Halstatt to Grossglockner Rd.
Mar 31st, 2012, 06:20 PM
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Halstatt to Grossglockner Rd.
We have 6 days and a car to cover Melk, Halstatt and any towns of interest.
Day 1 we will depart Vienna and probably visit Korneuburg Castle (outside of Vienna) , then Krems and then spend the night in Durnstein.
Day 2 we will do Melk Abbey and hopefully do the bike/boat trip. (ovrnite @ Durnstein)
Day3-We could stay in the area another day or head towards Hallstatt
Day 4-If we didn't go to Halstatt the previous day then go this day.
Day 5-Is it possible to do the Grossglockner Rd, or part of it as a day trip from Halstatt? If so, is it best to go back to Halstatt or stay somewhere on the Rd because then the on day 6 we will go to Hitler's Eaglenest and then spend the night in Salzburg, actually we will finish our trip with a couple of days in Salzburg.
I feel good about day 1 and 2. I don't know that we need another day in Durnstein?? I'd like to do the Grossglockner Rd. but it looks like maybe we need to start in Lienz. Or could we go to Halstatt on day 3 & 4 then on day 5 drive the grossglockner Rd and spend the night somewhere enroute. Then on Day 6 go to Hitler's Eagles Nest.
Day 1 we will depart Vienna and probably visit Korneuburg Castle (outside of Vienna) , then Krems and then spend the night in Durnstein.
Day 2 we will do Melk Abbey and hopefully do the bike/boat trip. (ovrnite @ Durnstein)
Day3-We could stay in the area another day or head towards Hallstatt
Day 4-If we didn't go to Halstatt the previous day then go this day.
Day 5-Is it possible to do the Grossglockner Rd, or part of it as a day trip from Halstatt? If so, is it best to go back to Halstatt or stay somewhere on the Rd because then the on day 6 we will go to Hitler's Eaglenest and then spend the night in Salzburg, actually we will finish our trip with a couple of days in Salzburg.
I feel good about day 1 and 2. I don't know that we need another day in Durnstein?? I'd like to do the Grossglockner Rd. but it looks like maybe we need to start in Lienz. Or could we go to Halstatt on day 3 & 4 then on day 5 drive the grossglockner Rd and spend the night somewhere enroute. Then on Day 6 go to Hitler's Eagles Nest.
Apr 1st, 2012, 01:51 AM
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If you're talking about May you might be out of luck this year. There are tons of snow on the main crest of the Alps, and that's where the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is. They will hardly open before end of May.
Apr 1st, 2012, 05:40 AM
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Ingo, good information, we would be doing the drive around May 27. If it is open Michele says she will start @ Zell am. I assume she goes toward Lienz from there, is that correct? Any idea about how long the trip takes? I will write one of the otel owners to see if they think it will be open then.I wonder if I'll have the same problem going to the Eagles Nest.
Apr 1st, 2012, 07:32 AM
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All depends on the weather in the next weeks. Right now it took a turn to colder and new snow, so I am not too optimistic for an early opening of the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. But I'll keep my fingers crossed 
The official homepage says "opens early May" - which is VERY optimistic IMO. Last year we had an unusually warm and dry April on top of a winter with less than average snow, so they could open end of April. That's probably where they get their opinion from ...
Anyway, the drive is from Zell am See via Bruck - Fusch and the wildlife park Ferleiten to the toll gate up to Edelweissspitze (small detour on a very narrow, steep, windy road) - the first highlight. Then follows the tunnel, from there it goes downhill - take the road to Kaiser-Franz-Josephs-Höhe with view of Mt. Grossglockner and the glaciers. The food at the self-service restaurant there is awful, I recommend either a short hike (Panoramaweg or Gamsgrubenweg) to one of the mountain restaurants/huts or an earlier stop at Kasereck. Don't know of one of the others is open end of May, though.
I would drive as far as Heiligenblut, see the pilgrim church there, then turn around and drive back to Zell am See - same route (you only pay once - 32 Euro is the day ticket).
