Random Most Beautiful Staircases on Earth (21 items)

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  (#1) Peleș Castle

  • Romania

  Founded by King Carol I after Romania gained independence in 1877, Peles Castle has 160 rooms inside, including 30 bathrooms, and each room is decorated with a different theme or architectural style. The palace cost an estimated $120 million in current U.S. dollars, but was seized by the Communist regime in 1947 and turned into a museum in 1953. This staircase is in the Hall of Honour, a room spanning three floors and covered in intricate woodwork.
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  (#2) Lello Bookstore, Porto, Portugal

  Built in 1906, Lello is considered to be one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Lavishly ornate, it has carved, wood ceilings, a stained glass roof, and in the center of the store, a grand, red staircase that looks as if it'll swallow everything up as you descend it. The bookstore fell into great disrepair over several decades, but went through a massive renovation project in 1995 and returned to its former glory. 
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  (#3) Stairs of Reconciliation, Graz, Austria

  These opposite spiraling staircases inside the palace, The Burg, briefly join together on each floor and then separate again before finally joining together at the end, thus giving it the name "Stairs of Reconciliation." Built in 1499, the double staircase is considered an architectural masterpiece as well as a symbol of eternity.
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  (#4) Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, New Mexico

  Built in the 1880s by an unknown carpenter, the staircase has no center beam and no support other than at the base and the top of the stairs. There aren't even any nails or glue holding it together. It's a mystery as to how the staircase is freestanding.
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  (#5) 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, San Francisco

  This 163-step mosaic was a two-year community project that began in 2003, with over 300 volunteers and 220 neighborhood sponsors for the handmade tiles. The project was set in motion as a part of a larger, overarching beautification project of San Francisco.
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  (#6) Stairway to the Sea, Cinque Terre, Italy

  Believe it or not, this is a popular beach in Cinque Terre (pronounced CHEEN - ke TEHR - re). People sunbathe on top of the rocks, then jump into the water to cool off.
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  (#7) Las Pozas, Xilitla, Mexico

  While these stairs to nowhere look as if they've been around for centuries, they were actually built by the English, semi-exiled poet, Edward James in 1947 during the Surrealist movement. This is just one of 36 pieces in his 20-acre sculpture garden, where he also grew orchids and housed exotic animals. Today, the grounds are undergoing new ownership and protection by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico.
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  (#8) Inverted Tower, Sintra, Portugal

  This Inverted Tower is on the grounds of the Quinta de Regaleira, a palace that was constructed in 1910. Also known as the Initiation Well, this inverted tower was never used as a water well. Instead, it was for ceremonial purposes, including Tarot initiation rites. The 27-meter staircase's spaces and landings all have significance to Tarot mysticism. 
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  (#9) Umschreibung, Munich, Germany

  This piece of art isn't open to the public to climb, in the courtyard of the global accounting firm KPMG Deutsche Treuhand-Geshellschaft, but it certainly makes quite the statement.
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  (#10) The Cascading Universe Garden of Cosmic Speculation, Dumfries, Scotland

  The switchback steps leading into the garden represent the story of the universe and its development over billions of years. These stairs are open to the public only once a year, when Scotland's Garden Schemes raises money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres, in honor of garden artist Charles Jenck's late wife. 
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  (#11) Villa Farnese, Lazio, Italy

  The Villa Farnese is a mansion located in Northern Italy, and this staircase is just one of five in the mansion. Built in 1559, it reaches three floors and is supported by 30 different columns.
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  (#12) The Guatape Rock, Colombia

  This massive monolith is grounded just on the outskirts of Medllín, a government-made reservoir. Despite the fact that two thirds of the monolith is underground, it still stands over 200 meters high. The staircase that visitors can scale, up to the top, consists of 649 steps. Thankfully, the stairs lead up to food vendors and breathtaking 360 degree views at the top. 
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  (#13) The Tiger and the Turtle Staircase, Duisberg, Germany

  While this may look like a thrilling roller coaster, it's actually a 249-step staircase that's open to the public both day and night. And yes, the loop is blocked off so the public can't climb on those dangerous steps.
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  (#14) Chand Baori, Abhaneri, India

  Built between the 8th and 9th centuries, Chand Baori is a 13-flight step well that was created to collect rain water, and could fill up between half and two thirds full. This one, which is the largest of its kind, is located at the front of the Harshat Mata Temple in the northern city of Jaipur.
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  (#15) Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland, England

  This palatial-looking staircase was built in 1718 for Admiral George Delaval, though both he and the architect died before the house was completed. Since then, it has been passed down through generations of heirs, though people have lived in it only intermittently, going as long as 160 years without any occupants.
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  (#16) Chichen Itza

  • Yucatán, Mexico

  Built sometime between 750-900 A.D., Chichen Itza is one of the new seven wonders of the world and was the largest of the Mayan cities. This particular building is just one of many and is known as the Kukulcán pyramid.
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  (#17) Haiku Stairs, O'ahu, Hawaii

  More commonly referred to as the "Stairway to Heaven," the Haiku Stairs were constructed in 1942 to enable cables to be strung from one side of the Hai'ku Valley to the other for radio signal transmission. Originally, the stairs were wooden, but they were upgraded to steel in the 1950s before permanently closing in 1987. Despite the "No Trespassing" sign and the guard who used to keep watch on the staircase, hikers still brave the 3922-step climb.
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  (#18) Angkor Wat

  • Cambodia

  This 12th century World Heritage Site's upper-level stairs are so steep that climbers often use their hands to hoist themselves up. 
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  (#19) Sky Walk of Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China

  The longest spiral staircase in the world, this stamina-crushing, open-air staircase begins on the 32nd floor and ends on the 64th floor. The tower was briefly the tallest building in the world, surpassing the CN tower before conceding its new title to the Tokyo Skytree in 2011. 
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  (#20) Stairway to Heaven, Linzhou, China

  This 300 ft vertigo-inducing staircase doesn't allow just anyone to climb up. Anyone with heart or lung conditions or is over 60 years old isn't allowed on the staircase. One staircase official said, "Here the wind blows and batters them, the birds fly past them, the stairs creak. It is a lot more authentic than an elevator." The reason this staircase exists? To attract more tourism.
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  (#21) Didden Village, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

  This floating staircase leads to small housing extensions on the roofs of historic houses. The extensions are all designed to provide complete privacy to each family and family member while helping to improve the densification of cities and is much lower in cost than building on the ground level. 

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