Staller Saddle sits at 2,052 m in the High Tauern range, marking the border between Austria and Italy. It connects the Defereggen Valley in East Tyrol with the Antholz Valley in South Tyrol, and driving or hiking across it means literally crossing from one country to another at the top of a mountain pass.
The saddle separates the Villgraten Mountains to the southeast from the Rieserferner Group to the northwest, offering classic High Tauern scenery â rugged peaks, open valleys and alpine meadows. In summer the pass is popular with hikers, cyclists and motorists enjoying the panoramic route; in winter the road closes entirely, leaving the area quiet and snowbound.
How to get thereFew Alpine passes regulate cross-border traffic literally by the clock â a quirky detail that makes crossing Staller Saddle a small adventure in itself.