Stairs are one of the oldest architectural inventions in human history, with early examples dating back thousands of years, possibly as far as 8000 BC. And on paper, they seem pretty simple and rather genius. Just put one raised step after another, and voilà! You’ve got yourself a way to move between different heights.
But designing and building a proper staircase is actually trickier than it looks. Get the proportions, angles, or spacing wrong, and what should be a convenient way to get around can quickly turn into a serious safety hazard.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most terrifying staircases we’ve featured over the years. Scroll down to check out the best of all time, and prepare to feel very protective of your ankles. Some of these designs are enough to give you vertigo just by looking at them!
#1 When You Don’t Have Enough Space For Stairs! Brilliant Child-Friendly Space With An Observatory Tower Incorporated By Arch. Hiroshi Okamoto
Image source: Kahli-Ann Douglas
#2 Finland. The House Was Built In 1930. Fire Escape Ladder, “Routed” To Each Apartment
Image source: Thor Fogh Rasmussen
#3 A Set Of Granite-Effect Stairs That Resemble Those Right-Left Space-Savi G Stairs, But Each Step Has A Little Half Step After It
Image source: Anna Ouram
People have been building stairs for so long that it’s difficult to say who first came up with the idea. One of the oldest surviving examples can be found in the ancient city of Jericho, where archaeologists discovered a stone tower dating back to around 8000 BC.
According to research published in the journal Antiquity, the structure stood more than eight meters tall and had a staircase built inside it. For people living thousands of years before modern construction equipment existed, that was a pretty impressive achievement.
#4 Not A Good Carpet Choice For Stairs If You Ask Me
Image source: scienceyeaux
#5 I’ve Seen Some Bad Stairs, But This One Takes The Cake
Image source: TeeMestoil
#6 When You Let Satan Choose The Carpet
Image source: ThatJustWontWork
Of course, staircase design has come a long way since then. Today, architects and engineers have the technology and materials to create some truly extraordinary structures. Take the Niesen Stairway in Switzerland, which was built in 1910 and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest staircase in the world.
It has a whopping 11,674 steps and climbs 1,669 meters (5,476 feet) up a mountain alongside a railway. Normally closed to the public, the staircase hosts an annual race where brave participants attempt to climb the whole thing!
#7 Built The Staircase Exactly As Designed, Boss
Image source: MenacingBanjo
#8 Stairs That Lead To Nowhere
Image source: SnyperJay
#9
Image source: palegreycells
However, an elaborate design doesn’t necessarily make a staircase practical or safe. Even the most ordinary flight of stairs requires some careful planning, since the height and depth of each step affect how comfortably people can use it.
And despite thousands of years of architectural progress, falling down the stairs remains a remarkably common way to get injured. In fact, the numbers are quite frightening.
#10 And That’s How Fred Flinstone Came To Have Two Hip Replacements
Image source: Caitlin Tracy
#11 They Built This School Like One Month Ago
Image source: WifideRouter
#12 Access For Wheelchairs On This Stairs
Image source: CptnTryhard
In the US alone, more than a million people end up in emergency departments each year because of stair-related injuries.
A 2018 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine examined these injuries between 1990 and 2012. Researchers estimated that nearly 24.8 million people received medical treatment during those 23 years.
That’s an average of approximately 1.08 million patients annually, or roughly one person every 30 seconds. And those figures only account for injuries serious enough to result in an emergency department visit.
#13 These Are Stairs In My Town. Just…how?
Image source: kprincess
#14 The “Extra” Two Inches Of Concrete At The Top Of My Stairs. We Call It “The Tripper”
Image source: DesertVol
#15 Infamous House In My Hometown. Yes, Those Are Stairs
Image source: cheetocoveredfingers
Interestingly, the same study found that 61.2% of stair-related injuries happened at home. So even a familiar staircase that someone has climbed hundreds of times deserves a little caution.
One misplaced foot or a moment of distraction is all it takes to turn an ordinary trip downstairs into a painful sprain or even a broken bone.
#16 Walked Up This Then Had To Turn Around Because Of These Useless Railings
Image source: Training_Plate5805
#17 An Accident Waiting To Happen
Image source: Linda Johnson
#18 An Unusual Cuboidal Stairway In The Little Village San Augustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico (Vernacular Architecture) They Are Made Out Of Red Stone And In Six Alternating Columns. The Ankle Twister
Image source: Nanners Foster
But some staircases are considered so dangerous that authorities have decided people shouldn’t be using them at all. One example is the famous Haʻikū Stairs in Hawaii, also known as the Stairway to Heaven.
Built during World War II, the nearly 4,000 steps climb a steep mountain ridge. Despite being closed to the public in 1987, the staircase continued attracting adventurous hikers. In 2024, officials began a $2.6 million project to remove it over safety concerns and persistent trespassing.
