Grossglockner High Alpine Road and Zell am See-Kaprun: Summer in the Hohe Tauern

Hardly any region of Austria packs so much high mountain scenery into so little space as the Pinzgau: in the morning you have breakfast on the shore of Lake Zell at 750 metres, at midday you stand face to face with the Grossglockner on the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, and the next day firn snow crunches beneath your boots on the Kitzsteinhorn. In between lie the 36 hairpin bends of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, two reservoirs in a rocky world at 2,000 metres and the highest waterfalls in Central Europe. The Hohe Tauern National Park begins practically at the village sign.

This guide by the Alpengast editorial team takes you along the High Alpine Road, to the lake and up the Schmittenhöhe, to Kaprun with the Kitzsteinhorn and the high mountain reservoirs, into the national park and to the Krimml Waterfalls. Added to that are a table of the places you can stay in, how to get there by train, bus and plane, and advice on seasons and budget. You will find all accommodation in the region on our Zell am See-Kaprun page.

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road: 48 Kilometres of Alpine Panorama

Opened in 1935, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road links Bruck an der Grossglocknerstrasse in Salzburg's Pinzgau with Heiligenblut in Carinthia. Over 48 kilometres and 36 numbered hairpin bends it climbs from around 800 metres to 2,504 metres at the Hochtor, the highest point of the through route. If you simply drive it from end to end you will have missed the essential part: allow at least five to six hours with stops, and ideally a whole day.

From Fusch via the Fuscher Törl to the Edelweissspitze

Beyond Fusch you pass the Ferleiten toll station (approx. 1,150 m), and then the real climb begins through the mountain forest up to the tree line at Piffkar. At the Fuscher Törl (2,428 m) the view opens southwards to the Glockner group for the first time; the small memorial to the workers who died during construction is worth a stop. Right at the Törl, the two-kilometre cobbled side road to the Edelweissspitze branches off: at 2,571 metres it is the highest point on the route that you can reach by car, and from the lookout tower you can count more than thirty peaks above 3,000 metres on a clear day. Parking at the top is scarce, and motorhomes have to stay below.

Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe: Grossglockner, Pasterze and Marmots

After the Hochtor tunnel the road descends to the Carinthian side; at Guttal the nine-kilometre Glacier Road branches off to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,369 m), the high point of any trip. Here you stand directly opposite the Grossglockner (3,798 m), Austria's highest mountain, and at your feet lies the Pasterze, at around eight kilometres still the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps, even though it has lost more than half its area since 1850. The visitor centre with exhibitions on the glacier and the building of the road is included in the toll. Marmots live in the meadows around the multi-storey car park and show themselves most reliably in the morning. If you have time, walk down the Gamsgrubenweg towards the Sandersee: one to two hours, sturdy footwear required.

Toll, Opening Hours and the Best Time of Day

A day ticket costs approx. €45–48 for a car and approx. €32–35 for a motorcycle; booking online saves a few euros. Depending on snow conditions, the road is open from early May to early November, in high summer from roughly 5:30 am to 9:30 pm and for shorter hours in the shoulder months; it stays closed at night. The most important advice concerns the time of day: go early. Between 10 am and 2 pm on fine weekends in July and August, cars queue at the toll station, while in the afternoon cumulus clouds frequently shroud the summits. If you set off from Fusch at 7 am you will have the hairpins, the light and the marmots almost to yourself.

Alpengast tip: Check the webcams at the Fuscher Törl and the Franz-Josefs-Höhe the evening before. If there is solid cloud cover above 2,000 metres the toll is not worth paying; postpone the drive by a day and go to the lake instead. Take a jacket and a hat even in high summer: at the Hochtor it is often ten to fifteen degrees colder than in Zell am See.

By Bike, by Bus or Across to Heiligenblut

Cyclists pay no toll: from Bruck to the Hochtor is around 1,700 metres of climbing at gradients of 6 to 9 per cent, and e-bike rental is available in Zell am See, Bruck and Fusch. If you would rather not drive yourself, use the Glocknerbus in summer, which runs from Zell am See via Bruck and Fusch to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, usually with one departure in the morning and the return in the afternoon. On the Carinthian side, the detour to Heiligenblut (1,288 m) is worthwhile: the Gothic pilgrimage church of St Vincent with the Grossglockner behind it is one of the most photographed motifs in Austria, and the village inns are the right place for a late snack before the drive back north.

Zell am See: The Lake and the Schmittenhöhe

Zell am See sits on a peninsula that juts from the west into Lake Zell, which is just under four kilometres long. The compact old town with the Romanesque parish church of St Hippolyt and the Vogtturm can be walked through in half an hour; its quality lies in its position between water and mountain.

