How high is that climb?

56 m, about 184 ft, which averages 223 mm per step.

How many steps to the top of Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Steps to the top of Leaning Tower of Pisa

251

Reaching the bell chamber at the top, at 56 m · open to climb

Published counts range from 251 to 296 because the tower has two staircases in its upper stages and the bell chamber can be counted or not — the commonest figure for the main climb is 251, and 294 or 296 including the final flights to the top of the bell chamber. The lean makes the climb genuinely strange: the spiral feels steep on one side and almost flat on the other, and the effect reverses as you circle. Access is timed, capped at around 45 people, and children under eight are not admitted. A stabilisation project between 1990 and 2001 reduced the lean by about 45 cm and closed the tower for eleven years.

The numbers

Steps: 251
Reaches: the bell chamber at the top, at 56 m
Public access: Open to climb
Where: Pisa, Italy
Height climbed: 56 m — 184 ft
Average rise per step: 223 mm

What the climb is like

About 30 minutes including the timed queue. No bags allowed; the disorienting lean is the main difficulty.

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.

Batu Caves 272 steps

Saint Isaac's Cathedral colonnade 262 steps

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 257 steps

Leaning Tower of Pisa 251 steps

Milan Cathedral rooftop 251 steps

Christ the Redeemer 220 steps

Statue of Liberty (pedestal) 215 steps

Leaning Tower of Pisa ranks 49 of 56 here by step count.
Structure	Steps	Reaches	Access
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

Common questions

How many steps to the top of Leaning Tower of Pisa?: 251, reaching the bell chamber at the top, at 56 m.
Can the public climb Leaning Tower of Pisa?: Open to climb. About 30 minutes including the timed queue. No bags allowed; the disorienting lean is the main difficulty.
How high is that climb?: 56 m, about 184 ft, which averages 223 mm per step.

Cathedrals and churches All 19 here
How many steps up St Peter's Basilica dome? 551 steps · open to climb
How many steps up Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)? 334 steps · restricted — events or permit only
How many steps up St Paul's Cathedral? 528 steps · open to climb
How many steps up Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence Cathedral? 463 steps · open to climb
How many steps up Notre-Dame de Paris towers? 422 steps · restricted — events or permit only
How many steps up Sagrada Família towers? 400 steps · restricted — events or permit only
How many steps up Cologne Cathedral south tower? 533 steps · open to climb
How many steps up Milan Cathedral rooftop? 251 steps · open to climb

Sources

Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked