Grossglockner High Alpine Road

We went on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road at the end of September 2015. We stayed in Salzburg and it was about a two hour drive. The road is well worth visiting with beautiful mountain views. We did have some fog and there was fresh snow on the pine trees. We ate lunch in a little village which I believe was past the summit. In the afternoon it cleared up and was sunny. The mountains had a lot of snow. Take your time and enjoy the beautiful scenery. On the way back to Salzburg we ate dinner in Zell am See.

Hi Galen,

Zell am See in Sept. is perfect. We loved our stay in Zell am See, at the Pension Alpenrose. You can leave your car there and easily walk into the old town pedestrian zone and to the lake.

http://www.pension-alpenrose.at/en/welcome/

Take your time along the Grossglockner. Is a beautiful drive with outstanding scenery.

Paul

Zell am See is a nice sized town on a lake with many lodging and dining options and convenient to the Grossglockner Road. However, I do wish to point out it full of Muslim visitors. Apparently, Islamic paradise is described as being like a crystal clear lake surrounded by snow covered mountains, which fits Zell am See perfectly. Some members of my party were put off by the sheer numbers of Burka clad women and hotels, stores, and restaurants catering to the Islamic clientele. You have to decide if these circumstances are important to you or not.

The Grossglockner road itself is lovely. We visited last September 4th and had to wait for the road to be cleared of freshly fallen snow.
However, it was gorgeous. Your ticket allows you to exit the toll road at Heiligblut, get the picture of the church and mountains and then return onto the highway for the return trip.

Hotel Senger in Heiligenblut! We stayed there ten yrs ago, so caveat the time lag, but it was a great choice. Recommended by a savvy Austrian. Spectacular picture-postcard views of the Glossglochner & Heiligenblut's perfect church from our balcony (very good room), & then the sunset, & then the stars! Sweet chalet of a place, up above the town (legs complained, but gorgeous walk). Very good restaurant in the hotel for dinner & breakfast, & the High Alpine Road is right there. It was a splurge for us back then, might still be now, but I'd go back in the proverbial heartbeat. The Road was amazing/daunting/also expensive but c'est la vie. You'll have a great trip!

Also, keep an eye on weather forecasts close to your trip. Vienna in early Sept. on another of ours was cold-ish, windy, very autumnal versus late summer-y. 'Course that was then, who knows now. And there's always shops.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments/suggestions. We've booked the car and Pension Herzog in Zell. And we're looking forward to our trip!

Congrats! Have a wonderful time.

I would consider Maria Alm. We stayed there in 2013 and loved it. The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse wasn't too far of a drive. We loved it.