Lakeside Promenade, Boat Trips and Swimming

The lakeside promenade leads from the Elisabethpark on the station side to the lido in the south and is the place for an evening stroll with a view of the Kitzsteinhorn. The Zell boat service runs from May to October with round trips of about 45 minutes (approx. €15–18) and connects Zell with Thumersbach and Schüttdorf. Swimming is worthwhile from late June: in high summer the lake reaches 20 to 23 degrees and is of drinking-water quality. There are lidos in Zell am See, Thumersbach and Schüttdorf, admission approx. €5–7, free with the summer card. The quietest spot is the Thumersbach eastern shore, which keeps the sun longest in the afternoon.

Schmittenhöhe: Zell's Local Mountain

The Schmittenhöhe (1,965 m) is the region's viewpoint mountain. The Schmittenhöhebahn takes you to the summit in eight minutes, or alternatively you take the cityXpress from the old town to the middle station and continue by chairlift. At the top stands the Elisabeth Chapel of 1904, and the panorama stretches from the Steinernes Meer across the Kitzbühel Alps to the Glockner group and the Kitzsteinhorn. The Pinzgauer Spaziergang, one of the finest high-level walks in the country, starts here and leads in five to six hours to Saalbach; if you have less in mind, take the Sisi circular trails of about an hour. Up and down costs approx. €38–42, and guests with the summer card ride free.

Kaprun: Kitzsteinhorn, Reservoirs and Gorge

Seven kilometres to the south-west lies Kaprun at the entrance to the Kaprun valley, which cuts deep into the Glockner group. The village is smaller and quieter than Zell, but with the Kitzsteinhorn it has the only glacier in the province of Salzburg where skiing is possible almost all year round.

Gipfelwelt 3000 and TOP OF SALZBURG

The way up runs continuously from the village: the MK Maiskogelbahn starts in Kaprun, the 3K K-onnection glides across to the Kitzsteinhorn, and Gletscherjet 3 and 4 take you to the Gipfelwelt 3000 top station at 3,029 metres; alternatively, drive or take bus 660 to the Kitzsteinhorn valley station. At the top, the 360-metre National Park Gallery leads to the TOP OF SALZBURG panorama platform, the highest viewpoint in the province: the Grossglockner seems close enough to touch, and the panorama reaches as far as the Grossvenediger. In the ICE ARENA there is sledging until early July, and skiing is generally possible from October to early July. Without the summer card the ticket costs approx. €60–70; even in August it is rarely warmer than five degrees at the top.

The Mooserboden Reservoirs

The second destination in the valley is the high mountain reservoirs of the Verbund power stations. From the Kesselfall-Alpenhaus (terminus of bus 660) you take buses to the Lärchwand inclined lift, the largest open inclined lift in Europe, then continue past the Wasserfallboden up to the Mooserboden at 2,036 metres. Between the Moosersperre and Drossensperre dam walls, the turquoise lake lies in front of the Karlingerkees glacier; guided tours inside the dam wall start hourly. Open from late May to mid-October, the trip costs approx. €30–35 and takes a good hour each way, and it is included with the summer card.

Sigmund Thun Gorge and Tauern Spa

On the edge of the village, the Kapruner Ache has carved itself up to 32 metres deep into the rock over a length of 320 metres. The Sigmund Thun Gorge is walked on wooden walkways, and at the top the Klammsee lake with its circular path awaits; admission approx. €6–8, open May to October. For rainy days there is the Tauern Spa at the entrance to the village with thermal pools, a sauna world and a panorama pool facing the Kitzsteinhorn, day ticket approx. €40–50, cheaper from about 5 pm.

Hohe Tauern National Park and the Krimml Waterfalls

At 1,856 square kilometres across three provinces, the Hohe Tauern National Park is the largest protected area in the Alps. For guests in Zell am See-Kaprun, the valleys south of the Salzach are of particular interest: the Kaprun, Fusch and Rauris valleys and, further west, the Stubach and Habach valleys.

Ranger Tours

From June to September the national park programme offers daily guided walks with rangers, from easy family tours to see the marmots to glacier walks on the Pasterze. The tours last three to seven hours, often cost nothing or only a small contribution with the guest card and must be booked the day before. Particularly impressive are the wildlife observations in the Habach valley and the tour to the bearded vultures in Rauris.

Krimml Waterfalls: 380 Metres in Three Stages

At the western end of the Pinzgau, the Krimmler Ache plunges 380 metres in three stages, the highest waterfalls in Central Europe. The waterfall trail leads in around four kilometres and 430 metres of ascent past several viewing platforms to the upper fall; the first platform is ten minutes away, but for the whole route allow an hour and a half up and an hour down. Admission approx. €10–12, closed in winter. From Zell am See you reach Krimml with the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn in about an hour and a half plus a bus or a 30-minute walk, or by car in a good hour on the B168.

