We took this route when driving from Zell am See to Lienz instead of a highway route. It was a great choice. You pay EUR 34 at the gate for a private gasoline car (EUR 24 for an electric car). The brochure you can buy at the gate costs EUR 5 but there are only a few page available in English, and so I am not sure if it's worth to buy it.. Anyway, the driving the Alpine road was not so difficult (of course you have to be careful). There is a resting area near the top which has a restaurant, small souvenior shop, and a small museum on the nature of the Alps region. You can also drive up to a higher location at 2500 m, but when we were there the higher location was foggy unfortunately. I believe it is worth visit if you are visiting the region in summer for sightseeing, if you want to be surrounded by high Austrian Alps mountains.
We took a drive on the Grossglockner Hochalpen Strasse. It is a National Park, so you have to pay EUR 34 for a private car. Hairpin curves and stunning views, all the way to the glacier at the foot of Austria's highest peak. There are attractions all along the road which are included in the admission price, so you can learn about the wildlife, the geography, and the diverse plant life. There is also a great deal of history connected with this area. It is where the Romans crossed the Alps to make the Northern lands part of their empire. Traces of the Roman Road still exist. There are restaurants and picnic tables all along the road, so take your lunch, or buy it. Spend the day. Plenty of things for the kids, as many of the displays are interactive. Wildflowers abound in July. There are two ways out, so you can drive in a very long circle, or retrace your route.A
The Grossglockner is not to be missed , the trip up is in some parts awe inspiring as your bus climbs through 32 hairpin bends , halfway up there is a small restaurant / souvenir shop and the highlight of the visit there is the fact that the owner has a tame Marmot which he brings out for people to see , you can stroke it as it is totally tame and a beautiful creature
we drove up to the glacier and had a wonder day there the scenery is marvellous and it is a must see for that area.
Try and ensure you can go on a clear day and the views will reward you highly. The drive just to get to the start of this famous area is beautiful. Once you reach the border of the park you pay an entry fee to drive the 48klm road in and return. Lots of viewing spots on route and the glacier at the end is spectacular. We made a day of it and felt it was definitely one of our best experiences in Austria.
We drove this high alpine road almost by chance, so totally unprepared for what us there. If you want just a drive with views, restaurants and gift shops, this is for you. If you want a drive with walking opportunities, natural history, geology and much more this is equally for you. The facilities are excellent with loads of cafe stops, shops, view points etc.Having completed the drive, I would recommend driving to the end, where it is possible to walk to the glacier and working backwards as we had spent so much time taking photographs of waterfalls and other views, we didn't have enough time to walk to the glacier but we are now planning a return holiday so we can do that.By the way we enjoyed the day even though much of the time we were in cloud, just imagine what it's like in sunshine.
Although 48km costs 34€, it is a unique experience that one should not miss. Road is fantastic with spectacular views and the presence of snow at the mountain tops gives an heavenly feeling. It certainly a day trip and most time you can spend at Franz-Josefs Höhe specially if you want to have a walk around the Pasterze Glacier. Also there is other nice stuff to look at like the small exhibition on real old Automobiles etc. Lifts are available. Also the food prices there are very acceptable. Use of parking place and washroom are inclusive in the toll price. Edelweißspitze is my favorite, providing a 360° panoramic view of the Alps at an altitude of about 2572 m. Driving up was just a great fun. Driving in your own car is better since you have freedom to stop anywhere you want. With Zell-am-See Kaprun card you pay 30€ instead of 34€. We visited in June-2014. Have fun.
Grossglockner is a very amazing road. we visited there only for a one day but if you went to hiking there you need more, but for a one day whit a car its good.beautiful nature of the alpes. for the photographers there is allot of spots to take the perfect pic's.
Most beautiful place in Austria. The highest mountain is really impressive. Easy to reach with car, weather is changing quite fast. Before going there don't forget to tak ewarm clothes. Quite strong winds
Wow, what a wonder of nature! Although weather was bad we still enjoyed seeing this amazing view. The winding road was spectacular and I would like to come back to see this on a better day