How many steps to the top of Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey?
The Grand Degré from the village gate to the abbey is usually given as about 350 steps, and published counts range from 300 to over 900 depending on whether the village streets, the internal abbey staircases and the tower are included. The abbey is built in three storeys around the granite peak, so the climb continues inside the building. A lift serves part of the route for visitors with reduced mobility, but not the whole. The tidal bay around the mount has one of the largest tidal ranges in Europe, at up to 14 m.
The numbers
- Steps
- 350
- Reaches
- the abbey church and the west terrace, from the village entrance
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Normandy, France
- Height climbed
- 80 m — 262 ft
- Average rise per step
- 229 mm
What the climb is like
Around 30 minutes including the village streets, which are steep and crowded before the abbey steps begin.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey?
- 350, reaching the abbey church and the west terrace, from the village entrance.
- Can the public climb Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey?
- Open to climb. Around 30 minutes including the village streets, which are steep and crowded before the abbey steps begin.
- How high is that climb?
- 80 m, about 262 ft, which averages 229 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 Arc de Triomphe? 284 steps · open to climb
- 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 Bunker Hill Monument? 294 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place