How many steps to the top of Arc de Triomphe?
A tight spiral of 284 steps inside the north pillar reaches the terrace, which many Parisians will tell you is the better view of the two — because it is the one viewpoint in central Paris that includes the Eiffel Tower. A lift exists but is reserved for visitors with reduced mobility and does not reach the terrace itself; the last flight is stairs for everyone. The roof looks down on the twelve-avenue Étoile roundabout, whose traffic is the other reason to go up. The underpass from the Champs-Élysées is the only safe way to reach the monument.
The numbers
- Steps
- 284
- Reaches
- the roof terrace at 50 m
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Paris, France
- Height climbed
- 50 m — 164 ft
- Average rise per step
- 176 mm
What the climb is like
About 10 minutes. A continuous narrow spiral with no landings to rest on until near the top.
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.
How it compares
Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.
| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Arc de Triomphe?
- 284, reaching the roof terrace at 50 m.
- Can the public climb Arc de Triomphe?
- Open to climb. About 10 minutes. A continuous narrow spiral with no landings to rest on until near the top.
- How high is that climb?
- 50 m, about 164 ft, which averages 176 mm per step.
Related pages
- Monuments All 12 here
- How many steps up Statue of Liberty (pedestal)? 215 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Statue of Liberty (crown)? 377 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up Washington Monument? 897 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up Lincoln Memorial? 57 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Christ the Redeemer? 220 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up The Monument to the Great Fire of London? 311 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey? 350 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Bunker Hill Monument? 294 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place