Pasterze Glacier

About this spectacle

The Pasterze is Austria's longest glacier, draped across the flanks of the Grossglockner — the country's highest peak — in the Hohe Tauern range. Visitors approach via the spectacular Grossglockner High Alpine Road and can descend by funicular to the glacier's tongue, where rivers of blue-grey ice meet meltwater lakes fringed with moraine. The scale is arresting: vast fields of crevassed ice under an enormous alpine sky, flanked by dark rock walls streaked with mineral colour. In summer the air carries the cold breath of the ice even on warm days, and the creak and melt of glacial water is constant. Informational markers document how dramatically the glacier has retreated over decades, making this as much a lesson in climate observation as a scenic spectacle. Dawn and morning light illuminate the ice with pale gold, while afternoon clouds often build over the summit ridge.

When to go

May — Oct, peak Jun — Aug

Getting there

Nearest airport: INN. Nearest city: Villach.

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