Destination Guide
Cycling in Grossglockner & Carinthia
Cycling in Grossglockner & Carinthia: Austria's highest mountain, Europe's most spectacular toll road, and Giro d'Italia passes through a landscape of glaciers and alpine lakes.
Last updated: 16 Mar 2026
- Terrain
- Road, Climbing
- Difficulty
- Moderate — Expert
- Road Quality
- Excellent
- Cycling Culture
- Growing
- Traffic
- Low
Pro Cycling Connection
The Giro d'Italia has crossed the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse on multiple occasions, most recently in 2022. The Plöckenpass serves as a frequent Giro border crossing between Austria and Italy. The...
Best Time to Cycle in Grossglockner & Carinthia
The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse opens in early May but reliable conditions for cycling — clear roads, no residual ice, comfortable summit temperatures — are established from mid-June. July and August are the peak months with maximum daylight and w...
Temperature: -15°C (winter) to 28°C (summer)
Best Cycling Climbs in Grossglockner & Carinthia
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse (Heiligenblut side)
14km · 1200m · 8.6% · HC
The southern approach from the pilgrimage village of Heiligenblut is shorter, steeper, and more dramatic than the northern Bruck ascent. At 14km with 1,200m of climbing and an 8.6% average, this side more closely resembles the brutal character expected from a Giro d'Italia summit finish. The road climbs from the Gothic pilgrimage church at Heiligenblut (1,288m) through a series of tight switchbacks above the treeline before joining the main Hochalpenstrasse road for the final ascent to the Hochtor. The Grossglockner glacier — Austria's largest — is visible from multiple points on the upper road, providing a reminder that these are genuinely extreme high-Alpine environments. The Heiligenblut approach was used in the 2022 Giro stage and remains one of the hardest accessible road climbs in Austrian cycling.
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse (Bruck side)
35km · 2000m · 5.7% · HC
Austria's most iconic cycling road and one of the great Alpine climbs in Europe. The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse was constructed between 1930 and 1935 and remains an astonishing feat of engineering: 35km from Bruck an der Glocknerstrasse to the Hochtor summit at 2,506m, climbing 2,000m through 36 switchbacks past glaciers, Alpine lakes, and Europe's highest national park. The gradient averages 5.7% with sustained sections at 10-12% on the upper approaches to the summit tunnel. Beyond the Hochtor, a dramatic 8km spur road climbs further to the Edelweißspitze observation platform at 2,571m — the highest point reachable by road in Austria. The Giro d'Italia used this road in 2022 to devastating effect in the mountains stage from Rovereto; the Patersberg's 12.9% cobbles are brutal but the Glockner's sustained 5.7% over 35km at altitude is a different kind of suffering entirely.
Malta Hochalmstrasse
17km · 1156m · 6.8% · HC
A Giro d'Italia summit finish in 2021 that introduced the wider cycling world to one of Austria's finest hidden climbs. The Malta Hochalmstrasse rises from the village of Malta in the Liesertal valley to the Kölnbreinsperre dam at 1,900m — a vast concrete arch dam holding back the highest reservoir in Austria. The 17km averages 6.8% with sustained sections at 12-15% that punish any rider attempting to rush the middle section. The scenery transitions from forest to sheer rock canyon and finally to the dramatic artificial landscape of the reservoir plateau. In the 2021 Giro stage, Egan Bernal sealed his overall victory on these roads.
Nockalmstrasse
38km · 1800m · 4.7% · HC
Austria's best-kept cycling secret and an alternative to the Grossglockner for riders who want dramatic Alpine scenery without tourist-road traffic. The Nockalmstrasse is a toll road through the Nockberge UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — a landscape of rounded, treeless mountains unlike any other in the Alps, covered in alpine grassland rather than the rocky peaks of the Glockner. The road crosses three passes in 38km: the Glocknerblick (1,982m), the Eisentalhöhe (2,042m), and the Turracher Höhe summit, passing through an entirely different scale of mountain to the dramatic jagged ridges of the Hohe Tauern. The gradient of 4.7% average with sections to 13% makes this a very long and ultimately manageable day. Traffic is substantially lower than the Grossglockner — a significant advantage for the riding quality.
Plöckenpass
10.2km · 707m · 6.9% · CAT1
The historic border crossing between Austrian Carinthia and Italian Friuli that has served as a Giro d'Italia stage on multiple occasions. The Austrian approach from Kötschach-Mauthen climbs 707m over 10.2km with characteristic Alpine rhythm — a steady 6-8% average punctuated by steeper ramps to 15% in the village approaches. The summit at 1,360m sits above WWI battlefields (the Dolomite Front ran through this pass) with remnants of fortifications visible from the road. The Italian descent to Paluzza is 14km and very fast — one of the great Alpine descents in this corner of the Alps. The combination of historical weight, racing history, and genuine gradient challenge makes Plöckenpass one of the most satisfying climbs in Carinthia.
Insider Tips
The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse carries its heaviest car traffic on Saturday and Sunday throughout July and August. Mid-week riding on these days — Tuesday and Wednesday in part...
The Edelweißspitze spur — an 8km out-and-back from the main Hochalpenstrasse to Austria's highest viewpoint accessible by road at 2,571m — is not to be missed. The 7% gradient on t...
The Malta Hochalmstrasse is free of charge for cyclists — unlike the Grossglockner and Nockalmstrasse, no toll is levied. This makes it the most cost-effective major climb in the r...
Heiligenblut village at the foot of the southern Grossglockner approach is one of the finest small towns in Austria for a cycling base. The Gothic pilgrimage church (containing a v...
Carinthia's lakes — Wörthersee, Millstätter See, Ossiacher See — are surrounded by flat-to-rolling cycling roads ideal for rest-day riding or for cycling groups of mixed ability. T...
How to Get to Grossglockner & Carinthia for Cycling
Getting around: Car Essential
A car is essential for cycling in the Grossglockner and Carinthia region. The climbing areas are spread across a large geographic zone with no meaningful public transport connections between them. Zel...