How many steps to the top of Ulm Minster?
At 161.5 m Ulm Minster has the tallest church steeple in the world, and unusually for a structure of that height the whole climb is open to the public: 768 steps to the top platform, with intermediate platforms at 70 m and 102 m for anyone who stops. The upper stages narrow into an open stone spiral inside the filigree spire, with the drop visible through the tracery. On a clear day the Alps are visible. It is the longest continuous public staircase of any church anywhere.
The numbers
- Steps
- 768
- Reaches
- the highest viewing platform at 143 m, in the world's tallest church steeple
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Ulm, Germany
- Height climbed
- 143 m — 469 ft
- Average rise per step
- 186 mm
What the climb is like
Around 45 minutes up. The final spiral is exposed, narrow and two-way; closed in high wind or ice.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berliner Fernsehturm | 986 | the sphere at 203 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access | Not climbable by the public |
| Washington Monument | 897 | the observation level at 152 m — stairs closed to the public | Not climbable by the public |
| Space Needle | 848 | the observation deck at 158 m | Restricted — events or permit only |
| 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 |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Ulm Minster?
- 768, reaching the highest viewing platform at 143 m, in the world's tallest church steeple.
- Can the public climb Ulm Minster?
- Open to climb. Around 45 minutes up. The final spiral is exposed, narrow and two-way; closed in high wind or ice.
- How high is that climb?
- 143 m, about 469 ft, which averages 186 mm per step.
Related pages
- 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 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
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place