The Grossglockner is shut until May and the Timmelsjoch closes on 8 November: Austria’s high roads this winter

Shut until May

The Grossglockner High Alpine Road had its last day of the season on Sunday 1 November. It is now closed for the winter, and its operator expects to reopen in early May 2027.

The Nockalmstraße in Carinthia is closed until early May too. Austria’s motoring club, ÖAMTC, lists both roads in their winter closure.

Closing this week

The Timmelsjoch, from the Ötztal over to South Tyrol’s Passeier valley, is open from 7am to 8pm until at least Sunday 8 November, and its operator says winter equipment is required. ÖAMTC lists its winter closure from 8pm that Sunday. The operator says whether it opens after that depends on the weather.

The Staller Sattel, from East Tyrol’s Defereggental to the Antholz valley in South Tyrol, closes at 8am on Monday 9 November. The Tyrol state government expects it to stay shut until the end of May 2027, depending on the weather.

The Silvretta stays shut from the Vorarlberg side until 2030

The Silvretta High Alpine Road won’t be a through road for years. After mudslides and other damage in 2025, the Vorarlberg side up from Partenen is closed while stretches of the road are moved and protective embankments built. The plan is three construction seasons, 2027 to 2029, with reopening in summer 2030 at the earliest.

In summer you can still drive up to the Bielerhöhe, the top of the road, from the Tyrol side through the Paznaun valley, and there is no toll while the works go on. From the Vorarlberg side, the Vermuntbahn cable car and its tunnel bus run in summer instead. For now the Tyrol side is shut for the winter as well.

• Planning the Montafon to Paznaun crossing for 2027? It can’t be done until the road reopens. Drive up from Galtür and come back the same way, or cross the Arlberg instead.

Before you set off

• Check the road’s own website or ÖAMTC’s traffic service on the morning you go. ÖAMTC warns that any pass can close at short notice because of the weather.
• Take winter equipment if you’re heading over a high road this month. The Timmelsjoch already asks for it.