In pictures: The world's most spectacular bridges

They serve a practical purpose, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be easy on the eyes too.

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Travel magazine has released its list of the most spectacular bridges in the world.

Though none of Ireland’s lovely bridges made it onto the list this year, it includes some impressive sights including the Die Rakotzbrücke in Kromlau, Germany and the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

These are some of National Geographic Travel’s World’s Most Spectacular Bridges for 2018:

1. Rakotzbruckes, Germany

Photograph by Peter Hirth / Redux Photograph by Peter Hirth / Redux / Redux

Commissioned by Friedrich Hermann Rötschke in 1860, Rakotzbrücke’s perfect parabola and basalt spires make it a legendary “devil’s bridge”.

2. Rolling Bridge, London

Photograph by Steve Speller / Alamy Stock Photo Photograph by Steve Speller / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

Completed in 2004, Heatherwick Studio’s Rolling Bridge provides access to the Grand Union Canal in London’s Paddington Basin.

3. Inca Rope Bridge, Peru

Photograph by Wigbert Röth / Getty Images Photograph by Wigbert Röth / Getty Images / Getty Images

Q’eswachaka, one of the last surviving Inca rope bridges, has spanned 124 feet across the Akpurimac canyon for more than 500 years.

4. Kuonen Suspension Bridge, Switzerland

Photograph by GFC Collection / Alamy Stock Photo Photograph by GFC Collection / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

At 1,620 feet long, the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge in Zermatt is the longest suspension footbridge in the world.

5. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Photograph by Spondylolithesis / Getty Images Photograph by Spondylolithesis / Getty Images / Getty Images

Over three million vehicles cross San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge every month.

6. Stepping Stone, China

Photograph by Paul Rushton / Alamy Stock Photo Photograph by Paul Rushton / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

A traditional dingbu bridge, made of cut and sunken stones, stretches across the Tuojiang River in China’s Phoenix Ancient Town.

7. Living Root, India

The name gives it all away. The Living Root Bridge is made from living, grounded tree roots so that it is not washed away by floods.

8. Bridge of Sighs, Venice

Photograph by Buena Vista Images / Getty Images Photograph by Buena Vista Images / Getty Images / Getty Images

Visitors can take a gondola ride underneath the romantic Bridge of Sighs, or explore the palace inside.

There is a small mention in the accompanying article of Dublin’s Samuel Beckett bridge, as author Caitlin Etherton points out that all of these structures serve the same purpose – “giving every type of traveller an opportunity to connect and explore”.