The longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world was officially opened in Switzerland on Saturday 29 July, measuring in at just under half-a-kilometre long.

The steel bridge connects two sections of a walking trail between Grächen and Zermatt in the south of the country, on the Europaweg trail – a high-altitude route taking in views of some of Switzerland’s highest peaks such as the Matterhorn.

At 494 metres, the “Europa” bridge overtakes the “Titan-RT” in Germany as the world’s longest pedestrian suspension walkway. And at a narrow 65cm wide, the bridge stretches like a thin wire across the sheer valley floor.

In a press release, the Zermatt Tourism body promised “thrills above the precipice.” This might be so; but it is not for the faint-hearted. With a maximum height of 85 metres above the valley, the bridge is only “for hikers with no fear of heights,” they said.