Lesser known facts about this inhumane punishment
Some of the longest and highest bridges in the world are suspension footbridges designed for pedestrian use only. That means you can find yourself walking high over vast gorges, verdant forests, and even between Alpine peaks. If you suffer from vertigo, look away now!
Click through the following gallery and test your nerves by crossing some of the most amazing and precarious footbridges in the world.
Opened in 2014 to coincide with the Winter Olympics hosted in Sochi, the SkyBridge stretches above the verdant Krasnaya Polyana Valley.
At more than 426 m-(1,400 ft) long, this is one of the longest suspension footbridges in the world. Combine that with a height of 207 m (680 ft), and visitors are in for one scary walk. And by the way, there's a bungee jump in the middle!
Named for the mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps, the Aiguille du Midi Bridge connects two mountains and is set near the 3, 842-m (12,604 ft) summit of Aiguille du Midi.
The name Aiguille du Midi translates literally as "Needle of the South." To get to the bridge, you need to ride a cable car—in fact, the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world!
Peak Walk is the world's first suspension bridge that connects two mountain peaks. Mountains that can be seen from the bridge include Mont Blanc (the Alps' highest point), the Matterhorn, Mönch, Jungfrau, and Eiger, and the bridge has a partial glass floor that afford views down through it.
The vertigo-inducing 516 Arouca suspension footbridge, which opened in 2020, connects the two sides of the Paiva Gorge in northern Portugal.
The spectacular "sagging" structure hangs 175 m (575 ft) above a river. The 516-meter-long (1,693 ft) bridge has a see-through metal-mesh base and affords jaw-dropping views across the valley and the UNESCO recognized Arouca Geopark, famed for its Paiva Walkways visitor attraction.
Caminito del Rey, or "The King's Little Pathway," is a 1 m-wide (3 ft) walkway that is literally pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Ardales in the province of Málaga. It has in the past been described as the "world's most dangerous walkway."
The walkway features a bridged boardwalk that hangs 100 m (328 ft) above the Guadalhorce River.
Over 1.2 million visitors a year walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge that crosses the Capilano River in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia.
The bridge features an attraction called the Cliffwalk, where a section of the 140-m (460 ft) walkway skirts the edge of a sheer cliff face 70 m (230 ft) above the ground.
Marienbrücke bridge offers up magical views of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe.
The bridge itself spans the yawning Pöllat Gorge, itself known for a beautiful cascading waterfall. Marienbrücke also affords a stunning panorama of the surrounding Schwangau area, with its forests, lakes, and mountains.
The landmark Langkawi Sky Bridge is located 660 m (2,170 ft) above sea level at the peak of Gunung Mat Cincang on Pulau Langkawi, in Kedah.
Located near Ballintoy in County Antrim, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede.
Spanning 20 m (66 ft) and hanging 30 m (98 ft) above the rocks below, the bridge was originally built so fishermen could cross the deep gorge to check their nets. Today, it's a popular tourist attraction.
This bridge in Oita is 390 m- (1,279 ft) long and 173 m- (567 ft) high, and once held the title of world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge.
Japan's "walkway in the sky" offers outstanding views of the Shindonotaki falls and the region's distant mountain ranges.
Located near Reutte on the Bavarian-Austrian border, Highline179 has an impressive span of 403 m (1,322 ft).
The bridge stretches between the ruins of Ehrenberg Castle and Fort Claudia, making it a convenient way of exploring both these historic visitor attractions on foot.
Royal Gorge Bridge near Cañon City, Colorado is the highest bridge in the United States, and held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2001.
While essentially a pedestrian bridge, passenger vehicles are permitted to drive across Royal Gorge, which hangs over the gorge 291 m (955 ft) above the Arkansas River. An aerial tram also operates between either side of the gorge.
It's not unusual to see donkeys, cows, and goats sharing this bridge, which hangs over the Kali Gandaki River. The bridge was built to lighten congestion caused by livestock herding up and down local roads.
The bridge is precariously suspended from either side of the Kali Gandaki River and is part of the popular trekking route of the Annapurna Circuit.
It takes considerable nerve to traverse this impressive suspension footbridge, given its 100-m (330 ft) height and 170-m (560 ft) span. It stretches over Lake Triftsee near Gadmen in the Swiss Alps.
Trift is one of the longest and highest pedestrian bridges in the Alps. Reaching it requires taking a cable car in Meiringen, followed by a gondola. Finally, a difficult 1.5 hour uphill hike leads to the bridge.
The Taman Negara Bridge is set 40 m (131 ft) above the ground and at 530 m (1,738 ft) long is considered the world's longest canopy walkway.
The suspension bridge meanders and weaves its way through the treetops deep within the Taman Negara National Park. Following it affords rare and unique views of the park's amazing flora and fauna.
See also: Would you step foot on the Devil's bridge?.
Step across the most amazing footbridges in the world
Walk these bridges... if you dare!
TRAVEL Bridges
Some of the longest and highest bridges in the world are suspension footbridges designed for pedestrian use only. That means you can find yourself walking high over vast gorges, verdant forests, and even between Alpine peaks. If you suffer from vertigo, look away now!
Click through the following gallery and test your nerves by crossing some of the most amazing and precarious footbridges in the world.