Arlberg Pass

The Arlberg Pass may be considered as not very demanding and easy to drive, but it has a lot to offer in terms of scenery. The spectacular Alpine backdrop attracts not only locals but also numerous tourists to the summit every year, where customs and traditions are especially popular, especially in summer. Whether it's the "Day of Folk Music", village and mountain festivals, or the legendary cattle drive at the end of the summer season, there is something here for everyone. Those looking for an active program will also find plenty to do here: hiking, biking, canyoning, rafting, or paragliding - even a golf course has been built here.

The 1,793 meter high pass, which is toll-free all year round and can only be temporarily closed in winter in the event of acute avalanche danger, owes its name to the "Arlenbüschen" (larch shrubs) found here. The Arlberg ultimately also gave the state of Vorarlberg its present name.

The pass road runs in 9 hairpin bends for a good 18 km and with an average gradient or slope of 6% over the mountain ridge, with the actual pass summit being completely located in the Tyrolean region. When the weather is good, you can also encounter numerous motorcyclists here, as the Arlberg Pass is a good alternative to the tunnel, which has fortunately absorbed the majority of the traffic - especially buses and trucks - between Vorarlberg and Tyrol since 1979. The entire pass route is well developed, which is why the almost constantly present speed limits of 60 or 80 km/h should be observed and, above all, adhered to. Since many road users are still traveling faster than allowed, police checks are not uncommon here! In addition, there is a ban on vehicles with trailers that exceed a total weight of 0.4 tons.

The former "Josephinische Straße" (Josephine Road) over the Arlberg was built between 1782 and 1784 by Bozen merchants and opened three years later - due to increasing traffic, it had to be constantly expanded and improved until today. From 1974 to 1978, the Arlberg Road Tunnel and the expressway S 16 were then built. This finally (re)established the pass road as an alternative to the tunnel as a local traffic and excursion route. With the abolition of federal roads in 2002, it was then converted into two state roads: the B 197 in Tyrol and the L 197 in Vorarlberg.

The Arlberg Tunnel, with its length of almost 14 kilometers, is the longest road tunnel in Austria, with a mountain overburden of up to almost 1000 m. Due to the heavy traffic in the 20th century, the pass road had become inadequate, which is why the decision was made to build a tunnel - also to create a winter-proof alternative for crossing the Arlberg. However, its use is subject to a special toll, which means that you currently have to pay 9 euros for a single trip by car (as of July 2014). A renovation of the road tunnel is planned for 2015-2017.