---
title: "How many steps up Notre-Dame de Paris towers? 422"
description: "422 steps up Notre-Dame de Paris towers in Paris, France. Restricted — events or permit only. What that count reaches, the height climbed, and how it compares."
url: https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/notre-dame-de-paris/
site: "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.

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## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)