Pont Alexandre III, Paris

About the Pont Alexandre III

The Pont Alexandre III links the Right Bank by the Grand Palais and the Champs-Élysées with the Left Bank, with views of the Invalides esplanade and the Eiffel Tower. It's considered the most ornate and extravagant bridge in Paris, and it has been a French historic monument since 1975.

It was built in 1896–1900 and named after the Russian emperor Alexander III, who concluded an alliance with France in 1892. His son Nicholas II laid the first stone in October 1896. It opened for the 1900 World's Fair together with the neighbouring Grand Palais and Petit Palais, whose architecture its style echoes.

What to see

• The gilded Fames — four statues with winged horses on the pylons.
• Art Nouveau lamps — bronze candelabra with cherubs.
• The Nymphs of the Seine and the Neva — copper reliefs at mid-arch.
• Lions at the entrances — sculptures by Gardet and Dalou.
• The Grand Palais and Petit Palais — 1900 fair palaces nearby.
• The river view — with the Eiffel Tower downstream.

An engineering marvel

The bridge is a marvel of 19th-century engineering. It is carried by a single steel arch spanning the whole river and rising only about six metres. The architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin had to make sure it didn't block the views of the Champs-Élysées and the Invalides, so it was built this low and flat.

To hold the arch, massive stone pylons 17 metres tall stand at the corners, acting as counterweights without obstructing the panoramas. The engineers Jean Résal and Amédée Alby built the bridge, a very bold project for its time.

Statues and decoration

The pylons are crowned by four gilded Fames restraining winged Pegasus horses. On the Right Bank stand the Fame of the Sciences and the Fame of the Arts by Emmanuel Frémiet; on the Left, the Fames of Commerce and Industry. At the pylons' bases sit allegories of France in different ages, Charlemagne, the Renaissance, Louis XIV and the modern era, and bronze lions guard the entrances.

At the centre of the arch on both sides are copper reliefs: the Nymphs of the Seine with the arms of Paris face the Nymphs of the Neva with the arms of Imperial Russia, a symbol of friendship between the two countries. In the same era St Petersburg built its Trinity Bridge, also dedicated to the alliance. Art Nouveau lamps with cherubs and sea creatures line the parapets.

The Grand Palais and Petit Palais

On the Right Bank the bridge leads straight to the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, two palaces built for the same 1900 fair. The Grand Palais, with its vast glass roof, hosts exhibitions, fairs and sporting events, while the Petit Palais houses the city's fine arts museum, whose permanent collection is usually free.

The bridge opens a wide vista: on one side Avenue Winston Churchill towards the Champs-Élysées, on the other the esplanade with its golden dome on the Left Bank. Downstream you see the Eiffel Tower, upstream the Pont de la Concorde and the Louvre.

The bridge in films and festivities

The Pont Alexandre III often appears in films and music videos, from romantic scenes to chases and adverts. Newlyweds from around the world love it, and in summer Parisians relax on the quays beneath it.

In 2024 the bridge hosted the Olympic triathlon and marathon swimming events, and parades and cycling finishes are often held nearby on the Champs-Élysées.

Tips for your visit

Fit the bridge into a riverside walk from the Place de la Concorde to the Eiffel Tower, or from the Champs-Élysées to the Left Bank. Stop in the middle to look at the nymphs, then go down to the quay to see the arch from below.

With children, the Petit Palais across the road is a good stop, with a café in its garden. Seine boats dock nearby too.

The bridge is open public space with no ticket office. In the evening it's busy with tourists and street sellers, so keep your belongings close.

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How to do it right

• Sunset gold.
• Lamps at night.
• The arch from the quay.
• The Petit Palais nearby.

Questions