Grossglockner High Alpine Road by Motorcycle: A Full Day Loop

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is Austria's showpiece: a toll road built in the 1930s to carry visitors over the main Alpine ridge, below Austria's highest mountain. It is wide, superbly surfaced and full of hairpins, which makes it one of the few great Alpine roads that suits almost any rider and any bike. This loop rides it south from Zell am See, then returns through East Tyrol and the Felbertauern tunnel, about 210km in all.

The High Alpine Road

From Zell am See ride south to Bruck and Fusch, where the toll road begins. Pay at the toll station near Ferleiten and start the climb: hairpin after hairpin up through forest, then alpine meadow, then bare rock. The road runs 48km from Fusch to Heiligenblut with 36 hairpins in total.

Just below the Fuscher Törl, a short cobbled side road climbs to the Edelweissspitze at 2,571m, the highest point you can reach on the road network here. The view takes in dozens of peaks over 3,000m. The main road then crosses the Fuscher Törl, dips past the Fuscher Lacke and goes through the short tunnel at the Hochtor, the high point of the through road at 2,504m and the border between Salzburg and Carinthia.

On the southern side, take the side road to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. It ends at a large visitor centre facing the Grossglockner (3,798m) and the Pasterze, the longest glacier in Austria. Then descend in long hairpins to Heiligenblut, whose church spire with the Grossglockner behind it is the classic photo of the route.

The return: Lienz and the Felbertauern

From Heiligenblut follow the Möll valley down to Winklern, then cross the Iselsberg pass into East Tyrol and drop into Lienz, a good town for a late lunch. Head north up the Isel valley through Matrei in Osttirol to the Felbertauern tunnel, a toll tunnel of just over 5km under the main ridge, and come out above Mittersill in the Salzach valley. The ride back east to Zell am See is easy valley riding.

The roads

The Grossglockner road is maintained to a very high standard, with wide lanes and good barriers. The challenges are traffic and conditions rather than the road: coaches and campervans on the hairpins, large numbers of cyclists on the climb, marmots by the verge, and weather that can switch from sunshine to sleet near the top. Temperatures at the Hochtor are often 15 degrees colder than in Zell am See. Fuel up before the toll road; there is none on the pass itself.

The road charges a toll per motorcycle, and the Felbertauern tunnel is tolled separately. Opening hours are limited, so check the times before you set off, especially for an early start or a late finish.

When to go

The road usually opens in early May and closes in late October or early November, depending on snow. June to September is the reliable window. Ride early in the morning or late in the afternoon in July and August to avoid the busiest hours, and go on a weekday if you can.

Where to stay

Zell am See, Kaprun, Fusch and Bruck on the north side, Heiligenblut on the south and Lienz in East Tyrol all suit a Grossglockner trip. See all biker hotels in Austria and in Tyrol. The Grossglockner pairs well with the Dolomites, a day's ride south through East Tyrol.