The Gro\u00dfglockner High Alpine Road is one of the most spectacular panoramic roads in the Alps \u2013 and just about 25 minutes from Zell am See-Kaprun. Over 48 kilometres and through 36 hairpin bends, it winds up into the world of the three-thousanders, past glaciers, alpine pastures and viewpoints that take your breath away. A drive up here is not merely a transfer, but a destination in itself.<\/p>
From Fusch an der Glocknerstra\u00dfe to Heiligenblut in Carinthia, the toll road climbs countless metres of altitude over 48 kilometres. 36 bends lead up to around 2,500 metres \u2013 every curve reveals a new view. You can drive up by car, by motorbike or, for the sporty, by road bike.<\/p>
At around 2,571 metres, the Edelwei\u00dfspitze is the highest point on the road you can reach by vehicle, rewarding you with a 360-degree panorama of more than 30 three-thousanders. At the end of the spur road awaits the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-H\u00f6he, with arguably Austria\u2019s most famous mountain panorama.<\/p>
From the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-H\u00f6he you look straight at the Gro\u00dfglockner \u2013 at 3,798 metres Austria\u2019s highest mountain \u2013 and at the Pasterze, the country\u2019s largest glacier. The interplay of ice, rock and depth makes this one of the most impressive natural spectacles in the Alps.<\/p>
The road crosses four vegetation zones \u2013 from blooming alpine meadows to the barren high mountains. With a little luck you\u2019ll spot marmots, ibex and chamois, while golden eagles and bearded vultures circle high in the sky. The Hohe Tauern National Park is ever-present here.<\/p>
Along the route, exhibitions, info points and themed trails invite you to linger. The Gamsgrubenweg, with its tunnels, leads close to the glacier world, and sporty cyclists test themselves in the legendary \u201cGlocknerk\u00f6nig\u201d hill race.<\/p>