Alpengast tip: You receive the Zell am See-Kaprun summer card free of charge from mid-May to mid-October when you stay at a partner establishment, which means most hotels, guesthouses and holiday apartments in the region. It includes, among other things, the Schmittenhöhebahn, the Kitzsteinhorn, the high mountain reservoirs, boat trips, lidos, the Sigmund Thun Gorge and many national park tours. After two cable car rides any surcharge has paid for itself; ask explicitly before booking.

Where to Stay? The Villages Compared

None of the villages in the region is more than twenty minutes' drive from the others. Nevertheless, the choice shapes your holiday: someone who wants to stroll by the lake in the evening stays somewhere different from the cyclist who wants to be at the toll station at seven in the morning.

The prices apply to June to September; in July and August they are at the upper end. Typical are bed-and-breakfast guesthouses and inns with half board, plus many holiday apartments and a few large wellness hotels in Kaprun and on the lakeshore. Farms with rooms to rent are found above all in Bruck, Fusch and on the slopes above Thumersbach.

Getting There and Getting Around

By Train and Plane

Zell am See lies on the Salzburg–Tyrol railway. From Salzburg main station, Railjet and regional trains via Bischofshofen take approx. 1 hour 30 minutes, from Innsbruck via Wörgl and Kitzbühel approx. 1 hour 45 minutes, and from Vienna a good 4 hours. The station is right on the lake, a five-minute walk from the old town. If you come with Westbahn, change to ÖBB in Salzburg; the Klimaticket is valid on regional trains, Postbus services and the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn. From the Gastein valley, for example after a stay in Bad Gastein, you reach Zell via Schwarzach-St. Veit in around an hour. The nearest airport is Salzburg (around 90 kilometres, approx. 1 hour 15 minutes by car via the Tauern motorway and the B311, approx. 2 hours by train); Innsbruck and Munich are 150 and 200 kilometres away respectively. Airport transfers from Salzburg cost approx. €40–60 per person.

Locally: Lokalbahn, Bus 660 and Car

The Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, a narrow-gauge railway, runs from Zell am See station through the Oberpinzgau to Krimml in around an hour and a half, carries bikes and is the classic feeder to the waterfalls. Postbus 660 links Zell am See every half hour to hour with Kaprun, the Kitzsteinhorn valley station and the Kesselfall-Alpenhaus; line 670 runs via Bruck to Fusch and, in summer, continues as the Glocknerbus to the Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Your own car is convenient for the High Alpine Road but rather a hindrance in town: parking by the lake is scarce and charged for, and public transport works well for the Kitzsteinhorn, the reservoirs and Krimml. Cycle paths run around the lake and along the Salzach on the Tauern Cycle Path.

Best Time to Visit and Budget

From May to October

The summer season begins in mid-May with the opening of the High Alpine Road and the summer card and ends in mid-October. In May and June there are still old snowfields on the high trails, but the alpine pastures are in bloom, the waterfalls carry the most water and prices are moderate. July and August are high season with a warm lake, busy roads and afternoon thunderstorms: start mountain tours early and be back below the tree line by 2 pm. For many, September is the best time: stable high-pressure weather, clear long-distance views on the High Alpine Road, a lake still warm enough for swimming and cattle drives in the villages. October brings golden larches and empty trails, but the lifts close one after another, and from November the High Alpine Road is closed for the winter.

What Does a Summer Holiday Cost?

For two people in a double room with breakfast in a good guesthouse or a three-star hotel, expect approx. €110–180 per night, and approx. €220–380 in four-star hotels with half board and wellness. A daily special at an inn costs approx. €14–20, a dinner with drinks approx. €30–45 per person, and a snack at a mountain hut approx. €12–18. Add the Grossglockner toll and, without the summer card, cable cars at approx. €35–70 per ride; the local tourist tax is around €2–3 per person per night. A couple with a car in the mid-range spends approx. €250–350 per day; with the summer card, arrival by train and a guesthouse, considerably less.

Alpengast tip: For July and August, book at least three months in advance, especially lake views in Zell am See and family apartments in Kaprun. If you are flexible, choose the second half of September: most establishments then switch to low season, the summer card is still valid, and the High Alpine Road is at its clearest in the autumn air.

Whether an inn in Fusch as a base for the High Alpine Road, a guesthouse in Thumersbach with a lake view or a wellness hotel in Kaprun after a day on the glacier: on Alpengast.at you will find vetted accommodation in all the villages of the region. Browse our hotel overview and plan your summer in the Hohe Tauern.