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There are thousands of piers in the world, both large
and small, some of them privately owned and others housing legendary
public attractions. Piers are pretty amazing, both in design,
construction, and the views you get when you're looking out from the end
of one -- and this list contains some of the most beautiful piers in the
entire world.
Below are a collection of the worlds longest, most popular, and peculiar
piers on the world. Some of them stand as tourist attractions today,
while others have been official closed to preserve what remains of the
past. We never thought that "pier-hunting" would be a vacation goal, but
after seeing these images, we just might start making a list.
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Ryde Pier
Ryde Pier is located on the Isle of Wight, and it's the world's oldest
seaside pier. Opened in 1814, the pier stands strong today -- so strong,
in fact, that you can drive down at and park at the end. |
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Southend Pier
Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, is the longest pier in
Europe. It's 2.16 km long, extending far out into the Thames Estuary.
The pier was originally built of wood, but then replaced with iron in
1889. |
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Blankenberge Pier
Blankenberge Pier in Belgium is made of concrete and was the very first
pier built on the Atlantic coast in Europe. |
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Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier in California is one of America's most iconic piers,
often featured in movies and television shows. It also has an amusement
park on it, including a massive ferris wheel. |
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Birnbeck Pier
Birnbeck Pier is the only pier in Britain that actually connects to an
island. Unfortunately, the property on that island is now closed to the
public, as is the pier which is partially collapsed.
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Progreso Pier
Progreso Pier in the Mexican state of Yucatán is the longest pier in the
world. It extends into the Gulf of Mexico for about 6.5 kilometers,
allowing large ships to dock there.
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Umhlanga Pier
Umhlanga Pier in Durban, South Africa, is a very short pier that was
designed to look like the rib cage of an animal.
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Busselton Jetty
Busselton Jetty in western Australia is the longest wooden pier in the
southern hemisphere. It's been extended numerous times, and features a
rail line that takes tourists along the pier to an underwater
observatory. |
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Clevedon Pier
Clevedon Pier in Somerset, England was built in the 1860s as a tourist
attraction. Today, it functions as a place for steamers to port -- and
for fishermen to make a great catch.
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Old St. Petersburg Pier
Old St. Petersburg Pier in Florida has sadly been demolished, but used
to feature a five-story inverted pyramid-shaped building at the end.
Inside the pyramid was shopping, housing, and nightlife for tourists.
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