The Ultimate 3-Day Alpine Roadtrip in Austria - Großglockner and Salzburg

We have always wanted to drive the legendary Großglockner Panorama Road. We only had 3 days for this trip, but if you have the time, you can spend several weeks in this beautiful region. There are thousands of attractions and recreational opportunities. The three days were extremely busy and tiring, but well worth it because we really got to see one of the most beautiful parts of the world. In this article, I'll show you the best of Grossglockner and Salzburg, and how to make the most of a long weekend here.

Practical information

How long should you go for: We did the almost 1500 km in three days, we could see a lot in that time, but you could spend three weeks here, there is so much to see and if the weather is good you can swim in the lakes.

When should you visit? The Grossglockner Panorama Trail usually opens in early May and closes for the winter season in late October or early November. In May, there is often several feet of snow on the road. We were there at the end of June, the summit was still covered in snow and it was extremely cold, but extreme weather can occur here in the summer. If you just want to hike in the area, spring or early fall is fine, but if you want to swim in the lakes, summer is the best time.

How expensive is it? Prices are very similar to Hungary. Don't fill up on the highway, because gas there is €2.3 and €1.45 in the cities, which is a big difference. The highway vignette is €9.9 (10 days). The panoramic road to the Großglockner is €40 per car. The bus ticket to the Eagle's Nest is 28 euro/person. The cable car up the mountain is €30/person. The cable car to Salzburg Castle is €11/person. Don't forget! Shops (including souvenir shops) close at 6pm on Saturday and are closed on Sunday, even in the most visited places. Only restaurants and cafés are open. Prices in restaurants and cafes are similar to the rest of the country.

+ Tip: Don't leave your binoculars at home! In clear weather you can see for miles.

3-Day Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival in Heiligenblut via Lake Wörth
• Day 2: Großglockner - Eagle's Nest - Salzburg
• Day 3: Salzburg and returning home

Itinerary to the Alpine Road Trip in Austria Day by Day

Day 1: Traveling to Heiligenblut

On the first day, we left Budapest early in the morning for Heiligenblut, 650 km away, via Lake Wörth. Although we took the highway to the shore of the lake, we didn't drive too fast, as there are many 100 and 80 km/h speed limits on the Austrian highway. We chose the small lakeside town of Pörtschach as our stop, where we could walk around a small peninsula on a charming promenade and admire the beautiful green colored lake. There are also several restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately, we didn't get to enjoy the view for long, as a storm suddenly hit with hail and wind. As we drove on, we switched the air conditioner to the heater. The air suddenly went from 33 degrees to 14 degrees.

The rest of the trip was through beautiful alpine scenery, climbing higher and higher. On the mountainsides we saw many waterfalls. We stopped at several places to admire the scenery and the villages. For example, the Jungfernsprung, just before Heiligenblut, is a very beautiful waterfall. Here you could stop at a parking lot. In the late afternoon we arrived at our accommodation in Heiligenblut, a small family pension.

Heiligenblut is a very charming little village surrounded by huge mountains. Several hiking trails start here, and you can also take a cable car up one of the mountains. Even here, the mountains are dizzyingly high, and the peaks were still snow-covered in June.

Accommodation in Heiligenblut: Pension Bergkristall

Day 2: Großglockner - Eagle's Nest - Salzburg

The next morning, after breakfast, we set out early for the panoramic route below Austria's highest peak, the 3,798-meter Großglockner. It is worth leaving as early as possible, as there is hardly anyone on the road at this time of day. We could drive slowly, stopping at every little spot. The 48 km long road has many viewpoints, 12 stations, nature trails and restaurants.

The quality of the road is very good. We stopped at many places and the views were spectacular. There were huge mountains, waterfalls and wildflower meadows everywhere. We drove to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs Point, which is 2,369 meters above sea level. This is a lookout point right next to Austria's largest glacier, the Pasterze, on the Großglockner. If you look closely, you can see the marmots that live on the mountainside. Luckily we saw them, but we couldn't enjoy the view for long because it was already very cold (1 degree Celsius) and the wind was blowing.

Even though we were wearing winter coats, we couldn't stay outside for long, so we kept going. Little did we know that we would never see more of this beautiful landscape. When we reached Fuscher Törl, where there is a memorial, clouds came over the mountain. Unfortunately we couldn't see anything of the rest of the road, not even the road itself, we used the GPS to see where to turn, we had about half a meter of visibility (although that's a good reason to come back here sometime).

As we came down the mountain, the weather became sunnier and after a few kilometers it was already 20 degrees. We continued on to our next destination. The Eagle's Nest. The Eagle's Nest was Adolf Hitler's vacation home, now a restaurant and tourist attraction. The house is located at an altitude of 1,834 meters, which is another high mountain. The only way to get to the Eagle's Nest is to take the RVO bus 849 (if you're really fit, you can walk up), which leaves from Obersalzberg every 25 minutes. From here, the panorama was breathtaking and the weather was sunny and clear, even though we were only 100 km from the Großglockner. Then we headed towards Salzburg.

Just before Salzburg, we happened to see a cable car on the side of the road near the town of Grödig. We stopped and took the last ride to the top of the mountain at 1,800 meters (the third big peak of the day). From here we could see Salzburg and it was summer again. We arrived in Salzburg in the late afternoon, packed up at the hotel, and after a quick pizza dinner, headed out to explore the city.

We had heard many times about how beautiful and charming Salzburg is, but Mozart's hometown exceeded all our expectations. It's no coincidence that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. Hohensalzburg Castle, the Cathedral, Mirabell Castle, Mozart's birthplace, the shopping district, the old cobblestone streets, the squares, the doorways, the city's attractions are too numerous to mention. We walked around the city center until late in the evening to see as much as possible.

Accommodation in Salzburg: Hotel Via Roma

Day 3: Salzburg and driving home

On our third and final day we set off early to see what Salzburg had to offer. On this day we also visited the castle. You can walk up to the top, but we decided to take the lift, which is similar to the one in Buda Castle. What really surprised me about Salzburg is that almost everyone rides a bike. The streets are very clean and tidy. In the summer, the city has a Riviera feel, with groups of friends drinking on the terraces outside restaurants and tourists filling the streets.

We spent the morning looking around the town and then headed home. On the way we stopped at the Attersee, which is not so famous, but it is a beautiful lake. Then we headed home, still a long way to go. We were very tired during those three days, but the experiences made up for it. We saw so many incredibly beautiful places.

Safe travels!

Heni

Accommodation:

In the description I have linked all the accommodation we stayed in. I always use booking.com when booking. You can find more accommodation at the link below.

More Programs:

If you would like to pre-book your ticket or are looking for organised programmes in Salzburg or at Glossglockner, here are the options: