Cheapflights.ca Spans the Globe in Search of Most Impressive Bridges

TORONTO--(Marketwire - Oct 16, 2012) -  This year marks the 75^th anniversary of San Francisco's renowned Golden Gate Bridge. In honour of this milestone, the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, have spanned the globe in search of the most impressive bridges around. While bridges are highly practical in purpose, they also add to the beauty of a city or countryside. Cheapflights.ca's Top 10 Bridges Worldwide is a list of landmarks that are impressive in their own right as well as a collective testament to a passion for design and artistry that links cultures and generations.

Below are five famous and beautiful wonders to make Cheapflights.ca's Top 10 Bridges Worldwide.

• Tower Bridge, London, UK - The world saw Tower Bridge this year during Britain's remarkable summer of Diamond Jubilee festivities, the Olympics and Paralympic Games. It was built in 1894, all Victorian Gothic with Cornish granite and Portland stone, close to the Tower of London from which it gets its name. Standing 42 metres above the legendary River Thames, its walkways are vantage points for many iconic London landmarks. Plus, it's the only bridge on the Thames that can be raised to let boats pass. The bascules are raised approximately 1,000 times per year.
  
  
• Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California- No list of bridges is complete without this orange-vermillion wonder that spans the strait linking San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean. It has stood above the Golden Gate, often shrouded in fog, for 75 years. At 4,200 feet (1,280.2 metres) long, the Golden Gate Bridge was, for almost 30 years, the longest span in the world. In a city of superb see-before-you-die attractions, the bridge tops the list. Visitors can walk or bike across it. Alternatively, the Bridge Pavilion tells the story of the bridge and has a range of souvenirs for friends and family back home.
  
  
• Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver, BC - This is the bridge that Guinness built. Really. The Lions Gate Bridge, known officially as the First Narrows Bridge, spans Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver to the North Shore (North Vancouver and West Vancouver). The Lions Gate refers to the mountain peaks (The Lions) that are visible to drivers heading north. The wealthy Guinness family invested heavily in West Vancouver and part of the deal was that they -- through their British Pacific Properties Co. -- would build all roads and water lines. Knowing that they needed to make the area more accessible they were involved with the construction of the bridge and, in 1986, gifted its lights.
  
  
• Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia - The iconic bridge is the largest steel-arch bridge in the world. It's not the longest, that honour belongs to the New River Gorge in West Virginia, USA, but it's one of the most recognizable symbols of Australia. It's 1,149 metres long (3,770 feet) and its arch span is 503 metres (1,650 feet). The top of the arch is 134 metres (440 feet) above the sea and the clearance for shipping under the deck is a spacious 49 metres (161 feet). Eager to climb to the Pylon Lookout? There are 200 steps to ascend to get to one of Sydney's oldest tourist attractions. If you fancy climbing it, you can do that too for about $218. In overalls and secured to a safety line, you can climb 1,500 metres (4,921 feet) over the arch.
  
  
• Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glenfinnan, Scotland - Fans of the Harry Potter films will recognize this as the railway viaduct that the Hogwarts Express chugs across. It's not the only film to feature it. It "starred" in Charlotte Gray, Monarch of the Glen, Stone of Destiny and Ring of Bright Water too. Built by Sir Robert McAlpine at the end of the 19th century, the viaduct is composed of 21 arches, each spanning 15 metres (49 feet) and has a maximum height of 30 metres (98 feet) offering sumptuous views down to Loch Shiel below. The railway viaduct is on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber in the Highlands and a round trip, between mid-May and the end of October, will set you back £32 (around $50).
  
  

Rounding out our list of most impressive bridges worldwide are: Si-O-Se Pol, Isfahan, Iran; Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy; Victoria Falls Bridge, Zimbabwe / Zambia; Pont Alexandre Iii, Paris, France; and Teufelsbrücke, Switzerland. To read more about these beautiful bridges and Cheapflights.ca's complete Top 10 Bridges Worldwide, visit www.cheapflights.ca/travel/top-10-bridges-worldwide.

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Cheapflights Media is an international media network helping over 11 million visitors a month find top travel deals. Our Cheapflights brand was launched in 1996 and pioneered the online comparison of flight deals for users. Today, users compare a wide range of deals from hundreds of partners including online travel agents, consolidators and airlines to find the very best flight deals. With a mission to be the starting point for travel, Cheapflights works to deliver the industry's best airfare bargains, expert tips and inspiration. There are currently Cheapflights sites in the U.K., U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia & New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain. For more information, visit www.cheapflights.ca. Our newest brand, Momondo, is a leading travel search engine for finding comprehensive worldwide pricing and availability on airfares. Winner of several awards, the site is ideal for users on specific travel schedules. For more information, visit www.momondo.com.