Our night at the Waldhotel near Tristach/Lienz was wonderfully quiet, the beds were like a cocoon and nothing, absolutely nothing woke us up before time. This time we had bed and breakfast, which was already waiting for us. Cappuccino and bread, egg of choice – completely satisfied. Thanks to the cinnamon topping and extra request for oat milk: a delicious 4 out of 5 on the coffee scale.

The Großglockner High Alpine Road was our destination for the day. We had already paid the toll online in advance – a hefty 45 euros for the small Vitaralino. At first we gulped, but once we reached the top it was immediately put into perspective. The way there was fantastically beautiful – the sky couldn’t have been bluer than it was today. Small UFO clouds adorned the peaks, and soon the highlight we had been waiting for came into view: the Grossglockner, at 3,798 m the highest mountain in Austria and king of the Hohe Tauern.

A few bends further on, we headed for the last parking lot at the top of the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe – parking deck 3 was almost empty. Luckily, we were the first to spot two funny and alert marmots 😍. The two fellows were very trusting and very nice to look at.

We then strolled around the area and visited the statue of Emperor Franz Josef, which commemorates his visit in 1856 with his wife Sisi. The viewpoint has borne his name ever since.

We continued on to the Swarovski-Warte, which offered fantastic views of the massif and the Pasterze. There was more to discover every floor up.

Instead of a museum, the first attraction was a tunnel: the Gamsgrubenweg. Six tunnels with a total length of 1019 meters lead along the Pasterze directly towards the glacier. Each tunnel tells a different story: of legends, of alpinists, of the glacier world. Impressive and depressing at the same time, because the Pasterze, Austria’s largest glacier, is melting rapidly. Since 1852, it has lost almost half of its surface area, over 200 m in length in 2022/23 alone. Visible evidence of climate change. The path currently ends at Tunnel 6 – it is closed behind it.

We were amazed to see how quickly the time passed. We actually wanted to explore the rest of the informative and beautifully designed visitor center. We tried to keep it short, but it was still well after 2 p.m. before we made our way to the Edelweissspitze.

A winding road and a cobbled path led all the way up. The view: a 360° panorama over countless peaks – Alpine cinema at its best 🤩. The last day in the Alps was at its best. Majestic cliffs, clear light, impressive scenery – it couldn’t have been more beautiful.

The descent was rapid, hairpin bend after hairpin bend, and quickly into the valley. We kept coming across historic tractors 🚜 – apparently a farmers’ festival or something like that had just started.

After a late lunch near Zell am See (including an iced coffee latte and matcha), the next highlight awaited: the Rossfeld panoramic road in Berchtesgadener Land. The €9.50 toll is no bargain, but worth every penny. The highest panoramic road in Germany, which is accessible all year round, led us round bend after bend to a circular route with spectacular views – from the Salzach Valley to the Dachstein massif and the Watzmann. Shortly before 6 p.m., the sun sank behind the mountains – the locals used the road as the perfect spot for this very moment 🌄.

It was finally time to say goodbye to the Alps. The horizon was glowing orange and the shadows were getting longer. We arrived late at our accommodation in Braunau am Inn and rounded off the day with lasagne and falafel 🍝.

Conclusion: A perfect farewell to the Alps: marmots, glaciers, high mountain panorama and finally a panoramic road at sunset. You can’t get more Alpine feeling in one day.