10 Beautiful Bridges Around the World

En español | Though it's no longer the world's longest bridge (a title it held from its opening in 1937 up until 1964), it's safe to say that the iconic Golden Gate is one of the most breathtaking. Its unique Art Deco style and striking "international orange" paint set it apart from any other on the planet. Above all, it remains functional, serving about 110,000 vehicles per day.

Spaniard Santiago Calatrava was among the first modern architect-engineers to marry highly stylized designs with perfectly calibrated cables and spans. The Alamillo Bridge, opened in 1992, is one of his greatest innovations. It's a cantilevered cable-stayed span with a single pylon — a stunning example of balance and elegance.

Not only is this 1932 span gracefully arched and symmetrical, it somehow seems to blend perfectly into the rocky cliffs of Big Sur, where Bixby Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. This most captivating of West Coast bridges also has been retrofitted to withstand earthquakes.

This national landmark is still as gorgeous and unique as the day it opened in 1883. Engineers still cite the Brooklyn Bridge as an example of pure sturdiness and grace, due, in no small part, to its twin granite towers. What's more, it remains a vital link for around 124,000 inter-borough motorists a day, as well as the thousands more who cross on foot and by bicycle.

North America's longest steel-truss bridge, a 4.1-mile span that was completed in 1966, has three distinct sections: the wide-curved southern approach, the high-arched truss portion and the long flat span that seems to float on the Columbia River. Its lightweight construction makes it both highly photogenic and sturdy (it can resist wind gusts up to 150 miles per hour), though it remains only wide enough for two travel lanes.

With its carved white limestone suspended high above the canal, the 1602 Ponte dei Sospiri inspires more than a few wistful exhalations from most visitors to Venice. But in reality, this legendary bridge takes its name from the sad final sighs of prisoners peering from its barred windows as they were marched from the Doge's Palace to the New Prison.

A glimpse of this shapely red pedestrian span explains its name. The Python Bridge is one of the latest additions to the canal crossings in Amsterdam, opening in 2001 and earning the International Footbridge Award in 2002 for its unique, swooping style. It also packs up well — the bridge was designed to be dismantled every five years for the Sail Amsterdam maritime festival.

In late 2000, the Millennium Footbridge was lifted by crane in one piece into position over the River Thames. The ingenious pedestrian and cycling span is nicknamed the Blinking Eye Bridge owing to the way its hydraulics tilt the twin arches 40 degrees to allow boats to pass below. Many Londoners, though, still call it the Wobbly Bridge, for the disconcerting way it would sway when it first opened (engineers have since adjusted it to prevent the wobble).

Its highest tower soars 11 stories, making the Viaduc de Millau, which opened over southern France's River Tarn in 2004, the world's tallest bridge. It's also one of the world's most picturesque spans (if only you could find the perfect angle). Its sleek, cable-stayed construction aligns seven giant masts across the scenic river valley.

This enclosed bridge in China's Guangxi Province is fascinating for many reasons, not the least of which is that its 1916 builders managed to piece it together without nails or rivets, using, instead, dovetailed wooden structures atop stone towers. Plus, its porches and pagodas offer lush views of the Linxi River. The beauty of the scenery is rivaled only by that of the bridge itself.

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