Climbing the World’s Most Amazing Staircases

Staircases are perhaps the most mundane and ordinary things that you would think they could never make on a “Must See” list. But have a look at these awe inspiring staircases at popular vacation spots around the world and you are sure to have a difference of opinion.

Spiral Staircase at Vatican Museum in Rome

Flights to Rome are your ticket to wonderful architectural masterpieces. But chances are you probably do not have the spiral staircase of Vatican Museum on your list. The stairs are actually two separate helixes, one leading up and the other leading down, that twist together in a double helix formation. The stairs at Vatican are perhaps the most photographed and most popular of all staircases.

16th Avenue Tiled Steps at San Francisco

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project was a neighborhood effort to create a beautiful mosaic running up the risers of the 163 steps located at 16th and Moraga in San Francisco. Travelers to the Bay Area can view perhaps the world's longest mosaic staircase conceived and fabricated by Irish ceramicist Aileen Barr and San Francisco mosaic artist Colette Crutcher. Over 2000 handmade tiles and 75,000 fragments of tile, mirror and stained glass went into the finished piece.

Tulip Stairs at Queens House in England

The elegant Tulip Stairs in the Queen's House are the first geometric self-supporting spiral stairs in Britain. The stairs are supported by a combination of cantilever from the walls and each tread resting on the one below. Although called the 'tulip' stairs, it is thought that the stylized flowers in the wrought-iron balustrade are actually fleurs-de-lis, as this was the emblem of the Bourbon family.

External Spiral Stairs in Venice

The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a small palace in Venice, best known for the external spiral staircase, with a plethora of arches. The stairway is undoubtedly the most fascinating feature. Its spirals are similar to those of a snail’s shell or”bovolo” and the palace has accordingly become known as the “snail house.” The stairwell has always been well-preserved and has fascinated numerous tourists visiting "City of Canals".

Umschreibung at KPMG Building Munich

This artistic staircase designed by Olafur Eliasson is called "Umschreibung" (which translates to Rewriting), and was constructed in 2004. It's in the courtyard of the global accounting firm KPMG in Munich.

So step up and climb the world’s most amazing masterpieces and share your experience with us!

Pictures courtesy of Flickr members yushimoto_02, Bill in STL, the other Martin Taylor, *Garron Nicholls*, and Ale&Rosy