Scenic drives · Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Is the Grossglockner High Alpine Road open, and what does it cost?

Checked 2 October 2026 on the Grossglocknerstraßen (GROHAG) operator's own pages · skynomad

The Grossglockner is a private toll road run by the Grossglocknerstraßen company (GROHAG), not part of the motorway network. That one fact explains most of what follows: it has its own season, its own barrier times and its own price list, and your vignette does nothing here. Everything below was checked on the operator's own pages on 2 October 2026.

The October question: is it still open on my date?

The operator's line is that the road runs "from the start of May until the start of November" and is shut through the winter because snow makes it impassable. In 2026 it beat that and opened on 25 April. The 2026 closing date is not published yet, so I would not plan a crossing for the first days of November without checking the status line on grossglockner.at the evening before. It lists cars, motorbikes, buses and bicycles separately, and they are not always the same.

Even inside the season, the FAQ warns that snow chains can be required up high. In autumn I'd carry them rather than turn back at the booth. Further back in spring, meltwater freezing on the tarmac causes short early-morning closures for motorcyclists and cyclists, which is the operator's own warning, not a rumour.

Barrier times and the night ban

The hours change three times a season, and the last entry is 45 minutes before the barriers close:

Outside those hours there is, in the operator's words, an official ban on night-time driving. My view: the evening rate tempts people to arrive at 18:30 in October and then race a 48 km road with 36 hairpins against a 19:30 close. I'd rather pay full price and start before lunch.

What the toll buys you, vehicle by vehicle

The 2026 tariff, per vehicle, from GROHAG's price page:

A day ticket for a car or motorbike lets you cross as often as you like that day, so a round trip from Zell am See costs the same as one way. The second-day ticket is tied to your number plate and must be used in the same calendar year. The ticket also covers the exhibitions and museums along the road, and parking in the deck at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe is free. I think that makes €46.50 fair value if you stop; it is poor value as a shortcut.

Cyclists do not appear on the toll table. The cycling page mentions only an optional accident insurance of €4 a day at the pay point.

Motorhomes, caravans and Edelweiss-Spitze

There is no caravan ban and no length limit on the price page. The rules go by maximum permitted weight (GVWR):

• Motorhomes up to 3,500 kg, and car-plus-caravan combinations where the towing car is up to 3,500 kg, pay the car rate.
• Motorhomes and caravans from 3,500 to 7,500 kg pay Truck 1, €56.50.
• Over 7,500 kg pay Truck 2, €145.00.

The same page defines Truck 1 elsewhere as "up to 3500 kg", which contradicts the motorhome sentence. I'd go by the motorhome sentence, because it is the one written for you, and expect the booth to settle it. Austria's tourist board calls the road "generally suitable for motorhomes and caravans" and flags possible restrictions for very large vehicles.

The side road to Edelweiss-Spitze (2,571 m) is the exception: the operator says it is not accessible to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, not suitable for buses, and that camper journeys up it are not advisable. Camping and sleeping in a vehicle are banned along the whole road because it sits in a conservation area. More on weights and licences: motorhomes.

EV range on the climbs

GROHAG runs its own chargers under the GROSSGLOCKNER ePower name, with car parks marked in green at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. The 22 kW points cost €0.49/kWh and the 120 kW fast charger €0.59/kWh, paid by debit or credit card. After 180 minutes on a 22 kW point, or 90 on the fast charger, a standing fee of €0.10 a minute starts. The operator does not list how many points there are on the road itself, so I would arrive at Ferleiten or Heiligenblut with enough charge for the whole crossing and treat the top as a bonus. More on paying by card and plug types: EV road trips.

Bikes on the road

This is a shared road. The operator's own cycling page admits the 2-metre overtaking distance "is often not maintained" because the road is narrow. It recommends cyclists ride before 08:00 or after 15:00, which tells you when the traffic is heaviest. Motorcyclists get priority check-in at the booths and reserved parking at a Biker Point at Edelweiss-Spitze. My advice for the car: wait for a straight, not a hairpin, to pass a climbing cyclist.

The drive, north to south

From Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße, near Zell am See, to Heiligenblut in Carinthia:

1. Ferleiten toll booth (Ferleiten 1, Fusch): the northern pay point.
2. Fuscher Törl (2,428 m): on the northern ramp, with Edelweiss-Spitze above it.
3. Edelweiss-Spitze (2,571 m): the highest point you can drive to, cars and motorbikes up to 3.5 t only.
4. Hochtor (2,504 m): the pass summit and the road's highest point outside the Edelweiss-Spitze detour.
5. Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,369 m): a spur off the main road, with the free parking deck and a visitor centre open 10:00–17:00.
6. Heiligenblut toll booth (Untertauern 41): the southern pay point.

Getting there: the vignette question

The toll covers only the Grossglockner road. Driving in from Salzburg or Innsbruck you will use Austrian motorways, and those need a vignette; the A10 Tauern motorway also charges a separate section toll on top. A missing vignette costs €200. Prices and the 18-day online trap are on our Austria vignette page.