A West Coast Landmark Bridge's Sweeping Views Have Been Crowned The Most Iconic In The World

When you hear the word "bridge," what do you think of? Some might picture Tower Bridge, one of London's most iconic landmarks. If you're a romantic, the Ponte di Rialto, arcing over Venice's Grand Canal, may spring to mind. But there's an even better chance you'll envision California's Golden Gate Bridge. 

Spanning the strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, it's arguably the most iconic bridge in the world. And according to research from the car rental company Sixt, which sought to identify the world's most iconic bridge views, the Golden Gate Bridge's status as number one is now official. Sixt analyzed 200 bridges across the world — chosen because of their size and architectural significance — and used online search traffic and demand, Google reviews, and prevalence on social media to find which had the most iconic views. The Golden Gate Bridge came out on top of both the U.S. and global rankings, despite having some pretty stiff competition. 

The Brooklyn Bridge and the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia came second and third, respectively, in the American rankings. While London Bridge, often overshadowed by the aforementioned Tower Bridge, snuck in ahead of the Brooklyn Bridge at number two on the worldwide podium. Other notable inclusions in the global rankings were China's Hangzhou Bay Bridge (No. 5), a ridiculous 22-mile-long construction between Jiaxing and Ningbo, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (No.15), from where you'll also get the best views of the iconic Sydney Opera House.

The Golden Gate Bridge is synonymous with San Francisco — can a movie be set in the city without at least one shot of the bridge in all its moody, resplendent glory? — and it's easy to see why. Completed ahead of schedule in 1937, the bridge is an engineering marvel, with 746-foot-tall towers. The huge suspension cables are so robust that if you were to disentangle them and lay out all the individual wires end to end, they'd wrap around the Earth three times over. 

This strength is certainly put to the test. More than 100,000 cars make the daily journey across the bridge between San Francisco and Marin County, and it has withstood significant seismic events like the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Aside from all that, the bridge is just impressive to look at; its bright red — or more specifically, "international orange" — color is juxtaposed against the often-foggy Bay Area sky. When driving across it, you'll get epic views of the structure itself and the nearby Golden Gate National Recreation Area. But for the best crowd-free views of the Golden Gate Bridge, head to Fort Point at the foot of the bridge on the southern side. Other less heralded viewpoints include those at Lands End and on the Battery East and Battery West trails. On the Marin County side, you'll get great (and hopefully secluded) views of the bridge from Kirby Cove, Fort Baker, and Point Bonita.