Pont-Canal de Briare

The Briare canal bridge is the oldest of the canals in France. It was built between 1890 and 1896 by the Eiffel company in order to pass the Briare canal over the Loire.
An impressive building, the Briare canal bridge measures over 600 meters long and 11.5 meters wide and is suspended 11 meters above the Loire.

Since the Loire was not navigable at certain times of the year, an almost 200 km long canal was built on its side in the late 19th century. As part of a widely branched canal system, you can even drive from here to the Mediterranean. The canal crosses the Loire and its tributaries again and again on several bridges. The canal bridge at Briare is the most impressive.

impressive building, best to visit early in the morning in summer when it is not yet so crowded

The canal is led in a bridge over the Loire.
Cyclists are required to push their bikes over the bridge.

quiet place on the canal across the Loire.

Here you can spend several days and explore the area by bike or on foot. A place with a special flair.

Largest metal canal bridge in France, this wonderful work of art really has everything to delight the cyclist with its elegant street lamps, the beautiful view of the Loire and its shores.

Top restored. Beautiful testimony of former importance of the channels

The Canal de Briare is 600 meters long and until 2003 was the longest metal-built canal bridge in the world

The lovingly restored canal bridge conveys a sense of the canal's earlier importance as a commercial shipping thoroughfare.

In 1642, the Canal de Briare, at that time under the name Canal Henri IV and Canal de Loyre en Seine, put into operation and expanded in 1723 by the Canal du Loing. This created a navigable waterway that connected Saint-Mammès on the Seine with Briare on the Loire.

Beautiful canal bridge that leads to the place Briare. Towards the village there is a nice café with its own chocolaterie.

The bridge is followed by a harbor. There is delicious chocolate in the chocolaterie.

It's an imposing structure: the canal crosses the river! And what is also very nice in the heat is the ice cream selection in the café at the beginning of the bridge. There is really delicious ice cream here. I think you can hardly find a better one. So if you come by here, get an ice cream here, you will be as excited as we are!

Due to the location and greenery, it can drive very well in heat and sunshine and on top of that it is also very nice.

This picturesque path leads along the old canal.

superb Briare canal bridge, above the Loire, which we no longer present!

Quiet course, without particular difficulties.

beautiful old aquaduct over the loire

This is the famous Briare canal bridge.

Nice bridge that is also a canal flyover at the same time.
Cyclists are asked to push their bikes.

Jewel of French river heritage built in particular by the Eiffel company between 1890 and 1896.