I’ve got a secret to confess: I have a little obsession with bridges. Yeah, I know, it’s weird that among all the great things in life, I would be interested in literal pieces of stone and concrete, a long-lasting gift from the experts of… bridges architecture? Whatever, let’s just call it that. Still, here I am, planning my next trip and including the city’s most beautiful bridges in my itinerary.

You can only imagine the sparkles in my eyes every time I stumble upon a particularly unique bridge that seems to have come out of a book. I can stop and stare for a prolonged unhealthy amount of time, blown away by its beauty.

What’s even more impressive is that they aren’t just beautiful. Most of the time, they are historic places that served more than just the purpose of letting people cross a river, or whatever other reason they were built for. Their existence led to specific events in world history — like a battle, an important meeting between two leaders, or an uprising — or symbolized a sign of friendship between two countries. So the next time you’re driving through the countryside or exploring a new city, keep an eye out for famous bridges because, most of the time, they have a rich history that deserves to be learned. 

We’re not tourist guides, but we want to let you in on our favorite spots where you can see magnificent and mysterious bridges that seem to have been lifted out of a book and dropped into reality.

#1

Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge, Gablenz, Germany

Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge, Gablenz, Germany

Frank Wittig Report

#2

Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

96tommy Report

Elaine Morinelli
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey that bridge was in Chamber of Secrets!

#4

Watkins Glen, Schuyler County, New York

Watkins Glen, Schuyler County, New York

Peter Rivera Stamford Report

#5

Basteibrücke, Saxon Switzerland, Germany

Basteibrücke, Saxon Switzerland, Germany

Bernd Thaller Report

West Hermans
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not Switzerland. It's near Dresden, Germany. Totally worth a visit.

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#6

Carrbridge, Scotland

Carrbridge, Scotland

Rab Lawrence Report

#7

The Shaharah Bridge, Yemen

The Shaharah Bridge, Yemen

Bernard Gagnon Report

#8

Leshan Bridge, China

Leshan Bridge, China

HeikeBasu Report

#10

The Devil's Bridge, Ardino, Bulgaria

The Devil's Bridge, Ardino, Bulgaria

Evgeni Dinev Report

#11

The Benson Bridge, Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA

The Benson Bridge, Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA

Don Graham Report

rspanther
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In all the times that I have been there I never gone on the bridge. I wish I had.

#12

Living Root Bridges, Nongriat Village, Meghalaya

Living Root Bridges, Nongriat Village, Meghalaya

Arup619pal Report

#13

Hermitage Bridge, Dunkeld, Scotland

Hermitage Bridge, Dunkeld, Scotland

Mike Pennington Report

#14

Bridge To Nowhere, Whanganui, New Zealand

Bridge To Nowhere, Whanganui, New Zealand

Joerg Mueller Report

rspanther
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Government funded no doubt.

#15

Bridge Of Portitsa, Grevena, Greece

Bridge Of Portitsa, Grevena, Greece

Ioannis Ioannidis Report

#16

Tarr Steps Bridge, Somerset, England

Tarr Steps Bridge, Somerset, England

Jusben Report

#17

Teufelsbrücke, Kassel, Germany

Teufelsbrücke, Kassel, Germany

Tsungam Report

#18

Stari Most, Bosnia And Herzegovina

Stari Most, Bosnia And Herzegovina

Sharon Hahn Darlin Report

OneHappyPuppy
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One that literally (no pun intended) has a whole book dedicated to it

#19

Klidonia Stone Arch Bridge, Greece

Klidonia Stone Arch Bridge, Greece

Christaras A Report

#20

Buxian Bridge, Huangshan, China

Buxian Bridge, Huangshan, China

Joe Report

ima cat v2
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Probably my favorite on the list so far.

#21

Sligachan, Isle Of Skye, Scotland

Sligachan, Isle Of Skye, Scotland

Giuseppe Milo Report

#22

Craig Goch Dam, Elan Valley Of Wales, United Kingdom

Craig Goch Dam, Elan Valley Of Wales, United Kingdom

Tanya Dedyukhina Report

#23

Puente Nueva, Ronda, Malaga, Spain

Puente Nueva, Ronda, Malaga, Spain

Michal Osmenda Report

Andy-Pandy Broomfield
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Spain has some really beautiful architecture.

#24

Berlengas, Peniche, Portugal

Berlengas, Peniche, Portugal

JoannafMartins Report

#25

Pulteney Bridge, Bath, England

Pulteney Bridge, Bath, England

MichaelMaggs Report

#26

Bridge To The Akagi Shrine, Gunma, Japan

Bridge To The Akagi Shrine, Gunma, Japan

Koichi Shibata Report

#27

Mesi Bridge, Shkoder, Albania

Mesi Bridge, Shkoder, Albania

Diego Delso Report

#28

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Gary Ashley Report

#29

Portaikos Bridge, Trikala Prefecture, Thessaly, Greece

Portaikos Bridge, Trikala Prefecture, Thessaly, Greece

Dimitris kaliakoudas Report

#30

Ponte Dei Salti, Verzasca Valley, Switzerland

Ponte Dei Salti, Verzasca Valley, Switzerland

Glcastellanos99 Report

#31

Queen Tamar's Bridge, Rkoni, Georgia

Queen Tamar's Bridge, Rkoni, Georgia

Paata Vardanashvili Report

#32

Pont Du Gard, France

Pont Du Gard, France

Krzysztof Golik Report

Pernille.
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My personal favourite. It is around 2000 years old, and up until the 1990ies it was still used as a road. There also used to be a camp site right next to it where I spent a lot of summer holidays. I have swum under it many times.

#33

Palladian Bridge, Bath, England

Palladian Bridge, Bath, England

Robert Powell Report

#34

Chengyang Bridge, Sanjiang County, Guangxi, China

Chengyang Bridge, Sanjiang County, Guangxi, China

gill_penney Report

#35

Landwasser Viaduct, Filisur, Switzerland

Landwasser Viaduct, Filisur, Switzerland

Kabelleger / David Gubler Report

Jeff Jefferson
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

... and the Glacier Express, if you ever get the chance to take a ride on this train, do it.

#36

Eilean Donan Castle Bridge, Scotland

Eilean Donan Castle Bridge, Scotland

Remi Mathis Report

#37

Misarela Bridge, Montalegre, Portugal

Misarela Bridge, Montalegre, Portugal

Joseolgon Report

#38

Stirling Old Bridge, Scotland

Stirling Old Bridge, Scotland

Annboeva Report

#39

Stone Bridge, Skopje

Stone Bridge, Skopje

Prince Roy Report

#40

Mullerthal, Luxembourg

Mullerthal, Luxembourg

Cayambe Report

See Also on Bored Panda
#41

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, Bosnia And Herzegovina

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, Bosnia And Herzegovina

Bojana Wiki PG Report

#42

Ponte Della Maddalena, Italy

Ponte Della Maddalena, Italy

Marco Fedele Report

#43

Çifte Bridge, Artvin Province, Turkey

Çifte Bridge, Artvin Province, Turkey

Abdurrahmançetin Report

#44

Anping Bridge, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China

Anping Bridge, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China

Vmenkov Report

#45

Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi An, Vietnam

Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi An, Vietnam

François Guerraz Report

Headless Roach
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder when this photo was taken. 13 years ago it was really gloomy, very much like the weather that day. 2009-Vietn...c3e6f5.jpg 2009-Vietnam-63a313fc3e6f5.jpg

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#46

Köprülü Kanyon Bridge, Antalya-Turkey

Köprülü Kanyon Bridge, Antalya-Turkey

Ahmet Colakoglu Report

#47

Kadin Bridge, Bulgaria

Kadin Bridge, Bulgaria

Julian Nyča Report

#48

Ponte De Lima, Portugal

Ponte De Lima, Portugal

Joseolgon Report

#49

Ponte Gobbo, Italy

Ponte Gobbo, Italy

Raffaele pagani Report

#50

Kintai Bridge, Iwakuni, Japan

Kintai Bridge, Iwakuni, Japan

Jakub Hałun Report

See Also on Bored Panda
#51

Solkan Bridge, Slovenia

Solkan Bridge, Slovenia

Loxy!! Report

#53

Rimski Most, Ilidža, Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina

Rimski Most, Ilidža, Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina

Marcin Szala Report

#54

Bridge Of Sighs, Venice, Italy

Bridge Of Sighs, Venice, Italy

Son of Groucho Report

#55

Rijeka Crnojevica Bridge, Montenegro

Rijeka Crnojevica Bridge, Montenegro

Javier Sánchez Portero Report

OneHappyPuppy
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's an even more impressive one over the Tara river in Montenegro, somewhere in the mountains, sorry can't recall the exact location rn

#56

Stańczyki Bridges, Poland

Stańczyki Bridges, Poland

Laima Gūtmane Report

#57

Le Pont Vieux, Carcassonne, France

Le Pont Vieux, Carcassonne, France

Benh LIEU SONG Report

Pernille.
Community Member
9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yay, something from where I live. Built somewhere around the fourteenth century, and still the main road into the new town,(17th century). It is the old town in the background.

#58

Johannapark, Leipzig, Germany

Johannapark, Leipzig, Germany

Ansgar Koreng Report

#59

Ponte Vecchio, Bassano Del Grappa, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Bassano Del Grappa, Italy

Im Fokus Report

#60

Aira Force Bridge, Cumbria, England

Aira Force Bridge, Cumbria, England

John H Darch Report

See Also on Bored Panda
#61

Roman Bridge Of Córdoba, Spain

Roman Bridge Of Córdoba, Spain

shaorang Report

#62

Allahverdi Khan Bridge, Isfahan, Iran

Allahverdi Khan Bridge, Isfahan, Iran

Majid eslamdoust Report