How high is that climb?

85 m, about 279 ft, which averages 161 mm per step.

How many steps to the top of St Paul's Cathedral?

Steps to the top of St Paul's Cathedral

528

Reaching the Golden Gallery at 85 m, the highest point open to visitors · open to climb

The climb has three stopping points and three different numbers, which is why published figures for St Paul's vary so much: 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery inside the dome, 376 to the Stone Gallery outside it, and 528 to the Golden Gallery at the top. The Whispering Gallery works as advertised — a murmur against the wall is audible 34 m away on the opposite side — though it is often too noisy to demonstrate. The final section is a cast-iron spiral between the dome's inner and outer shells and is genuinely narrow. Wren's dome is three shells, not one, with a brick cone between them carrying the lantern.

The numbers

Steps: 528
Reaches: the Golden Gallery at 85 m, the highest point open to visitors
Public access: Open to climb
Where: London, United Kingdom
Height climbed: 85 m — 279 ft
Average rise per step: 161 mm

What the climb is like

Around 30-40 minutes for the full climb. No lift above the cathedral floor; the last stage is steep and confined.

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.

Tokyo Tower 600 steps

St Peter's Basilica dome 551 steps

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

St Paul's Cathedral ranks 25 of 56 here by step count.
Structure	Steps	Reaches	Access
Tokyo Tower	600	the Main Deck at 150 m	Open to climb
St Peter's Basilica dome	551	the lantern at the top of Michelangelo's dome, at 136 m	Open to climb
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

Common questions

How many steps to the top of St Paul's Cathedral?: 528, reaching the Golden Gallery at 85 m, the highest point open to visitors.
Can the public climb St Paul's Cathedral?: Open to climb. Around 30-40 minutes for the full climb. No lift above the cathedral floor; the last stage is steep and confined.
How high is that climb?: 85 m, about 279 ft, which averages 161 mm per step.

Cathedrals and churches All 19 here
How many steps up Leaning Tower of Pisa? 251 steps · open to climb
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 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

Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked