Nationalpark Hohe Tauern – Day 4

This morning we got up a bit earlier than usual because we had big plans (and lots of ground to cover)!

After a traditional austrian breakfast we headed out to drive to the Gasteinertal valley. Our first target of the day was the well known town called Bad Gastein. It is famous for its thermal spring water and its high variety of Spa. The town is spread in a high valley and has lots of spectacular activities for summer and winter time.

We decided to take the cable car up to the Stubnerkogel. On this mountain you have the possibility to hike to 2 different view points and it also has a 140m long suspension bridge! When we arrived on the top we first went to one of the view points. The platform has a futuristic shape and offers views to many mountains of the area. Even the highest mountain of Austria, the Grossglockner, can be seen in the far distance. We enjoyed the fantastic view and the perfect weather to take many pictures.

Afterwards we went for a little hike around the Stubnerkogel before we went to check out the suspension bridge. The bridge is connecting the restaurant with a rock. There is also a photo point where you can use your ticket to start a countdown and have a picture taken. We actually did that, but to receive the picture you have to create an account on a website just to download 1 single picture…no thanks. No problem though since we are very well able to take our own pics 🙂

Next stop was the second viewpoint with the so called “rock trail”. From this viewpoint you get a very nice overview of the mountains that surround Bad Gastein and the whole Gasteinertal valley.

The rock trail sounds better than it actually is. Its basically a 2 minute hike across some plattforms around 1 single rock. Nothing worth giving an own name as an attraction in our opinion. Still nice though!

After those main attractions there are basically only lots of hikes to do up on the Stubnerkogel. But we had other plans for the afternoon and we had to make the good weather count for that. From the Gasteinertal valley we drove back until Bruck…and from there we continued towards one, if not THE, most attractive road in Austria. The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse (high alpine road)!

This scenic high alpine road is a must-do if you are staying in this area of Austria. Basically around each corner and after every turn, you get fantastic views. We were very impressed by the majestic mountains and the general flora along the road.

We stopped often and took pictures but our first big stop was on top of the Edelweissspitze. To get there you have to leave the main road and follow a very old road which is made of paver blocks. The road is very tight and it can get very tricky if another car (or even caravan) is coming the other way. But it is totally worth it to drive up there. The view is wonderful! There is also the possiblity to take a room in the Edelweiss hut and stay over night.

The whole high alpine road is 48km long and has lots of possibilities to stop and enjoy. Some stops even have little museums and exibitions. If you have time you can easily spend a full day along the road and check out everything they offer. Nice views everywhere guaranteed as well.

We then drove on until the most famous spot of the road, the Kaiser Franz-Josefs Höhe. It is for sure the main attraction of the road. You are standing in front of the Grossglockner, its glacier called Pasterze and all the surrounding mountains.

There are different attractions at this location. For example the Swarovski Observatory…

…and these little friends. The Marmots!!

One in particular was very friendly and absolutly not shy. He/she was our photo model for some time..

We spent a long time at the Kaiser Franz-Josefs Höhe and suddenly the sun came back out to take some more pictures.

On our whole way back down we had fantastic evening sunlight. Simply beautiful!

A fantastic day went down in our travel books and we could not wait for the next adventure. Stay tuned!