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Franz Josefs Hohe: Viewing gallery
victorwkf Says: There is a huge open space viewing gallery outside the visitor's centre with magnificient views of the mountains and Grossglockner Glacier. There are binoculars here for those who wants to have a closer view of the surroundings. It is very cold here due to the surrounding...
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse
amsor Says: Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is open only in summer and unfortunately you need to pay for use the road. It is great to drive to the top and enjoy the landscape. There are also marmots, funny to watch them and they are used to the tourists, so dont run away but get curious.
A Pleasant Walk on a Summers Day
scottishvisitor Says: When we arrived here at the Glossclockner we were not alone - there are so many tourists here arriving by coaches - private cars and motorbikes. Most people take the little shuttle bus up to the Kaiser Josefs-Hohe visitors centre. I could see the mountains from the...
scottishvisitor Says: The Grossglockner Snow capped Mountain Peak stands in the heart of the Hohe Tauren National Park towering to a height of 3,798 metres. Here you will find over thirty mountain peaks ascending to 3,000 metres which count among the highest in the eastern Alps. The mountain...
victorwkf Says: When you are moving along the Grossglockner Road, you will notice that there are several beautiful mountain lakes up here which are worthwhile to make a stop and admire their beauty, especially on a good day with no wind (you can see very beautiful reflections of the...
victorwkf Says: The Kitzsteinhorn is a very famous mountain of the Grossglockner Road. This is because it has a good skiing resort which you can go skiing even in summer because of the permanent snow at the glacier up there. Besides skiing, you can do some mountain walking during summer....
victorwkf Says: A memorial designed by the internationally renowed architect Clemens Holzmeister is built here in memory of the workers who died during the construction of the Grossglockner Road. This place offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the Grossglockner, surrounding...
victorwkf Says: When you arrive at the Franz Josefs Hohe viewpoint carpark, you will see some signboards indicating areas where marmots can be seen. What is a marmot? Well, marmots are actually large ground squirrels which live in mountainous areas in the United States or in the European...
Ferleiten Restaurant: Stop for some coffee and cake
scottishvisitor Says: The restaurant is set in a very scenic spot with excellent views of the mountains and Krimml waterfalls in the distance. There is a wildlife park here too which we didn't visit as we were on a bus tour and didn't have the time. They have seating inside which also includes a...
Restaurants along Grossglockner Road
victorwkf Says: There are many restaurants along the Grossglockner Road and they are listed at the webpage below. During our visit there, my wife and I had our lunch at a restaurant at the Franz Josefs Hohe viewpoint area, just above the souvenir shop next to the visitor's centre. I cannot...
The Tour Bus & The Shuttle Bus
scottishvisitor Says: We booked this tour through our Hotel but there are numerous coach companies offering the same thing at around the same price. We paid 33.50 euros each - child prices are 19.25 euros which includes your entrance to the Hohe Tauern National Park. Our guide for the journey...
victorwkf Says: When you are at the Franz Josefs Hohe viewpoint, there is actually a path leading down to the glacier below where you can get really close up with one of the natural wonders of Austria. When you are walking down, be careful with the path and it will also pass through some...
Helpfulness
As well as soveniers of Austria including fleece jackets embroidered with Austria's national flower, which we didn't need due to the high temperatures endured on our visit, the shop also sells a good variety of fresh fruit and bottled water, filled rolls and sandwiches all readily available if you want to prepare a packed lunch for a hiking trip through the Hohe Tauern. I did discover in all the places I visited in Austria the postcards are usually local so if you like collecting postcards I would suggest you buy them at the original location otherwise you may not get the ones you prefer.
What to buy: I did buy some postcards of the Grossglockner Mountain - some to send and some to keep. I also bought some fridge magnets to add to my growing collection
What to pay: Prices are a little higher here as always at top tourist spots but still quite reasonable
Updated Aug 29, 2007
Address: At the parking lot of Glossglockner
Helpfulness
The Grossclockner High Alpine Road was built between 1930 - 1935. Its total length is 48 kilometres incorporating 36 hair raising bends with an altitude ascent of 2,504 metres. Back in 1935 the visitor numbers were around 120,000. This number, not surprisingly, dropped dramatically during the war years to 27,000., the road suffered a lot of damage due to the heavy use of tanks and inexpert snow clearing during the occupation. After WWll the road was repaired. The road was later widened from six metres to seven and a half metres and the speed limit increased for 4 kilometres per hour to 70 kilometres. Parking was also increased from a mere 800 spaces to a massive 4,000 giving the road the capacity to carry an amazing 350,000 vehicles. Work was completed after just twenty five months and the High Alpine Road was officially opened once again on the 31st. December 1962. Strange to think this road has no real purpose except to transport tourists through the National Park and the Grossclockner Mountian - on saying this if you like thrilling scenic drives this is the road for you
Updated Apr 4, 2011
scottishvisitor Says: The Pasterze is one of the longest glaciers in the Eastern Alps known as 'The Eternal Ice' Like most glaciers in our world today it is shrinking at a phenomenal rate of around ten metres annually. Whatever the reason for the glacier's retreat - be it global warming or mass...
Unpredictable, cold and windy weather
victorwkf Says: Because it is high up in the mountains, the weather at the grossglockner road is unpredictable. Even in summer, the weather is cold and windy up here even though it may be hot down in the valley or surrounding areas. Alway get your warm clothings prepared if you are going...
Helpfulness
Toiletries and Medical Supplies: You are visiting the highest mountain in Austria in July and you are told that there is still snow on the ground up there. Do you take a coat or sun tan lotion? Sounds an easy question to answer, doesn't it? Got to be the coat!
Well, actually, both would be correct. You can't tell what the weather will be like. If cloudy, then it could be cold but if the sun comes out, well, you are so much closer to it than you are used to, that a short time in it could give you sunburn! Oh, and a pair of sunglasses would not go amiss either, especially if you go down on the glacier while it is sunny.
Miscellaneous: Drink lots of liquids! The higher you go, the drier the air and you may well exist with drinking a few litres of water at sea level but you need a lot more at this height, as the atmosphere sucks it straight out of you, so carry a bottle of water around with you.
Updated Aug 20, 2006
victorwkf Says: The Grossglockner Road with its stunning scenery all around you can be a photographer's paradise, especially with the modern day digital cameras where you can take many many photos. One important thing to note is that it is cold and windy up here, and therefore the digital...
victorwkf Says: During early summer such as June, it is still possible to see and experience ice along the Grossglockner Road, especially at the Haus Alpine Naturschau area (see my VT Haus Alpine Naturschau tip) where you can make a stop at the carpark and enjoy playing in the ice. However,...
victorwkf Says: When you are moving along the Grossglockner Road, you will notice there are several waterfalls here, ranging from magnificent ones high up in the mountains (see photo) to smaller waterfalls coming down the side of the mountains.The best of them all is at another nearby...
Grossglockner Road - Austria's Alpine Country
The Grossglockner Road is one of the most beautiful alpine roads in Europe. The road starts from the town of Fusch in the Austrian alpine valley and passes through some of the highest snow-capped...
Blue skys - sunshine and mountains. What more could you ask of a day trip?
Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria
Grossglockner is the highest mountain in Austria, weighing at 3,791mtr (12,430 ft) high. At its base lies the Pasterze Glacier which is the largest glacier in the eastern Alps and it is 9km (5.5miles)...
Fresh air, mountains, great sceneries
On my bicycle tour of the Alps 2003, one of the highlights was to climb the Grossglockner. It was a long climb, butso rewarding in sceneries and great people I met along my way. It is worth a detour,...
At the height of the "High Apline Pass" is the stunning view of the Grossglockner Glacier.
Build your own Kals-am Großglockner page
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