Pont de Pierre

The Pont de Pierre is the oldest bridge across the Garonne in Bordeaux, a stone structure opened in 1822 under the Napoleonic-era plans that gave the city its first fixed crossing of the river. It is 487 metres long and rests on 17 arches, a number said to reflect the letters of the name Napoléon Bonaparte, although the figure is a local tradition rather than a documented rule. The arches are faced in pale stone, with brick in the vaulting, and the bridge was built to a design by Claude Deschamps and Jean-Baptiste Basiliade. Today it carries road traffic, trams and a separate pedestrian and cycling lane, and it is the best walking route from the old centre across to La Bastide on the right bank. From the footpath, visitors have a wide view of the quays on the left bank, the spire of Saint-Michel and the curved line of the river, which makes the bridge a favourite place for photographs. At sunset, the sky behind the quays and the golden light on the stone give the best images, and the lights of the city come on in the evening. The crossing itself takes about 10 minutes, and a visit that includes stops for photos and a walk on the right bank takes about 30 minutes. On the right bank, the Darwin ecosystem and the botanical garden are within easy reach, so the bridge works as a link between sites rather than a stand-alone stop. The bridge is open at all times and free to cross. It is busiest on warm evenings and weekends, when walkers, cyclists and joggers share the lane, and quietest in the early morning. Trams run across the bridge, so pedestrians should keep to the marked lane. The tram stops Stalingrad and Porte de Bourgogne serve the two ends, making the crossing easy to build into a loop through the city in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.