Viaduc de Millau — Attraction in Millau

This is the tallest road bridge... In The World!

So tall, you can fit many of the world's landmarks beneath its road deck, and the Eiffel Tower can just about squeeze under it too.

I have wanted to visit the Millau Viaduct ever since watching an episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May drove a Ferrari F430, Pagani Zonda and Ford GT40 over the bridge.

And today, I have.

I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. Approach on the A75 from the north and the views are stunning. The rest stop before the bridge is a great place to stop and view the site before driving over. The views are stunning all around and the bridge is spectacular.

The bridge is predictably boring to drive over as, once on it, the sides protect you from seeing too much to induce vertigo, but hey, you've just driven over the tallest bridge.

In. The. World.

And then exit at junction 47 and follow the D809 back down to Millau. A rest stop allows spectacular views of the bridge in the distance and, going straight on at each roundabout, will lead you to the base of the bridge, a viewing point where you can look straight up to the heights and get tours.

Yes, it's a bridge, but also yes, it's fantastic - to see, to drive, to enjoy.

The French are rightly proud of this amazing feat of engineering. It has done wonders for the traffic through Millau and for tourism in the area (the town of Millau is very much worth a visit - it even has a glove museum).

And it's definitely worth remembering that the whole bridge was designed by an...

A sublime cable-stayed bridge, built in response to the problem of modern traffic congestion.

Until the opening of the Millau Viaduct in 2004, vacation traffic from Paris south to the Riviera and Spain caused regular congestion in the narrow Tarn valley near Millau in southern France. The first plans for a bridge to bypass the town were discussed in 1987, and four possible routes were surveyed. Each presented its own technical, geological, or environmental problems, but in 1991, the decision was made to build a viaduct over the River Tarn to the west of Millau.

French–British cooperation. The resulting 8,200 ft (2,500 m) bridge, designed by British architect Norman Foster and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, stands more than 660 ft (200 m) above the river below. The deck on which the vehicles run is a lightweight steel structure that was prefabricated and then assembled on site. It is shaped like an inverted trapezoidal box that is cambered (sloped) on each side. Built at a total cost of $442 million, the bridge was inaugurated on December 14, 2004, and opened for traffic...

The Millau Viaduct is a remarkable cable-stayed bridge located in southern France. It spans the Tarn River Valley and is renowned for being the tallest bridge in the world. Designed by the architect Sir Norman Foster and structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, the viaduct was completed in 2004. Its highest mast peaks at an impressive 343 meters (1,125 feet) above the base of the structure. The Millau Viaduct has not only become an engineering marvel but also a symbol of modern architecture, seamlessly blending with the picturesque landscape of the region. Its construction aimed to alleviate traffic congestion in the area, providing a smooth passage for vehicles traveling between Paris and the Mediterranean coast. The viaduct's elegant design and innovative engineering have garnered international acclaim, making it a prominent...