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Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road

1955

Today, the date conjures up a sweet taste of nostalgia, an easy-going era. Things have changed, but there’s one thing that has remained unchanged over the years – and that is the exhilarating feeling of freedom that you experience as you drive over the Timmelsjoch. Today, the tranquil route connecting northern and southern Europe invites us to take a break from our hectic speed of life, to shift down a gear or two and rediscover the pleasure of a slower pace away from the busy main traffic routes. The “secret gap” in the Alps gently yet magnificently opens up the magic of the mountains to those who travel through it. To some, it reveals the stunning beauty of nature; it allows them to experience the unique closeness to the glacier and the power of the Alpine wind, and it offers a glimpse into the harsh reality of Alpine farming. It lures others, quite simply, to abandon themselves to the feeling of the open road as they negotiate the breathtaking bends. It’s nonetheless impossible not to stop at and admire the stunning views that repeatedly open up along the way. A journey over the Timmelsjoch is, at the same time, a journey through the vegetation zones with a spectrum that reaches from lush mountain meadows, flowering Alpine roses and weather-beaten pine trees to high barren Alpine landscapes with snow fields even in the height of summer. Sometimes sheep or goats or even ibexes cross your path. As you continue southwards, the climate suddenly changes, taking on Mediterranean characteristics and the vines unfold their leaves

Elevation profile

Facts & Figures

Highest point 2,509 m
Opening date up to the summit 17.07.1959
Opening date for through-traffic 15.09.1968
Distance Untergurgl - summit 11.9 km
Distance summit – Moos i.P.  22.7 km
Width 4 – 6 metres
Incline max. 13 %
Hairpin bends approx. 30
Construction period on the North Tyrolean side 30.10.1955 - 17.07.1959

Traffic statistics

Year
Cars
Motorcycles
2023
110.416
84.116
2022
114.993
81.407
2021
89.342
56.224
2020
50.667
38.641
2019
106.171
79.449
2018
105.951
86.102
2017
107.028
83.182
2016
106.149
83.846
2015
91.514
80.497
2014
93.704
78.896
2013
85.253
72.680
2012
90.902
77.436
2011
94.883
82.977
2010
81.630
69.377
2005
93.182
79.158
2000
103.929
85.931
1997
108.105
55.512
1987
85.293
18.226
1980
83.927
6.426
1970
93.676
494
1965
27.743
214
1960
5.592
372

opening times

High Alpine Road
open daily from 7 am to 8 pm

Restaurant Crosspoint
winter: Mo.– Su. 9 am – 6 pm
summer: Mo.– Sa. 9 am – 5 pm,
                 Su. 9 am – 8 pm

Motorcycle Museum
winter: Mo.– Su. 9 am – 6 pm
summer: Mo.– Sa. 9 am – 5 pm,
                 Su. 9 am – 8 pm
10.4.2024

Timmelsjoch Hillclimb race in 1962 and 1963

Back in the 1960s, the Timmelsjoch pass was already a popular venue for daring mountain races...