Another option is to drive further down the valley to Winklern, over a low pass to Lienz, and back via Felbertauern tunnel - Mittersill to Zell am See. They have a combined ticket that includes the toll for the Felbertauern tunnel as well for 38 Euro, I think.
The latter option would be a fine full day excursion, the earlier one without going to Linz would take 4-5 hours, I'd say.
No idea about Eagles Nest.
The official homepage says "opens early May" - which is VERY optimistic IMO. Last year we had an unusually warm and dry April on top of a winter with less than average snow, so they could open end of April. That's probably where they get their opinion from ...Anyway, the drive is from Zell am See via Bruck - Fusch and the wildlife park Ferleiten to the toll gate up to Edelweissspitze (small detour on a very narrow, steep, windy road) - the first highlight. Then follows the tunnel, from there it goes downhill - take the road to Kaiser-Franz-Josephs-Höhe with view of Mt. Grossglockner and the glaciers. The food at the self-service restaurant there is awful, I recommend either a short hike (Panoramaweg or Gamsgrubenweg) to one of the mountain restaurants/huts or an earlier stop at Kasereck. Don't know of one of the others is open end of May, though.
I would drive as far as Heiligenblut, see the pilgrim church there, then turn around and drive back to Zell am See - same route (you only pay once - 32 Euro is the day ticket).
Another option is to drive further down the valley to Winklern, over a low pass to Lienz, and back via Felbertauern tunnel - Mittersill to Zell am See. They have a combined ticket that includes the toll for the Felbertauern tunnel as well for 38 Euro, I think.
The latter option would be a fine full day excursion, the earlier one without going to Linz would take 4-5 hours, I'd say.
No idea about Eagles Nest.
Apr 1st, 2012, 08:12 AM
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What ingo suggested.
From my subjective point of view, it is "worth" to take the Grossglocker Rd. back same way. Not only because the ticket lets you do that, but the vistas are not all the same when you go back because you see them from a different perspective. It's also good when you have 2 drivers, so one can enjoy the scenery each way without caring about driving.
As the Grossglocker Rd. is a private road, you can expect it to open as soon as it can be driven safely without delay. But not sooner.
IMO, the time short after opening is the most spectacular, with spring in full bloom in the valleys and the mountains still covered solidly with snow.
Even from Halstatt, this would be considered a day trip, and does not require to change hotels.
Though you will appr. drive 1.5hrs to get to the beginning of the Grossglocker Rd. and back to Halstatt - but through very nice scenery.
The alternative return route via Felbertauern tunnel which ingo mentioned is much less spectacular than the Grossglockner Rd.
From my subjective point of view, it is "worth" to take the Grossglocker Rd. back same way. Not only because the ticket lets you do that, but the vistas are not all the same when you go back because you see them from a different perspective. It's also good when you have 2 drivers, so one can enjoy the scenery each way without caring about driving.
As the Grossglocker Rd. is a private road, you can expect it to open as soon as it can be driven safely without delay. But not sooner.
IMO, the time short after opening is the most spectacular, with spring in full bloom in the valleys and the mountains still covered solidly with snow.
Even from Halstatt, this would be considered a day trip, and does not require to change hotels.
Though you will appr. drive 1.5hrs to get to the beginning of the Grossglocker Rd. and back to Halstatt - but through very nice scenery.
The alternative return route via Felbertauern tunnel which ingo mentioned is much less spectacular than the Grossglockner Rd.
Apr 1st, 2012, 12:05 PM
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GREAT information! Cowboy that may be appealing to drive back to Hallstat. That way if it is not open we would't even venture going.Wouldn't it also work to spend the night at maybe Zell am See and then have a different route to the Eagles Nest?
No one has mentioned anything about day 3 after our visit to Melk, Durnstein etc. What else might be in that area. Maybe that extra day should be spent in Hallstat. We would not be interested in the concentration camp close by because we will have done Auswitz on this trip and then Dachau in November with our daughter.
No one has mentioned anything about day 3 after our visit to Melk, Durnstein etc. What else might be in that area. Maybe that extra day should be spent in Hallstat. We would not be interested in the concentration camp close by because we will have done Auswitz on this trip and then Dachau in November with our daughter.
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