The Timmelsjoch is one of the great high roads of the Alps, linking Sölden in Austria with the Passeier valley in South Tyrol, Italy, and the museum at the top tells the story of how it came to be. At 2,474 metres, the pass crosses the border in a high, bare landscape of rock and scree, with a few small lakes and the occasional patch of snow in summer. The road was built in stages in the middle of the twentieth century, to link two valleys that had been separated by the mountains for centuries, and its construction was a major effort, with workers battling the weather and steep terrain.
The pass has a long history as a smugglers' path and trade route. Before the road, people crossed here on foot or with pack animals, carrying goods, livestock and, in hard times, contraband. The region has a rich and complicated past. After 1919, South Tyrol became part of Italy, and the border dividing the old Tyrol shaped lives on both sides. The Passeier valley is the homeland of Andreas Hofer, the innkeeper who led the Tyrolean uprising against Napoleon's armies in 1809, and who remains a symbol of Tyrolean independence. His birthplace, at St Leonhard, is a short distance down the valley.
The museum at the pass offers information about the road, the border and the people who crossed it, and the building has a viewing terrace. Next to it stands a customs station from earlier days. A cafe nearby serves hot drinks and snacks in season, and the views from the terrace over the surrounding peaks are superb.
For a rider, the Timmelsjoch is a pleasure, with long, flowing bends, good tarmac and splendid views. The Austrian side climbs in long hairpins from Sölden, and the Italian side drops through tunnels and bends into the valley. It is a toll road, and a fee is charged at the border station. It is closed in winter, usually from late autumn to early summer, and is subject to closure at short notice in bad weather. Cold winds and sudden storms are possible at any time of year, so carry warm and waterproof clothing.
Fuel is not available at the pass. Sölden, about ten kilometres on the Austrian side, has stations, as does the Passeier valley below, and Vipiteno is the nearest bigger town on the Italian side, though it is a long way off. Fill up in the valley, and bring cash for the toll.