Pont Alexandre III: The Most Beautiful Bridge in Paris

The Pont Alexandre III is the setting for the final scene of Midnight in Paris, where Gil meets the shop assistant and walks off through rainy Paris. It also appears in the early perfume-ad scene in Emily in Paris.

The bridge links the Grand Palais and Petit Palais with Les Invalides, and like those two it opened for the 1900 World's Fair. It is rated the most beautiful of Paris's 37 bridges, and our guide agrees. Golden statues at the entrances, 32 gleaming lamps and clear views of Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower come together in a scene the guide says is beyond comparison with the Pont Neuf you visited earlier. If you are here by day, come back at dusk or at night too. From the lit-up bridge you can see the dome of Les Invalides across the river and the Eiffel Tower shining in the distance, and if you time it for the top of the hour, you can catch the Eiffel Tower's light show. The guide finds it more beautiful at night than any place on the tour.

For a photo, stand between the lamps on the railing on the side facing the Eiffel Tower and shoot with the tower in the background. Les Invalides across the river is Paris's military museum, and it also displays the tomb where the French hero Napoleon lies, so it is worth a visit if you have time.

If you want to see more of Paris, move on to the next chapter; otherwise, head to the closing chapter.