London’s Tower Bridge is still our most luxurious bridge in the world, followed by Khaju Bridge in Isfahan, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Golden Gate Bridge and a covered Dong village bridge in China. We judge luxury by ornament, setting and how good the bridge looks after dark.
| Rank | Bridge | Place | Key fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tower Bridge | London | Opened 30 June 1894, 290 m long with abutments |
| 2 | Khaju Bridge | Isfahan, Iran | Built around 1650, 23 arches, 133 m long |
| 3 | Ponte Vecchio | Florence | Rebuilt in 1345, shops on the span |
| 4 | Golden Gate Bridge | San Francisco | Opened 1937, main span 1,280 m |
| 5 | Wind and Rain Bridge | Guangxi, China | Completed 1912, 64.4 m long |
What makes a bridge look luxurious? We think it is the view it offers and, most of all, the way it looks at night. These five bridges are engineering with a sense of occasion, and one of them has shops selling jewellery on it.
1. Tower Bridge, United Kingdom
Tower Bridge crosses the Thames next to the Tower of London. It was built between 1886 and 1894 and designed by Horace Jones, with John Wolfe Barry as engineer. Jones died in 1887, and George Stevenson took over the architecture, giving the bridge the Victorian Gothic dress it wears today. Two 65 m towers are joined by two high-level walkways, which have had glass floors since 2014.
It opened on 30 June 1894 and is about 290 m long including the abutments. The colour scheme people remember (red, white and blue) dates from 1977 and the Silver Jubilee, but a refurbishment announced in 2008 stripped the bridge back and repainted it in blue and white. It is the one bridge on this list that opens its middle for ships.
2. Khaju Bridge, Iran
Khaju Bridge in Isfahan was built around 1650 under the Safavid shah Abbas II on the foundations of an older bridge. It works as a bridge, a weir and a meeting place. The stone structure has 23 arches and is 133 m long and 12 m wide. In the middle sits a pavilion where the shah once admired the view, and only the remains of the stone seat are left.
Two scholars called it the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture, and it still looks that way when the arches are lit at night. Iranian architects have raised concerns about the damage done by recent renovations to the base and the riverbed.
3. Ponte Vecchio, Italy
Florence’s Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone arch bridge across the Arno, at the river’s narrowest point. It first appears in a document of 996, was destroyed by a flood in 1117, rebuilt in stone, swept away again in 1333 and rebuilt in 1345. Vasari credited Taddeo Gaddi, though modern historians suggest Neri di Fioravanti.
The bridge has three segmental arches: a 30 m main arch and two 27 m side arches. It was the only Florentine bridge spared in World War II. Butchers and tanners once filled the shops; the tenants today are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. Above them, the Vasari Corridor runs along the span, built in 1565 for Cosimo I de’ Medici.
4. Golden Gate Bridge, U.S.A.
Can a steel bridge be luxurious? This one can, especially under fog and floodlights. It opened on 27 May 1937 and was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world until the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (1964) and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (1998) overtook it. The main span is 4,200 feet (1,280 m) and the towers are 227 m high.
Construction began on 5 January 1933 and cost more than $35 million. It finished ahead of schedule and $1.3 million under budget. Irving Morrow chose the International Orange colour and shaped the Art Deco towers. In 1999 the American Institute of Architects ranked it fifth on its list of America’s Favorite Architecture. Pedestrians and cyclists have walkways on both sides.
5. The Wind and Rain Bridge, China
Chengyang Bridge, also called Yongji Bridge and Panlong Bridge, is in Sanjiang County, Guangxi, in the Dong minority region. It was completed in 1912. Stone piers carry a wooden structure with three floors, five pavilions and nineteen verandas under a tiled roof.
The bridge is 64.4 m long, its corridor is 3.4 m wide and it stands about 10 m above the river. It joins two villages and still works as a covered meeting place.
Keep reading
- Amazing bridges every traveler should visit in a lifetime: the wider bridge bucket list
- Most dangerous and deadly pedestrian bridges in the world: the opposite end of the scale
FAQ
What is the most luxurious bridge in the world?
In our ranking it is Tower Bridge in London, for its Victorian Gothic towers, glass-floored walkways and bascules that open for ships.
How old is Khaju Bridge?
It was built around 1650 under Shah Abbas II, on the foundations of an older bridge.
Are there shops on Ponte Vecchio?
Yes. The present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers.
How much did the Golden Gate Bridge cost to build?
Construction cost more than $35 million and finished $1.3 million under budget.
What colour is Tower Bridge now?
A refurbishment announced in 2008 stripped it back and repainted it in blue and white. The red, white and blue scheme dated from 1977.
How we put this list together
We rank by ornament, setting and after-dark looks, and we checked every length, date and cost against engineering and heritage records in October 2026. The order is our own judgement.
Last updated: October 2026.
