At One Place

How many steps?

56 structures and how many steps they take, of which 33 are genuinely open to climb. That distinction carries most of the value here: several of the most-quoted step counts in circulation describe stairwells the public will never see.

The counts that mislead

  • The Eiffel Tower’s famous 1,665 steps run up a service spiral to the summit. The public staircase stops at the second floor, 674 steps up.
  • The Washington Monument has 897 steps and nobody has been allowed to climb them since 1976.
  • The Empire State Building’s 1,576 are a fire stair, climbed once a year by a few hundred runners.
  • The Burj Khalifa’s 2,909 are an emergency escape, not a visitor route.

Most steps first

Structure Steps Reaches Access
Burj Khalifa 2,909 the 160th floor, via the emergency stairwell — no public access Not climbable by the public
Tokyo Skytree 2,523 the upper observation deck at 450 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access Not climbable by the public
Mount Haguro stone stairway 2,446 the Sanjin Gosaiden shrine at the summit, through cedar forest Open to climb
One World Trade Center 2,226 the 102nd floor Restricted — events or permit only
Willis Tower 2,109 the 103rd floor Skydeck Restricted — events or permit only
Taipei 101 2,046 the 91st-floor outdoor observatory Restricted — events or permit only
CN Tower 1,776 the main observation level at 342 m; 2,579 steps reach the SkyPod at 447 m Restricted — events or permit only
Ostankino Tower 1,704 the observation deck at 337 m, via the emergency staircase Not climbable by the public
Eiffel Tower (summit) 1,665 the summit at 276 m, using the service stairs above the second floor — closed to the public Not climbable by the public
Empire State Building 1,576 the 86th-floor observatory, via the emergency stairwell Restricted — events or permit only
The STRAT Tower 1,455 the observation deck at 260 m Restricted — events or permit only
Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san) 1,368 the inner shrine, Okusha; 785 steps reach the main shrine Open to climb
Q1 Tower (SkyPoint Climb) 1,331 the SkyPoint observation deck at 230 m Open to climb
Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea) 1,237 the summit shrine and golden Buddha on the limestone peak Open to climb
Sky Tower 1,103 the Sky Deck at 220 m Restricted — events or permit only
Gateway Arch 1,076 the observation area at the top of the arch, via the emergency stairs — no public access Not climbable by the public
Berliner Fernsehturm 986 the sphere at 203 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access Not climbable by the public
Washington Monument 897 the observation level at 152 m — stairs closed to the public Not climbable by the public
Space Needle 848 the observation deck at 158 m Restricted — events or permit only
Ulm Minster 768 the highest viewing platform at 143 m, in the world's tallest church steeple Open to climb
Eiffel Tower 674 the second floor, at 115 m — the highest point the public can reach on foot Open to climb
Tokyo Tower 600 the Main Deck at 150 m Open to climb
St Peter's Basilica dome 551 the lantern at the top of Michelangelo's dome, at 136 m Open to climb
Cologne Cathedral south tower 533 the viewing platform at 97 m, below the spire Open to climb
St Paul's Cathedral 528 the Golden Gallery at 85 m, the highest point open to visitors Open to climb
Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence Cathedral 463 the lantern at the top of the dome, at 91 m Open to climb
Notre-Dame de Paris towers 422 the top of the north and south towers, at 69 m Restricted — events or permit only
Giotto's Campanile 414 the open terrace at the top of the bell tower, at 85 m Open to climb
Sagrada Família towers 400 the descent from the Nativity or Passion façade towers — the ascent is by lift Restricted — events or permit only
Torre del Mangia 400 the bell chamber at 87 m, above the Palazzo Pubblico Open to climb
Statue of Liberty (crown) 377 the crown, at 81 m — 162 steps above the top of the pedestal Restricted — events or permit only
Belfry of Bruges 366 the top of the medieval bell tower, at 83 m Open to climb
El Castillo, Chichén Itzá 365 the temple at the top of the pyramid — climbing has been prohibited since 2006 Not climbable by the public
United States Capitol dome 365 the top of the dome — staff-escorted tours only Not climbable by the public
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey 350 the abbey church and the west terrace, from the village entrance Open to climb
Wat Saket (the Golden Mount) 344 the golden chedi at the top of the artificial hill, at 58 m Open to climb
Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) 334 the belfry, where the Great Bell hangs Restricted — events or permit only
Washington National Cathedral central tower 333 the top of the Gloria in Excelsis tower, the highest point in the city Restricted — events or permit only
Strasbourg Cathedral 332 the platform at 66 m, at the base of the spire Open to climb
The Monument to the Great Fire of London 311 the viewing platform below the gilded urn, at 48 m Open to climb
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep 306 the temple terrace, from the car park on the mountain road Open to climb
Sacré-Cœur dome 300 the dome gallery at 83 m above the basilica floor, 200 m above sea level Open to climb
Bunker Hill Monument 294 the observation chamber at 67 m Open to climb
Arc de Triomphe 284 the roof terrace at 50 m Open to climb
York Minster central tower 275 the top of the central tower, at 70 m Open to climb
Batu Caves 272 the Temple Cave, in a limestone hill above Kuala Lumpur Open to climb
Saint Isaac's Cathedral colonnade 262 the colonnade walkway around the dome, at 43 m Open to climb
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 257 the gallery below the lantern room, at 63 m Open to climb
Leaning Tower of Pisa 251 the bell chamber at the top, at 56 m Open to climb
Milan Cathedral rooftop 251 the roof terraces, at 70 m among the spires Open to climb
Christ the Redeemer 220 the statue's viewing platform, from the upper station of the Corcovado railway Open to climb
Statue of Liberty (pedestal) 215 the top of the pedestal, at 47 m — the observation level below the statue itself Open to climb
The Motherland Calls (Mamayev Kurgan) 200 the base of the statue, from the foot of the memorial complex Open to climb
Wembley Stadium (Royal Box) 107 the Royal Box, where trophies are presented Restricted — events or permit only
Lincoln Memorial 57 the statue chamber, from the plaza at the Reflecting Pool Open to climb
La Giralda, Seville Cathedral 17 the bell chamber at 70 m — the rest of the ascent is 35 ramps, not stairs Open to climb

Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.

Towers

Monuments

Cathedrals and churches

Temples

Stadiums

Common questions

How many steps up the Eiffel Tower?
674 to the second floor, which is as high as the public staircase goes. The quoted 1,665 to the summit uses a service spiral closed to visitors, and even that number is disputed — 1,710 and 1,792 also circulate.
Why do published step counts differ?
Nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. Those routinely account for five to ten per cent.
Which famous step counts cannot actually be climbed?
The Washington Monument’s 897 have been closed since 1976, the Empire State Building’s 1,576 are a fire stair used once a year for a race, and the Burj Khalifa’s 2,909 are an emergency escape.