Le Pont de Millau

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As well as being the least congested and cheapest route between Paris, Béziers and Montpellier, the A75 gives you the opportunity to drive across the most spectacular link: le Pont de Millau.

Millau viaduct holds the world record for the tallest bridge, culminating at 343 metres, 2464 metres long and touching the bottom of the Tarn valley in only nine places.

Conceived by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and designed by the English architect Lord Norman Foster, the bridge rises majestically above the Tarn valley. Supported by stays, the very thin slightly curved steel roadway gives it the appearance of a huge yacht and rests only on seven slender pillars.



Opened in December 2004, the structure receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year: tourists, architecture enthusiasts, journalists as well as motorists.
Although it took 3 years to build, planning of the gigantic project stretched to 14 years.
Hailed as a major architectural work of the 21st century, the Millau viaduct exceeds many records:

  • With a range of 342 m, you could fit the Eiffel Tower lying down between two pillars.
  • At the height of construction, 600 people were working on the bridge.
  • The deck width is 32 m – the equivalent of 17 men standing with arms outstretched.
  • The weight of the steel deck is 36 000 tones – the equivalent of 5100 African elephants.
  • Maximum height is 343 m – 19 m higher than the Eiffel tower.

Take a few minutes break and climb to the belvedere from where you can admire the sublime and panoramic view of the viaduct. In the Eiffage Company Expo/Boutique area, you can learn all there is to know about its construction as well as taste the famous “capucins” produced by the Michelin starred chef Michel Bras.

I still remember looking forward to admiring the scene upon my first visit, only to be very disappointed to find that the whole valley had literally disappeared in a sea of mist. It is fair to say that it looked rather mystical. Luckily, I have had more opportunities to admire this stunning piece of architecture and beautiful views on my subsequent visits.



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