---
title: "How many steps up Wat Phra That Doi Suthep? 306"
description: "306 steps up Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Open to climb. What that count reaches, the height climbed, and how it compares."
url: https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/doi-suthep/
site: "At One Place"
---

# How many steps to the top of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep?

**Steps to the top of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep: 306**

Reaching the temple terrace, from the car park on the mountain road · open to climb

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.*

- Washington National Cathedral central tower: 333 steps
- Strasbourg Cathedral: 332 steps
- The Monument to the Great Fire of London: 311 steps
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep: 306 steps
- Sacré-Cœur dome: 300 steps
- Bunker Hill Monument: 294 steps
- Arc de Triomphe: 284 steps

*Wat Phra That Doi Suthep ranks 41 of 56 here by step count.*

| 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.

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## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]