Millau Viaduct: The Tallest Bridge in the World, In the Right Valley

The Millau Viaduct opened in December 2004 and still holds the record for the world’s tallest bridge: the tallest mast rises 343 metres above the ground, 19 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower. The deck spans 2,460 metres across the Tarn valley. Norman Foster designed it; the construction took three years. Driving across it costs a toll of around €12 in summer season, and it’s worth it.

The bridge carries the A75 autoroute, bypassing the town of Millau and eliminating what was a notoriously bad traffic bottleneck on the route between Paris and Montpellier. Before the viaduct, summer queues through Millau could last hours. Now the traffic passes 270 metres above the valley floor and drivers see the Tarn River far below before continuing south.

Seeing It Properly

The best views of the bridge from ground level are from the belvedere on the D992, north of the bridge. The car park is well-signed and the viewing platform puts you at roughly the same elevation as the deck, looking along the full length. Early morning gives soft light; late afternoon puts the valley in shadow and the bridge lit from the west. The approach is free.

Inside the toll plaza on the northbound side, a small exhibition area covers the engineering history. It’s worth a stop if you’re passing through.

To walk onto the bridge, there are guided walking tours organised by the Syndicat d’Initiative of Millau during summer (July-August, specific dates vary; check at the Millau tourist office). The fee is around €10 per person. You board at the toll plaza and walk a section of the footpath alongside the roadway.

Millau Town

Millau itself is a small city (around 22,000 people) in the Aveyron department, built at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers. The old town has a covered market and a glove-making tradition going back centuries (Millau gloves are made from Roquefort lamb leather; several specialist shops on Avenue de la République still sell them, from around €80 per pair).

The Musée de Millau et des Grands Causses (entrance €7, closed Tuesdays) holds an important collection of Gallo-Roman ceramics from La Graufesenque, a 1st-century pottery production site just outside the city. The scale of the output from this single site is significant.

Roquefort-sur-Soulzon

Twenty kilometres south of Millau, the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon sits above the natural caves where Roquefort cheese is aged. The Société company offers free cave tours (no booking required, runs year-round). The caves maintain a constant 8-9 degrees and 95% humidity; the blue mould is Penicillium roqueforti, which occurs naturally here. Buy a whole wheel in the adjacent shop: around €30-35 for 2.5kg.

Staying and Eating

La Muse hotel, just south of Millau near the hamlet of La Cresse, has a terrace with direct views of the bridge’s southern section. Rooms start around €110/night. The hotel restaurant serves regional cuisine (confit de canard, aligot) at around €28-35 for a main.

In Millau town, La Braconne on rue du Mandarous does a straightforward plat du jour for €13-15 and is where locals eat rather than visitors.

The bridge is best approached from the north if you’re driving the A75 south from Clermont-Ferrand; you crest a rise and the full structure appears in front of you. This is the right way to see it for the first time.