How many steps to the top of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep?
The naga staircase of 306 steps is flanked the whole way by two mosaic serpent balustrades, which are the point of it — the naga are guardians and the climb is a formal approach rather than merely a way up. A funicular runs alongside for anyone who cannot manage the steps. The temple sits at 1,073 m and the road to it was built by hand in 1935 by volunteers from surrounding villages. The founding legend has the site chosen by a white elephant carrying a relic, which climbed the mountain, trumpeted three times and died.
The numbers
- Steps
- 306
- Reaches
- the temple terrace, from the car park on the mountain road
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Height climbed
- 60 m — 197 ft
- Average rise per step
- 196 mm
What the climb is like
10-15 minutes. Shaded, with a funicular alternative; shoulders and knees must be covered at 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep?
- 306, reaching the temple terrace, from the car park on the mountain road.
- Can the public climb Wat Phra That Doi Suthep?
- Open to climb. 10-15 minutes. Shaded, with a funicular alternative; shoulders and knees must be covered at the top.
- How high is that climb?
- 60 m, about 197 ft, which averages 196 mm per step.
Related pages
- Temples All 7 here
- How many steps up Batu Caves? 272 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up El Castillo, Chichén Itzá? 365 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)? 1,237 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Wat Saket (the Golden Mount)? 344 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Mount Haguro stone stairway? 2,446 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san)? 1,368 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)