Passerelle Saint-Vincent, Pedestrian bridge in Lyon, France

The Passerelle Saint-Vincent is a 76.5-metre pedestrian bridge over the Saône in Lyon, linking Quai de Bondy on the right bank to Quai Saint-Vincent on the left. Its flat deck, 2.8 metres wide, has a thin metal railing and rests on shallow arches carried by wide pale stone piers; a square stone abutment with a grey cap stands at one end.

A first bridge was built here in 1637 by engineer Jean Christophe Marie and was swept away by ice in 1643; its 1656 successor met the same fate in 1711. A third bridge, under 80 m long and 7 m wide, followed in 1777. The Tarpin company built the present footbridge, opened at the end of 1832, and its deck was damaged by floods in 1840. On 2 September 1944 it and the Passerelle de l'Homme de la Roche were the only Lyon bridges the retreating Germans did not destroy.

The bridge takes its name from the Saint-Vincent quay on the left bank, in the 1st arrondissement, while its right-bank end opens onto the Quai de Bondy in the 5th. On 2 September 1944 it and the Passerelle de l'Homme de la Roche were the only Lyon bridges the retreating German forces left standing, so both remain in use as river crossings today.

The bridge is narrow and noticeably moves when people walk across it or when strong winds blow through the river corridor. Plan to cross slowly and take time to observe the river and neighborhoods on both sides, as the bridge's movement is part of the experience.

The bridge deck moves noticeably beneath your feet as you walk across it—an unusual sensation that reveals how flexible the suspension design truly is. This movement is not a sign of danger but rather a natural part of how this metal structure is engineered.