Glacier beneath Grossglockner (3798m), Austria's highest mountain. The view from Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2369m) over the glacier is one of the most dramatic in the Alps. Guided ranger hikes and skiing are available from the village of Heiligenblut at the southern end.