Penzberg
AUSTRIA’S DYNAMIC DOZEN 12 fun-to-drive passes that you’ll likely fnd open 365 days a year Bad Feilnbach
Bad Tölz
FIRST DRIVE RENEGADE
Salzburg
Germany E60
Ruhpolding
Grödig
Bayrischzell
12. WALLGAU/JACHENAU
159
E60
6. STEINPASS
Kreuth
307
11. ACHEN PASS
181
Hallein
178 Schwendt
Berchesgaden
2. PASS LUEG
5. PASS LUFTENSTEIN Sankt Johann 164
Brandenburg
311
Bischofshofen
Oberau
E45 Alpbach A12
Saalfelden
Austria
161
9. GERLOS PASS
Innsbruck
Werfen
4. GRIESSEN PASS
A12
164
Saalbach-Hinterglemm
3. DIENTNER SATTEL
7. PASS THURN 311
165
10. ZILLERTALER HÖHENSTRASSE
Utendorf Grossari
Gerlos
E45
1. GAISBERG
8. FELBERTAUERN
169
1. GAISBERG. Ten minutes outside of the Salzburg city center, this 6-mile climb was frst used in 1929 for a high-speed motorsport event won by Max von ArcoZinneberg in a Mercedes SSK. It is now part of an annual classic car rally; the 2015 event will be staged June 4-6.
2. PASS LUEG. Before the A10 autobahn was completed, all trafc from Salzburg to Italy and the former Yugoslavia had to travel over the once-demanding Pass Lueg, which these days is a mix of moderate grades and fast corners.
5. PASS LUFTENSTEIN. More of the same, except the blacktop is narrower, twistier, and less trafcked. Don’t bother with the detour to Pass Strub, which is a stretch of busy and boring highway.
face of the Hochkönig mountain range runs this picturesque and challenging road, which combines steep climbs with majestic views along the broad Dientner Sattel plateau.
4. GRIESSEN PASS. This section consists of a very modest rise, summit, and descent. What it lacks in elevation, however, it makes up in speed; this is one of the fastest mountain roads in Austria.
9. GERLOS PASS. Past the famous Krimml waterfalls, this toll road embraces the Gerlos glacier like a graceful concrete serpent. Best to buy a day ticket and go play in the upper elevations where trafc is light— except on weekends.
6. STEINPASS. Crossing the border to Bavaria, this is the gateway to the breathtakingly beautiful Deutsche Alpenstrasse, which curves through the Alps and will take you back into Austria near Kössen. The Steinpass itself is now little more than a defunct border crossing.
10. ZILLERTALER HÖHENSTRASSE. Slow, very narrow, and poorly protected against avalanches or rock slides, this is perhaps the most amazing route of the lot. From the top, you can see all the way to Italy.
one that runs up and down a mountain. You can see far enough into the countless second- and third-gear sweepers to take them in one fantastic long slide.
11. ACHEN PASS. Touristy, crowded in summer, with plenty of speed limits, even two stationary radar traps. And yet this pass is still worth a visit because of the awesome climb to the frst hairpin and because of the scenic drive along an emerald lake.
8. FELBERTAUERN. This most
12. WALLGAU/JACHENAU. Instead of
signifcant pass links the northern and eastern parts of Tyrol. The tunnel through the Tauern massif may be boring, but the fast approach is, on both sides, a killer drive. Go up once to check the area for police, then try again and open it up.
shooting straight back to town, take a left at the Sylvenstein reservoir and follow the narrow centipede to Wallgau where you hang a right, heading for Jachenau and then Lenggries. Not a pass per se, but probably one of Europe’s prettiest mountain roads.
7. PASS THURN. It’s like a racetrack, only 3. DIENTNER SATTEL. Along the south
Rauris
February 2015 | Automobilemag.com
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