How high is that climb?

136 m, about 446 ft, which averages 247 mm per step.

How many steps to the top of St Peter's Basilica dome?

Steps to the top of St Peter's Basilica dome

551

Reaching the lantern at the top of Michelangelo's dome, at 136 m · open to climb

The full climb from the basilica floor is 551 steps; taking the lift to the roof terrace leaves 320, which is the number most visitors actually do. The last stretch runs inside the curve of the dome itself, so the wall leans over as you climb and the staircase narrows to a rope-assisted spiral where you cannot stand upright. It is the tallest dome in the world and the reason Rome has a height limit that keeps it visible. Michelangelo designed the dome but died with only the drum built.

The numbers

Steps: 551
Reaches: the lantern at the top of Michelangelo's dome, at 136 m
Public access: Open to climb
Where: Vatican City
Height climbed: 136 m — 446 ft
Average rise per step: 247 mm

What the climb is like

30-45 minutes. The upper section is claustrophobic, leans with the dome and has no way to turn back.

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.

Ulm Minster 768 steps

Eiffel Tower 674 steps

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

St Peter's Basilica dome ranks 23 of 56 here by step count.
Structure	Steps	Reaches	Access
Ulm Minster	768	the highest viewing platform at 143 m, in the world's tallest church steeple	Open to climb
Eiffel Tower	674	the second floor, at 115 m — the highest point the public can reach on foot	Open to climb
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

Common questions

How many steps to the top of St Peter's Basilica dome?: 551, reaching the lantern at the top of Michelangelo's dome, at 136 m.
Can the public climb St Peter's Basilica dome?: Open to climb. 30-45 minutes. The upper section is claustrophobic, leans with the dome and has no way to turn back.
How high is that climb?: 136 m, about 446 ft, which averages 247 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 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

Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked