Moonlit Strolls on Pont des Arts Bridge: Pure Magic
Full Moon Captured : Pont des Arc
A Well spent evening at the Pont des Arts Bridge, spanning the Seine River, is internationally well known as the bridge of romance. It was the first metal bridge built in the 19th century in the city, connecting the Quei de Conti at the Institut de France with the Quai des Tuileries, where the Louvre Museum is situated. The bridge was lightweight and elegantly built using cutting-edge technology in that period, using cast iron. Unfortunately, in the 20th century, the bridge was destroyed during the two world wars. The Pont des Arts bridge was rebuilt in between 1981 and 1984, using steel resembling the earlier bridge. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991, along with the rest of the banks of the Seine from Ile Saint Louis to the Eiffel Tower.
The Pont des Arts at sunrise and sunset is the best place for a picnic and a major attraction for lovers from all over the world to stroll. On this bridge, lovers carried out a tradition of attaching a love lock or padlock engraved with their name, throwing the keys into the river as a symbol of eternal love. Sadly, this tradition was discontinued as the weight of the padlock was damaging the integrity of the bridge. In 2015, around one million padlocks were removed, but you can still see a few padlocks in the middle of the bridge. Now, instead of padlocks, lovers engrave their names on the railing of the bridge.
There are many other things you can explore near the Pont des Arts Bridge. The Louvre Museum and the adjoining Tuileries gardens for fantastic art galleries and glimpses of Paris’ medieval and royal history, and stroll through stunning green lanes, flowerbeds, and statuary. You can also visit world-famous impressionist art collections at the Musee d’Orsay, where masterpiece paintings from Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Oscar-Claude Monet, Camille Pissaro, Edgar Degas, and countless others await.
The easiest and the best way to get to the Pont des Arts bridge is to take the Metro to the Pont Neuf Station which is Line 7.
