At One Place

How many steps to the top of Notre-Dame de Paris towers?

Steps to the top of Notre-Dame de Paris towers
422
Reaching the top of the north and south towers, at 69 m · restricted — events or permit only

The tower climb is 422 steps in total — 387 to the south tower's summit, with the chimera gallery between the two towers partway up. The cathedral itself reopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire, and the towers are managed separately by the Centre des monuments nationaux with their own reopening schedule and booking system, so the climb and the cathedral are not the same visit. The Emmanuel bell in the south tower dates from 1685 and weighs 13 tonnes. The gargoyle-like chimeras that everyone photographs are nineteenth-century additions by Viollet-le-Duc, not medieval.

The numbers

Steps
422
Reaches
the top of the north and south towers, at 69 m
Public access
Restricted — events or permit only
Where
Paris, France
Height climbed
69 m — 226 ft
Average rise per step
164 mm

What the climb is like

Around 30 minutes. Check the tower operator separately from the cathedral; booking is required.

These steps are not open on an ordinary visit. Access is limited to organised events, races or permit holders.

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.

Cologne Cathedral south tower 533 steps
St Paul's Cathedral 528 steps
Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence Cathedral 463 steps
Notre-Dame de Paris towers 422 steps
Giotto's Campanile 414 steps
Sagrada Família towers 400 steps
Torre del Mangia 400 steps
Notre-Dame de Paris towers ranks 27 of 56 here by step count.
Structure Steps Reaches Access
Cologne Cathedral south tower 533 the viewing platform at 97 m, below the spire Open to climb
St Paul's Cathedral 528 the Golden Gallery at 85 m, the highest point open to visitors Open to climb
Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence Cathedral 463 the lantern at the top of the dome, at 91 m Open to climb
Notre-Dame de Paris towers 422 the top of the north and south towers, at 69 m Restricted — events or permit only
Giotto's Campanile 414 the open terrace at the top of the bell tower, at 85 m Open to climb
Sagrada Família towers 400 the descent from the Nativity or Passion façade towers — the ascent is by lift Restricted — events or permit only
Torre del Mangia 400 the bell chamber at 87 m, above the Palazzo Pubblico Open to climb

Common questions

How many steps to the top of Notre-Dame de Paris towers?
422, reaching the top of the north and south towers, at 69 m.
Can the public climb Notre-Dame de Paris towers?
Restricted — events or permit only. Around 30 minutes. Check the tower operator separately from the cathedral; booking is required.
How high is that climb?
69 m, about 226 ft, which averages 164 mm per step.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked