17 of the Most Stunning Bridges in the World
Bridges are built to connect places, but some are known for their design or engineering. A few rise above cloud level, while others follow unusual curves or materials. These bridges reflect how infrastructure can also shape the experience of travel—and sometimes become as notable as the destination itself.
Constitution Bridge — Venice, Italy
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Venice rarely says yes to modern architecture, which is why the Constitution Bridge turns so many heads. It was revealed in 2008 to honor the Italian Constitution’s 60th anniversary and connects the Santa Lucia train station to Piazzale Roma with a glowing bronze rail, Pietra d’Istria stone, and a long, graceful arch.
Henderson Waves Bridge — Singapore
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If treehouses had a design consultant from the future, they’d probably look something like Singapore’s Henderson Waves Bridge. This bridge hovers 36 meters above the road and the path twists between Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill like a giant wooden ribbon. When the sun dips, the bridge lights up in soft LEDs.
Seri Wawasan Bridge — Putrajaya, Malaysia
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The Seri Wawasan Bridge stuns with movement, even when it’s still. It’s shaped like a futuristic sailboat frozen mid-glide and has 30 pairs of forward stay cables fan out from a sharply tilted pylon.
Nescio Bridge — Amsterdam, Netherlands
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You won’t find honking horns or traffic lights on Amsterdam’s Nescio Bridge—this one’s strictly for bicycling or walking. It’s designed with a single steel cable and a self-anchored suspension system (a rarity thanks to the Netherlands’ famously soft ground) and gently swoops across the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal like a modern sculpture in motion.
Rialto Bridge — Venice, Italy
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Rialto Bridge started as a floating footpath in 1181 but evolved into a bustling wooden bazaar so popular it collapsed twice under the crowd’s weight. The stone version of the bridge, finished in 1591 outshined even Michelangelo’s rejected plans. Its single arch floats above the Grand Canal, still lined with 24 tiny storefronts.
Zubizuri — Bilbao, Spain
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Zubizuri shows up to the Bilbao skyline—curved and graceful. Its glass brick walkway was meant to let light pass through from below and looks surreal—especially in the rain.
Manhattan Bridge — New York City, USA
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If you’ve ever crossed the Manhattan Bridge during rush hour, you know it orchestrates chaos like a pro. Trains thunder underneath, cars rumble above, cyclists zip by, and pedestrians weave through it all. Leon Moisseiff’s design was groundbreaking and literally bent the rules with deflection theory.
Sheikh Zayed Bridge — Abu Dhabi, UAE
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The Sheikh Zayed Bridge features swooping steel arcs that mimic desert dunes caught in motion while stretching 842 meters over the Maqta Channel. By day, it moves people—16,000 an hour, to be exact. It shifts into spectacle mode by night, with LED lights dancing across its curves.
Széchenyi Chain Bridge — Budapest, Hungary
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The Széchenyi Chain Bridge reshaped Hungary’s capital by stitching Buda and Pest into one rising force. It was gutsy for its time: made of imported English iron, designed by William Tierney Clark, and enforced a toll that even nobles couldn’t dodge.
Golden Gate Bridge — San Francisco, USA
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The Golden Gate Bridge nearly didn’t wear its signature color. It was originally slated to be painted gray and yellow for visibility. It was the bridge’s steel primer—bright, bold “International Orange”—that architects and locals rallied behind. Through wind, fog, and time, it’s become San Francisco’s most dramatic, beloved landmark.
Puente de la Mujer — Buenos Aires, Argentina
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You don’t stumble across bridges like Puente de la Mujer every day—unless you’re wandering Buenos Aires’ Puerto Madero, where the city’s sleekest neighborhoods meet the waterfront. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava.
The Helix Bridge — Singapore
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Singapore’s Helix Bridge is a selfie-worthy platform. Viewing decks jut out over the bay, and at night, LED lights trace the helix in glowing red and green. Even its lighting spells out life, literally.
Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge — Brasilia, Brazil
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Stretching 1,200 meters across Lake Paranoá, Brasília’s JK Bridge is a trio of crisscrossing arches. It opened in 2002 and was designed by Alexandre Chan and Mário Vila Verde. The bridge juggles six traffic lanes, pedestrians, and cyclists with ease. At night, it lights up the lake.
Millau Viaduct — Creissels, France
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The Millau Viaduct is designed to take your breath away. It slices through the clouds above France’s Tarn Valley by reaching 343 meters into the sky—taller than the Eiffel Tower—and earns its spot as the tallest bridge on the planet.
Charles Bridge — Prague, Czech Republic
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Charles Bridge was built in 1357 under King Charles IV and the 515-meter-long medieval masterpiece is lined with 30 towering statues (now replicas) and guarded by three formidable towers. It’s been through floods, battles, and centuries of foot traffic, yet it still delivers postcard views. It was originally called the Stone Bridge and only picked up the “Charles” name in 1870, about 500 years after it was finished.
Brooklyn Bridge — New York City, USA
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Before the Brooklyn Bridge even touched the skyline, its story read like a 19th-century epic. After chief engineer John Roebling passed away, his son Washington took over—then got too sick to leave his bed. His wife, Emily, ran the show by overseeing construction and becoming the first to cross it… with a rooster under her arm, no less.
Khaju Bridge — Isfahan, Iran
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Khaju Bridge is far more than a way across the Zayanderud. It was built in the 1650s during Shah Abbas II’s reign and the23-arch wonder regulated water for Isfahan’s gardens, doubled as a dam, and even hosted royal gatherings in its central pavilion. Locals say you can whisper beneath one arch and be heard in another.