Austrian motorcycling is organised around a small number of purpose-built scenic mountain roads, each privately operated, each charging a toll at a barrier, and each with its own opening season and its own rules. The two everybody names are the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, 48 km / 30 miles with 36 bends across the Hochtor at 2,504 m / 8,215 ft, and the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road at 2,474 m / 8,117 ft on the Italian border. Around them sit the Nockalmstraße in Carinthia, the Gerlos Alpenstraße in Salzburg, the Silvretta in Vorarlberg and Tyrol, and a large network of free public passes. Almost all of it is seasonal, and Tyrol has noise rules that can exclude a bike outright.
Top roads
| Road | Length and summit | Character | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grossglockner High Alpine Road | 48 km / 30 miles, 36 bends; Hochtor 2,504 m / 8,215 ft, Edelweissspitze spur 2,571 m / 8,435 ft | Austria's highest surfaced pass road, opened 1935, tolled; early May to early November, daily hours with a last entry cut-off | Bruck (Salzburg) to Heiligenblut (Carinthia) |
| Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road | 32 km / 20 miles from the Hochgurgl toll station; pass 2,474 m / 8,117 ft | Cross-border road to South Tyrol, tolled on the Austrian side, closed to lorries and trailers; open roughly June to late October, 07:00 to 20:00 | Hochgurgl (Ötztal) to Moos in Passeier (Italy) |
| Nockalmstraße | about 34 km / 21 miles, 52 bends; high points 2,049 m / 6,722 ft and 2,027 m / 6,650 ft | Flowing green-mountain road through a biosphere reserve; open May to October 08:00 to 18:00; motorcycles banned 18:00 to 08:00 | Innerkrems to Ebene Reichenau (Carinthia) |
| Gerlos Alpenstraße | 12 km / 7.5 mile tolled section climbing 558 m; pass 1,628 m / 5,341 ft | Private toll road past the Krimml waterfalls, planned by the Grossglockner engineer Franz Wallack, opened 1962 | Krimml (Salzburg) to the Gerlos Pass |
| Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße | 22.3 km / 13.9 miles; Bielerhöhe 2,037 m / 6,683 ft | 32 hairpins on the Vorarlberg ramp; currently closed between Partenen and the Vermuntsee after debris flows, with reopening targeted for 2030 | Partenen (Vorarlberg) to Galtür (Tyrol) |
| Hahntennjoch | pass road in Tyrol linking the Lechtal and the Inntal | Free public road, narrow and technical, closed in winter | Imst to Elmen |
| Villacher Alpenstraße | panoramic toll road on the Dobratsch above Villach | Purpose-built viewing road with a series of numbered viewpoints | Villach (Carinthia) |
The Grossglockner, the one that started it all
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is Austria's highest surfaced mountain pass road, running 48 km / 30 miles with 36 bends from Bruck in the Salzach valley to Heiligenblut in Carinthia, crossing the Fuscher Törl at 2,428 m and the Hochtor at 2,504 m, with a 1.5 km spur to the Edelweissspitze viewpoint at 2,571 m — the highest point you can ride to. A branch runs to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe visitor centre at 2,369 m, which looks out over the Pasterze glacier.
It was built as a make-work project during the Depression, started in August 1930 and opened on 3 August 1935 with an international car and motorcycle race the next day. Motorcycles have been part of its story ever since: in 1955 they made up 26 per cent of traffic, collapsed to a couple of thousand a year by 1968, and had recovered past 76,000 a year by 2003. The road is normally open from the beginning of May to the end of October, with summer hours from 05:30 to 21:00 between June and August and shorter hours either side, and a last entry 45 minutes before closing. Snow clearance every April moves 600,000 to 800,000 cubic metres of snow in about two weeks.
Timmelsjoch, the border crossing
The Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road crosses at 2,474 m / 8,117 ft between the Ötztal in Tyrol and the Passeier valley in South Tyrol, and it has a split personality because of how it was built. The Austrian side was constructed for tourism between 1955 and 1959. The Italian side began as a Mussolini-era military road, was abandoned in 1939 after the Brenner meeting with the last tunnel already dug, sat grassed over until the mid-1960s and was only completed to the pass in 1967. That history is visible: the northern ramp is engineered and smooth, the southern one is narrower and more dramatic.
Because of its elevation, steepness and width it is closed to lorries and vehicles with trailers. It opens roughly from the first half of June to the second half of October depending on snow, running daily from 07:00 to 20:00, and the Ötztal side is tolled at the Hochgurgl station. In 2026 it opened unusually early in its 67-year history.
The rest of the network
Carinthia's Nockalmstraße is the country's most underrated ride: about 34 km / 21 miles and 52 bends between Innerkrems and Ebene Reichenau through the rounded, green Nock mountains, opened in 1981 and now inside a biosphere reserve. It is open from early May to the end of October, 08:00 to 18:00, and there is a motorcycle-specific rule worth reading twice — bikes are not permitted on it between 18:00 and 08:00.
The Gerlos Alpenstraße links Krimml in the Salzburg Oberpinzgau to the Gerlos Pass at 1,628 m, climbing 558 m over a 12 km two-lane section built between 1960 and 1962 and opened that December. It runs past the Krimml waterfalls and is the natural connector between the Glockner country and the Zillertal.
The Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße in the far west would normally be on any list, with 32 hairpins on the Vorarlberg ramp up to the Bielerhöhe at 2,037 m. Since the debris flows of July 2024 it has been closed between the Partenen toll station and the Vermuntsee, through the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and the operator's published plan targets construction across 2027 to 2029 with reopening for the 2030 season. The Bielerhöhe remains reachable from the Tyrolean side. There is a full account of all three of these in the guide to Austria's tolled alpine roads.
Beyond the toll roads, Tyrol's free public passes are where locals ride. The Hahntennjoch between Imst and Elmen is narrow, technical and closed in winter. Carinthia's Villacher Alpenstraße is a purpose-built panoramic road up the Dobratsch with numbered viewpoints, and it makes a good short evening ride when the big passes are shut.
To load the classic day onto your phone before you leave the hotel, open the Bruck to Heiligenblut directions and send them to your navigation app. That is the full Grossglockner crossing.
Practical information
Season. Austrian high roads are summer roads. The Grossglockner runs early May to early November, the Timmelsjoch roughly June to late October, the Nockalm May to the end of October. As of August 2026 those are the published patterns, and they move by weeks with snowfall — the Silvretta has opened as late as 20 June after a heavy winter. Check the operator's own status page before committing a travel day.
Opening hours are real. Unlike most European passes, several Austrian scenic roads have gates and daily hours. The Grossglockner has a last entry 45 minutes before closing, the Timmelsjoch runs 07:00 to 20:00, and the Nockalm 08:00 to 18:00. Arriving at a barrier ten minutes late means a very long detour.
Tolls and vignette. The scenic roads charge their own tolls, separate from the national motorway vignette which is required for Austrian motorways and expressways and applies to motorcycles. Großglockner Hochalpenstraßen AG operates the Grossglockner, Nockalm and Gerlos roads and sells combination tickets; the Timmelsjoch and Silvretta have their own operators. Some tunnels carry separate charges. Rates change annually, so use the operators' sites for current figures.
Noise rules. Tyrol operates an ordinance banning motorcycles with a registered standing noise level above 95 dB(A) from certain roads. The figure comes from your registration document rather than a roadside measurement, so a bike with an aftermarket exhaust can fail on paper. Check your papers before planning a Tyrolean route.
Enforcement and behaviour. Austria enforces speed limits with fixed and mobile cameras and takes village limits seriously. Noise complaints have driven the restrictions above, and riding quietly through valley villages is the practical way to keep the remaining roads open.
Fuel and weather. No toll road has fuel on it. Fill in the valley towns before a barrier. Expect summit temperatures 15 °C or more below the valley, and snow flurries above 2,000 m even in high summer.
Gear notes
Austrian riding makes three specific demands.
The first is temperature and altitude. Climbing 1,800 m from Bruck to the Hochtor drops tyre pressure measurably by the time you reach the top, which is worth understanding before an Alpine week — see why tyre pressure drops in cold weather. A Bluetooth TPMS sensor reports pressure and temperature while you ride rather than at the toll booth.
The second is navigation around gates and closures. With hours-based access and the Silvretta closed on one side, reroutes happen, and mobile coverage in Alpine valleys is unreliable. A head unit with locally stored maps, such as the JADO S6 motorcycle riding system, makes that painless. Start with the plain explanation of a motorcycle riding system if the category is new.
The third is power. Early starts to beat the barriers, long days and cold summits drain phones and cameras fast, and mountain huts are not charging stations. A 100 W bi-directional fast charger keeps everything running between hotels.
FAQ
Which is the best motorcycle road in Austria?
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road for scale and history, the Timmelsjoch for the cross-border ride, and the Nockalmstraße for pure flowing riding. Most riders on a week-long trip do all three.
When are the Austrian alpine roads open?
Broadly May to October, with the Grossglockner running early May to early November and the Timmelsjoch roughly June to late October. Exact dates depend on snow clearance and change every year.
Do the toll roads have opening hours?
Yes, and this is the most common planning mistake. The Grossglockner closes its gates in the evening with a last entry 45 minutes beforehand, the Timmelsjoch runs 07:00 to 20:00, and the Nockalm 08:00 to 18:00. The Nockalm additionally bars motorcycles between 18:00 and 08:00.
Does the Austrian vignette cover the scenic roads?
No. The vignette covers motorways and expressways. Each scenic road charges its own toll at a barrier, and some operators sell combination tickets across their own roads.
Are loud motorcycles banned in Austria?
On certain Tyrolean roads, motorcycles with a registered standing noise level above 95 dB(A) are banned by ordinance. It is based on the value in your registration papers, so check them before you plan a route through Tyrol.
Can I combine Austria with Italy or Switzerland?
Easily. The Timmelsjoch drops straight into South Tyrol, the Silvretta sits close to the Swiss border, and Austrian pass country connects to the Swiss network through Vorarlberg and Graubünden.
Sources
- Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossglockner_High_Alpine_Road
- Grossglockner High Alpine Road official site — grossglockner.at
- Timmelsjoch, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timmelsjoch
- Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road official site — timmelsjoch.com
- Nockalmstraße and Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße, German Wikipedia — de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nockalmstraße
