Our Top 10 Coolest Bridges in the World

Tahnia Miller
Oct 9
3 min read

Updated: Oct 24

Bridges aren’t just about getting from A to B. They’re symbols of ingenuity, resilience and imagination, sometimes even living works of art.

We’ve rounded up 10 of the most fascinating bridges on the planet, each one with a story worth telling.

1. Magdeburg Water Bridge – Germany

Imagine a river flowing over another river. The Magdeburg Water Bridge is an aqueduct bridge that lets barges cross the Elbe River without ever touching its waters below.

Opened: 2003
Length: 918 m – making it the world’s longest navigable aqueduct
Why it’s cool: It’s a literal river-on-a-bridge, an elegant solution to unite two major canals for freight traffic.

2. Slauerhoffbrug – Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

Nicknamed the “Flying Drawbridge,” this fully automated road bridge swings up a single panel like a mechanical flap to let ships through.

Built: 2000
Why it’s cool: Its bright yellow-blue arm lifts in seconds, looking more like a sci-fi movie prop than a piece of civil infrastructure, a perfect example of Dutch waterway innovation.

3. Tower Bridge – London, UK

A global icon that still turns heads 130 years later. When it opened in 1894, Tower Bridge was the most sophisticated bascule bridge ever built, using giant steam-powered engines to raise and lower its roadways for ships.

Fun fact: The original hydraulic machinery is still on display in the bridge’s engine rooms museum.
Why it’s cool: A Victorian-era feat of engineering that remains a working river crossing today.

4. 1915 Çanakkale Bridge – Turkey

A modern record-breaker: this massive structure across the Dardanelles Strait holds the title of the world’s longest suspension bridge.

Opened: 2022
Main span: 2,023 m – a nod to the centenary of the Republic of Turkey.
Why it’s cool: Beyond breaking length records, it dramatically cuts travel time between Europe and Asia from an hour-long ferry ride to just six minutes by car.

5. Millau Viaduct – France

The tallest bridge in Europe and often described as the world’s most graceful.

Opened: 2004
Height: The tallest pylon rises 343 m – taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Why it’s cool: Designed by Norman Foster and Michel Virlogeux, it floats above the Tarn Valley’s clouds like a ribbon of steel – an engineering and architectural masterpiece.

6. Ponte Vecchio – Florence, Italy

Not every cool bridge is futuristic. The Ponte Vecchio, first built in 1345, is one of the world’s only surviving medieval covered bridges with shops built right on top.

Why it’s cool: This Renaissance icon has hosted goldsmiths and jewellers for centuries and famously survived World War II intact when retreating German forces spared it from destruction.

7. Vizcaya Bridge – Portugalete, Spain

The world’s oldest transporter bridge, still in daily use.

Opened: 1893
How it works: Instead of driving over it, vehicles and pedestrians ride in a suspended gondola that glides back and forth beneath the bridge’s iron frame.
Why it’s cool: It’s a working industrial relic and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

8. Øresund Bridge – Denmark ↔ Sweden

Part bridge, part tunnel, all ingenuity.

Length: 8 km bridge + 4 km undersea tunnel
Opened: 2000
Why it’s cool: It connects two countries across the Baltic and includes a man-made island where the bridge dives underground, balancing ecological concerns with efficient design.

9. Shaharah Bridge – Yemen

A bridge from another century, literally.

Built: 17th century
Height: About 200 m above a dramatic canyon.
Why it’s cool: Constructed from local stone without modern machinery, this narrow arch between mountain peaks once served as a lifeline and a defensive stronghold.

10. The Living Root Bridges – Cherrapunji, India

Nature’s own civil engineers.

Age: Some are over 500 years old.
Material: Grown by weaving the aerial roots of native rubber fig trees over rivers and streams.
Why it’s cool: These bridges get stronger with time as the roots grow thicker – living proof of sustainable design long before the term existed.