The gravity-defying Viaduc de Millau toll bridge hovers 343m above the Tarn valley, making it one of the world’s highest road bridges. At its northern end (in Brocuéjouls, about 5km west of the centre of Millau), the Viaduc Expo visitor centre explores the story of the bridge’s construction and offers 45-minute guided visits (in English on request). There's an upmarket cafeteria and you can walk to a viewpoint to truly appreciate the bridge's astonishing dimensions.
Designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster and opened in 2004, the bridge is a work of imagination as much as engineering: seven slender pylons support 2.5km of the A75 motorway, and despite its heavyweight construction (127,000 cu metres of concrete, 19,000 tonnes of steel, 5000 tonnes of cable), the bridge looks as delicate as a gossamer thread.
