This gallery contains a lot of photos because it was one of the few clear days we had in Austria and we want to show what the Alps look like in the best of conditions.
The Austrian Alps are stunning; not only the mountain peaks but the valleys are as beautiful as the snow capped mountain peaks. The down side was the glacier at the top of the drive. The glacier had seen better days.
The most famous alpine road, the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße, takes you right into the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park and to the highest mountain in Austria, the Großglockner (3,798 m) and its Pasterze glacier! The panorama road is 48 kilometres long and includes 36 hair-pin bends. On the ascent to an altitude of 2,504 metres, you will drive through a unique mountain world.
It isn’t only the mountain world but also the traditions, culture and history of the road that make this such an amazing place. Historical finds show that people crossed the Alps here as early as three and a half thousand years before Christ. In 1856 His Majesty Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) came hiking to the spot that has since become known as “Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe”. Once you get there, you will be standing immediately opposite the Großglockner with a view down to the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps, the Pasterze.