When most people think of a set of stairs, they’re usually seen as nothing more than a method of getting to point A to point B, which makes sense, since that’s literally the reason why they were built. They’re practical, and the invention of stairs is one of humanity’s greatest feats, but they’re not usually worth a second glance. Well, there are some staircases that deserve a bit more recognition, we reckon, since there are some that are genuine works of art in their own right. Lisa Morrow managed to find some of the nicest-looking staircases from all over the world, which you can read down below.

THE CHAND BAORI STEPWELL, INDIA Located in Rajasthan, this impressive feat of construction was first built between 800 – 900 AD in order to provide water for drinking, bathing and irrigation, since a healthy amount of water is stored right at the very bottom. It’s the largest stepwell in the whole of India, not to mention the steepest. If you’re brave enough to reach the bottom and traverse across 3,500 stone steps, cut in a geometric crisscross pattern on three sides and descend to 13 storeys and then back up again, but if that sounds too hard, why not follow the steps of the ancient travellers by keeping out of the heat in the carved pavilions and overhanging enclosed balconies – known as jharokhas – that are built into the fourth wall.

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, IRELAND Right at the base of some very majestic cliffs in Northern Ireland, 40,000 black basalt columns stick up out of the sea, looking like giant pencils dropped head-first with giant erasers pointed to the sky. Each regularly shaped polygonal column, set in perfect horizontal sections like an enormous footpath, is the result of volcanic activity that happened around 50 to 60 million years ago. However, according to Irish folklore, the unique rocks were made due to some nasty beef between two giants, leading to one of them literally throwing clumps of mountain boulders into the sea in order to fight.

SPANISH STEPS, ROME Ever since the meteoric rise of Instagram in the early 2010s, the Spanish Steps became famous as a backdrop for the perfect Italian holiday selfie, even though visitors can be fined if they do anything more than stand or walk on them. First iaugurated by Pope Benedict XIII in 1725, these 135 steps were built to form the gateway to the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. Although they’re located in Italy, this grand set of stairs gets its name from the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican dating to the 1600s, found in Piazza di Spagna at their base.

CAMONDO STAIRCASE, ISTANBUL The Camondos were Sephardic Jewish bankers that were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, eventually settling in Constantinople in 1798 – now known as Istanbul, a name change that They Might Be Giants fans know all too well. No family is left to confirm the facts, but it’s generally believed that Abraham Salomon de Camondo had the staircase constructed sometime between 1870 and 1880 as a shortcut to his office down the hill and to spare his kids the trudge up to their school.

LA ESCALINATA DEL OVALO, SPAIN This staircase is an incredibly grand structure that even Antonin Gaudi would have given his eye to have created. It is a wide central staircase draped in orange brick that leads up to a terrace, with a religious sculpture set into a wall above a pool. Hundreds of vibrantly coloured small tiles decorate the surfaces, leading to a uniquely Spanish aesthetic of colourful architectural patterns. This staircase combined the styles of Gothic architecture with Islamic designs, marking the unique legacy of the Christian and Muslim populations who lived and worked together in Spain for centuries.   

LION ROCK, SRI LANKA From the top, Lion Rock looks like a giant tooth jutting up out of the landscape. What was once the core of a now extinct volcano, this granite monolith is only a fraction of its original size. At the very top, set on a small plateau, are the remains of a rock fortress built for a Sri Lankan king in the 5th century AD. Getting up there is hard work, since there are more than 1200 stairs, but at the halfway mark two giant lion’s paws straddle the entryway to the final ascent – which we think makes it worth it. The entire western face of the rock was once entirely covered in delicately painted images, although there are only some that are still visible today.

UMSCHREIBUNG, GERMANY Hidden within an office building complex in Munich, this sculpture was first erected in 2004, and is often described as an ‘endless staircase’. The word ‘umschreibung’ literally means ‘to paraphrase’, but according to the man behind the work, Olafur Eliasson Eliasson, it refers to expressing ideas in less straightforward ways. Basically, the sculpture looks like a work of art, but philosophically the double helix shape is a nod to the idea of moving without arriving anywhere. It’s kind of saying that life is more about the journey rather than the destination, as Miley Cyrus once famously sang about.

ANGKOR WAT TEMPLE STAIRS, CAMBODIA Originally dedicated to Brahmanism in the 12th century, this intricate structure then became a Buddhist temple in the 16th. It contains a mixture of architectural styles, but the flights of stairs on the highest floor of the temple are a definetly the standout. They have an incline of 70 degrees – the average rate of normal stairs is around 38 – so, wow, that’s pretty dang steep!

BOM JESUS DO MONTE, PORTUGAL Walking up a large number of steps is a practice found in many religions, which is why so many people head to Bom Jesus do Monte (translation: The Sacred Way) in Portugal, to do just that. These 577 steps symbolise the passage from heaven to earth, with tradition dictating that pilgrims climb them on their knees – ouch! If your knees ache just at the thought. you can always catch the water powered cable car to the top. It dates to 1882 and takes three minutes.