Site des Ponts de la Caille (CRUSEILLES)

You may well have spotted these two bridges – the 🌁 Ponts de la Caille – from the motorway (A41 Annecy-Genève) on a trip to 💦 Lac d’Annecy from the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc? Have you ever come off the motorway to explore? MBFF certainly has – my curious nature would never leave such incredible looking bridges unexplored!

The 🌁 Ponts de la Caille are two bridges – located side by side – and they cross the 💦 Torrent des Usses, at a height of 147m.

Pont Charles-Albert

The first bridge, the 🌁 Pont Charles-Albert, is a suspension bridge – the first in Europe! The idea for this suspension bridge, for people to cross the 💦 Torrent des Usses, was approved in 1834 by the Roi Charles-Albert (Duc de Savoie, Roi de Sardaigne de de Piémont, de Chypre et de Jérusalem) and the bridge was hence named after him. It was inaugurated on the 11th July 1839.

🌉 dimensions of the bridge: this pedestrian bridge is 192m long and sits 147m above the 🏞💦 Usses river gorge below. It was built under the watchful eye of the engineers Émile Fulrand Belin and Paul-Léon Lehaître, and it is truly representative of the savoir-faire of this industrial period. It is a classic suspension bridge with steel cables: two groups of 12 cables supported by four crenellated towers at each end of the bridge, and with a deck made of wooden planks. When the second bridge – le pont Caquot – was built, the 🌁 Pont Charles-Albert became reserved for foot traffic and bikes, and the newer bridge for cars.

💦 old Roman bridge: until this bridge was built, people crossed the river using the Roman Vieux Pont and you can still see some remains;

🌉 Monument Historique: the bridge has been on this list since 1966, and it is also one of the 25 sites touristiques emblématiques de la Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes;

🚴‍♀️ Le Tour de France: the 11th étape of the Tour de France 1919, from Grenoble to Geneva, crossed this bridge!

[ ⇒ for more history, see here ]

*Ponts de la Caille – le pont Charles-Albert* © montblancfamilyfun.com

Les Ponts de la Caille - le pont Charles-Albert © www.123savoie.com

Les Ponts de la Caille – le pont Charles-Albert © http://www.123savoie.com

Les Ponts de la Caille – le pont Charles-Albert © montblancfamilyfun.com

Pont Caquot

A second concrete bridge, the 🌉 Pont Caquot (232m long) was added right next to the 🌁 Pont Charles-Albert, and opened in 1929. This second, more modern bridge, was first called the Pont Neuf, and built between 1924 and 1928 under the eye of engineer Albert Caquot. Its deck is supported by an unreinforced concrete arch and, when it was built, it was one of the largest vaults in the world! Initially this second bridge was supposed to house a railway line between Annecy and Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, but this plan was abandoned and it opened instead as a vehicle bridge.

Viewing Platform

After crossing the 🌁 Pont Charles-Albert, you’ll find a viewing platform. Here, you’ll get great views of 🏞 the gorge below and up close and personal with the underside of the bridge!

*Ponts de la Caille* – viewing platform © montblancfamilyfun.com

Activities around the Ponts de la Caille

🗺 jeu de piste – (note: this is suspendu in 2021) a great way for children to have some extra fun while exploring these superb bridges and the surrounding countryside: they will set off on an adventure to help young Thomas find his dog Lupo! Along the way, they’ll need to unscramble 🔍 the clues / see here for more information / you can pick up a copy of the jeu de piste at the Alter’Alpa Tourisme office located next to the bridge (price: 1€);

*Jeu de Piste Ponts de la Caille* © Alter’Alpa Tourisme

📱 geocaching® – there are some NEW geocaching® options / see here;

🏞 parcours d’interprétation & hikes – see here / you can hike from the 🌉 Ponts de la Caille to 💦 the Torrent des Usses, passing by the 💦 old bains de la Caille and their sulphurous source! / see here for more information, or pick up 🗺 maps from the tourist office;

🚴‍♀️ bike route: see here;

🗺 map: Mont Salève Saint-Julien-en-Genevois / Annemasse (3430 OT);

Les 🎇 Nocturnes Site des Ponts de la Caille

There are sometimes 🎇 night-time events at the bridge – check FB page for updates!

Practical Information and MAP

FREE to visit!

🅿️ parking: FREE parking on-site!

ℹ️ Alter’Alpa Tourist Office by the bridge, with lots of helpful information and maps!

website

address: 140 place du Pont de la Caille, 74350, Cruseilles

Nearby activities

There are lots of nearby attractions and activities, and so you can combine a visit to the 🌁 Site des Pont de la Caille with a visit to:

🐓 La Ferme de Chosal (Copponex) – an absolutely FABULOUS pedagogic farm, with animals, green-houses, land-art walk (Sentier Art et Nature), a NEW barefoot walk, workshops, an ethical & social spirit . . . seedlings and plants to buy;

website

address: 98 route de l’Usine, Chosal, 74350, Copponex

La Ferme de Chosal © montblancfamilyfun.com

Ferme de Chosal © montblancfamilyfun.com

🌈 Le Grand Parc d’Andilly – a fabulous and unique amusement park, filled with (unscary!) scarecrows and giant games! There is a summer version, and now a winter version too !

[ ⇒ for more information about the 🌈 Le Grand Parc d’Andilly, see separate MBFF article here ]

FB page & website

address: la Forêt des Moulins (direction de Cruseilles, RD 1201)

tel: 04 50 32 73 64

⛰ Le Mont Salève & 🚠 Téléphérique du Salève – an iconic mountain overlooking 💦 Lac Léman and Geneva! Some lovely hikes and activities and restaurants here! (note: the 🚠 Téléphérique du Salève is currently SHUT for a huge renovation programme until 2023!);