5 Reasons To Visit The Großglockner

At the beginning of this month the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße opened its gates to the world again. After quite a fair bit of snow removal, the roads are open again and its beauty can be appreciated.

I drove up last year in August and after only one day, it went right up there on my favourite places in this world. There are not many places that I refer to as "home" but the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße is one of them.

There are many reasons why one should visit the Großglockner but the following are the top five:

Marmots

Marmots are tiny and cute animals that look a bit like hamsters and are similar to a landmark for the Großglockner. The only downside: they are quite hard to spot. In addition to this, they are also endangered, so please be careful on the road.

Should you ever be blessed by the sight of them, you can just tell how utterly adorable they are:

Hiking

The Großglockner offers various hiking trails throughout the region. There are simpler routes starting at the Kaiser Franz Josefs Höhe, and tougher ones leading down to the Pasterzie.

The whole area is riddled with hiking trails, ranging from trials for the more relaxed chap to ones for the experienced hiker. On top of this, you are even able to book a tour that is going to take you up on the very peak of the Großglockner!

If hiking strikes you as a bit boring, the Glockner can also be used for cycling. There are a lot of cyclist who try to climb this beast with their trusty beast - if you can be believe it.

Me, not believing it

The highest car museum in the world

The Franz Josefs Höhe is basically one big museum as it is: You have a tourist shop, a hiking trail that gives you information about the caves and the already mentioned Pasterzie. However, if you want to do something more comforting the museum with its display "125 Jahre Automobilismus" (transl. 125 years of automobilism) at 2.369 m is the highest car museum in the world.

Parking is free and so is the entry fee of the museum. On the top floor you have a display of cars - ranging from one of the first cars to modern beauties. The second floor is dedicated to motorcycles and a passionate display of miniature cars - which are arranged in a time line starting with the old and finishing off with the new, mixed in between are a a few F1 racers, Group-C, and LMP cars.

While it might not be the most varied museum in the world - it is the highest. On top of that, it is run with a lot of love and passion.

Even if cars are not your forte, there is no reason to despair. While two floors always are dedicated to cars, one has a changing exhibition. When I was there, it was one about the marmots on the Glockner.

The road

The Großglockner is known for two major things: being the highest mountain of Austria, and having one of the world's finest driving roads.

This is a reputation well earned, and indeed one that it can live up to. Before going there, I had been told countless of times how great it is and what an amazing feeling it is to drive up there. As it is with almost everything, I thought people exaggerated. No road can be *that* good.

This one is.

It has everything: fun turns, long-ish straights, turn-outs for photo opportunists. The view is one of a kind and truly stunning.

The Großglockner Hochalpenstraße has build itself a reputation of being one of the finest driving roads in the whole world and trust me - opened in 1935 - it own up to it until this very day.

The view

The view is without a shadow of a doubt the trump card of the Großglockner. It does not matter if you are on it by foot, by bike, on a bicycle or with the car. It remains stunning all the same. It does not matter if you are looking North to Zell am See or South into the Valley and Heiligenblut.

It is also irrelevant if it is clouding over because there is a point where you are above the clouds. This gives you a once in a lifetime experience as you watch the clouds move on and show you a stunning view.

The Hohe Tauern and the Glockner are always a sight worth to behold no matter which weather, season or day. It is simply stunning and worth a visit!

Have you ever been to the Großglockner? What was your favourite part? Let me know!