9 remarkable bridges around the world: design and daring

Bridges are far more than structures that connect two banks. They embody human ingenuity, creativity and the persistent urge to push past natural boundaries. Over centuries of bridge building, we have produced designs that impress not only with utility, but also with beauty, scale and bold ideas. Here is a look at some of the world’s most striking bridges—works of architecture in their own right. From viaducts soaring over ravines to elegant spans that link cities and even countries, they show just how far human imagination can reach.

Golden Bridge in Vietnam

Set high in Vietnam’s Ba Na Hills near Da Nang, the Golden Bridge immediately became a sensation after its June 2018 opening—thanks to a setting that feels cinematic and a design you don’t forget. Stretching 150 meters at an elevation of 1,400 meters above sea level, it links a cable car station with gardens in the Ba Na Hills park.

Its calling card is a pair of colossal stone hands that appear to cradle the deck above the void. The sculptures are meant to suggest the hands of gods holding strands of gold, creating the uncanny impression that the bridge is suspended in midair.

Gleaming golden railings justify the name, while lush green slopes and sweeping views over mountain valleys turn the crossing into a destination in itself—an engineering feat that doubles as a place to linger.

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China

In Hunan’s Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the glass bridge opened in 2016 and quickly made global headlines. It spans 430 meters across a deep canyon and hangs 300 meters above the ground; the transparent, multi-layer glass floor lets visitors gaze straight into the void beneath their feet.

The panels, 6 centimeters thick, were stress-tested—from hammer blows to vehicle runs—to demonstrate strength and safety. The result is not only the world’s longest and highest glass bridge, but also a showcase for modern engineering nerve.

Views take in sheer sandstone pillars, waterfalls and dense greenery—landscapes the park is known for as the inspiration behind the floating mountains in the film Avatar. Thrill-seekers and photographers flock here for that rare mix of adrenaline and picture-perfect scenery.

Banpo Bridge in South Korea

Banpo Bridge, completed in 1982, crosses Seoul’s Han River to connect Seocho and Yongsan districts. Its engineering role is clear, yet its public-art personality has made it one of the most imaginative bridges anywhere, largely thanks to the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain.

Installed in 2009, the system lines both sides of the bridge with roughly 380 jets capable of pumping up to 190 tons of river water per minute. Choreographed to music and lit by LEDs, the arcs fall at shifting angles back into the river, reading like illuminated water curtains that ripple into rainbow hues after dark.

Evenings are the bridge’s moment: the light-and-sound performance turns the span into an open-air show, a favorite for visitors and locals alike. It’s a neat lesson in how infrastructure can double as urban theater.

Millau Viaduct in France

Opened in 2004 in southern France, the Millau Viaduct is the world’s tallest road bridge; one of its pylons rises to 343 meters—higher than the Eiffel Tower. It vaults the Tarn Valley, carrying the A75 and smoothing the route between Paris and the south.

Designed by British architect Norman Foster with French engineer Michel Virlogeux, the bridge is spare and elegant: seven slender yet powerful pylons support the deck with steel stays, giving the structure a weightless look as it skims the landscape. At 2,460 meters long, it was shaped to sit lightly in its setting rather than dominate it.

Functionally it transformed travel times; visually it became a destination. The viaduct’s panorama can stop conversation, and its clarity of line has turned it into a byword for contemporary engineering grace.

Russky Bridge in Russia

Linking mainland Vladivostok with Russky Island in Russia’s Far East, the Russky Bridge opened in 2012 as a statement of ambition and engineering. At the time, its 1,104-meter central span made it the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Two 324-meter pylons carry the deck via steel stays; the bridge runs 1,885 meters in total and is 23 meters wide, with two traffic lanes each way. It was designed to handle the region’s tough weather—strong winds and winter storms are part of the brief.

Built for the 2012 APEC Summit, the crossing has since become a backbone of the city’s transport network, improving access to the island’s academic and research hubs, including the Far Eastern Federal University.

Its silhouette—lofty pylons and sweeping stays set against Peter the Great Gulf—gives Vladivostok one of its most photogenic viewpoints.

Moses Bridge in the Netherlands

At Fort de Roovere near Halsteren, the Moses Bridge takes a delightfully literal approach to its name. Rather than spanning above the water, it cuts through it: a partially submerged passage that lets pedestrians cross the defensive moat below the waterline, as if the surface had been parted.

Water creeps right up to the wooden edges, but careful depth calculations and drainage keep the walkway dry. Built from moisture-resistant materials such as Accoya wood, the bridge is tuned for the climate and for long contact with water.

By all but disappearing into the landscape, it preserves the historic character of the fort and its surroundings. The design has drawn visitors from around the world and earned awards for its simple, startling idea.

Ponte Vecchio in Italy

In the heart of Florence, the Ponte Vecchio—literally “Old Bridge”—has spanned the Arno since the 14th century and remains one of the city’s most recognizable emblems.

Its most distinctive feature is the line of shops built directly atop the bridge. Butchers once occupied them; in the 16th century, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici replaced the butchers with goldsmiths and jewelers to elevate the bridge’s status and avoid unpleasant smells. To this day, the glittering storefronts lend the crossing a uniquely Florentine atmosphere.

The stone arch bridge has three spans, the center one the widest, opening a classic view along the Arno. Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor, designed in 1565 by Giorgio Vasari for the Medici—a covered passage connecting Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti so the family could move around without stepping outside.

Surviving floods and the devastation of World War II that destroyed many of Florence’s other bridges, the Ponte Vecchio stands as a resilient piece of history as well as a crowd-pleaser.

Øresund Bridge in Denmark

The Øresund Bridge links two countries—Denmark and Sweden—across the Øresund strait, tying Copenhagen to Malmö. Opened in 2000, it is part bridge, part underwater tunnel, an ambitious European project by any measure.

The cable-stayed section runs for about 8 kilometers over water, with a two-level layout: a four-lane highway above and a double-track railway below. Central spans hang from pylons up to 204 meters high, allowing large ships to pass beneath.

At its western end, the route dives into a roughly 4-kilometer tunnel. The tunnel avoids conflicts with air traffic near Copenhagen Airport and keeps shipping lanes clear, bringing the total crossing to about 16 kilometers.

Beyond the engineering, the bridge has pulled Denmark and Sweden closer—cutting travel times, boosting business and tourism, and helping knit together the two labor markets. Its clean lines and scale have also made it a regional landmark in their own right.

The Rolling Bridge in the United Kingdom

In London’s Paddington Basin, the Rolling Bridge (completed in 2004 to a design by Thomas Heatherwick) rethinks what a pedestrian crossing can be. Its party trick: transformation.

Made of eight segments, the bridge stretches about 12 meters across a canal when extended. When boats need to pass, a hydraulic system gently folds the segments upward until they meet, forming a circle that clears the waterway.

The changeover takes a few minutes and draws a crowd—there’s something irresistible about seeing a bridge become a sculptural ring, then unfold back into a walkway. It’s a crisp example of art, architecture and engineering acting in concert, and has earned awards for the originality to match.