The world's scariest bridges

Don't look down! These are the scariest bridges in the world. (iStock)

Sure, the Brooklyn and Golden Gate bridges are impressive, but we're equally smitten by these fear-inducing wood, steel, glass, and cable structures.

From Vietnam to Colorado, here are five bridges that will do anything but calm your fear of heights.

1. Aiguille du Midi Bridge, French Alps

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Acrophobics beware: Not only does this overpass sit more than 12,500 feet above sea level, but it requires a 20-minute cable car ride to climb the 9,200 vertical feet up to the access point on the mountain.

2. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Northern Ireland

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Each year, roughly 250,000 travelers carefully traverse this delicate, 98-foot-high path between the mainland and the bridge’s namesake island. Visitors who brave the 66-foot-long bridge are rewarded with sweeping views of Rathin Island, Scotland, and the Irish Sea, along with at least four species of native birds.

3. Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, Zhangjiajie, China

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The world's longest and highest glass bridge, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge opened this summer in China but was "temporarily" closed a mere 13 days after opening. Stretching 1,410 feet between two mountains in the Tianmenshan National Forest Park, the bridge is only able to handle 8,000 visitors per day, but was seeing ten times as many.

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4. Hussaini Hanging Bridge, Pakistan

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Largely considered the most dangerous bridge in the world, this hanging rope-and-wood structure is believed to have been badly damaged in a 2011 monsoon. If you are looking to cross Pakistan's Borit Lake in the Upper Hunza and do still find the footbridge, however, take caution—and hold on tight: strong winds shake the bridge, and steady planks are few and far between.

5. U Bein Bridge, Myanmar

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One of Myanmar's most photographed sites is not just nice to look at—there's history here, too. The oldest (and longest) teak footbridge in the world, U Bein is made from the remains of a former royal palace. The 0.75-mile bridge curves slightly over Taungthaman Lake, and is most popular at sunset. Want to avoid the throngs of tourists? Try just after sunrise, when hundreds of villagers and monks use it to commute by foot.