#19 Camouflage 101
Image source: shortround10
#20 Extreme Wheelchairing
Image source: Planeguy58
#21 In Case Of Fire Use Stairs, They Said. Do Not Use Elevators, They Said
Image source: dylangleit
Certain staircases have earned a frightening reputation for reasons that have little to do with physical danger. The Winchester Mystery House in California has a particularly strange story behind its unusual design.
The enormous mansion contains 47 staircases, including some that lead absolutely nowhere, ending abruptly at the ceiling. Its owner, Sarah Winchester, spent decades expanding the property, creating a maze of strange rooms and passages.
According to popular legends, she deliberately designed the house this way to confuse evil spirits that she believed were haunting her.
#22 Almost Broke My Leg
Image source: Landash
#23 You Don’t Have To Be Drunk To Fall Down These Stairs
Image source: Elmaaro
#24 These Stairs At A Movie Theatre
Image source: hatonthefox
Another staircase with a rather creepy reputation can be found at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which famously inspired Stephen King’s The Shining. Over the years, guests have reported strange figures appearing on its grand staircase, along with other unexplained activity throughout the building.
In 2016, one visitor even photographed what appeared to be a ghostly woman standing at the top of the stairs. He insisted that he didn’t remember anyone being there when he took the picture.
Whether it was a ghost or simply another guest remains a mystery, but the story has certainly added to the hotel’s already eerie history!
#25 These Aren’t Stairs. They Are Decorative Waterfalls. My Friend Walked Into Them And Slipped, I Laughed My Butt Off
Image source: Johantm
#26 My God
#27 Takes Some Guts To Step Onto Here! I Gather It’s Tijuca Peak – Rio De Janeiro And I’m Not Planning To Visit Any Time Soon!
Image source: Helen Dashwood
Whether they’re associated with ghost stories or questionable engineering, staircases have certainly given us plenty of reasons to be nervous over the centuries. Luckily, most of the stairs we encounter are perfectly ordinary, and there’s no reason to start avoiding them altogether.
Still, looking at some of the designs in this collection, it’s hard to imagine what their creators had in mind. Perhaps the next time we encounter a particularly boring staircase, we’ll appreciate it a little more!
#28 Floating Stairs At Machu Picchu, Peru…. I’m Sure That Drop Off On The Left When You Slip Is Just Fiiiiiiiin
Image source: Jorge Acosta
#29 Huntington Place Convention Center, Detroit
Image source: Kyle Davis
#30 Scary Stairs
Image source: Chris Duzan
#31 The Frozen Stairs! Stairs Up To The Top Of Snowdon, North Wales, UK!
Image source: Gill Allen
#32 No. So Much No
Image source: Francois Scott
#33
Image source: FarEast Tupolev Tong
#34 Nope
Image source: Michelle Allum
#35 Yeah, Have A Few Drinks Upstairs At The Restaurant, Then Good Luck Navigating The Geometric Nightmare That Awaits
Image source: Dee Glick
#36 Slippery When Wet, Aguas Calientes, Peru
Image source: Claudia van der Smissen
#37 Scary
Image source: Robert Pelletier
#38 Huangshan Mountain, China
Image source: Tom Williams
#39
Image source: Zachary Fitzgerald
#40 The Perfect Building To Have Stairs In Front Of
Image source: ROPISUS
#41 Not A Paradox, Just A Normal Russian Architecture
#42 Steps That You Can’t See
Image source: Paarnahkrin
#43 No Broken Legs I Know Of
Image source: slepsteRwasTaken
#44 These Stairs In My In-Laws Summerhouse. We Have Parties Here So Going Down These Stairs Drunk Is A Challange
Image source: holyhelp
#45 I Saw This At My School
Image source: Frezzi54
#46 This Stairway Has A Surprise Step
Image source: TeresaKitsu
#47 My University Has A Stair Case To Classroom 9 And 3/4
Image source: captaincocks
#48 Somewhere In Australia Maybe
Image source: huh_danny
#49 Architectual Masterpiece
Image source: Tantalumm
#50 This Fancy Staircase Leads Directly Into A Wall
Image source: TacticalToots
#51 Just When You Thought You Were Reaching 1 Kcal
Image source: commonlinnet
#52 Good Luck Going Down To Pee At Night
Image source: Anna Tuvike
#53 Abandoned Diving Board, Prague, Czech Republic
Image source: Josef Polesný
#54 Authentic Dutch Stairs In The Airbnb We’ll Be Renting To Bridge The Period Between Moving Out Of Our Current House Into The One We Just Bought
Image source: Madalina Amza
#55 Stayed In London Last Fall. Bathroom Was Upstairs
Image source: Marinus De Graaf
#56 It’s Fine. Everything’s Fine
Image source: Jeff Logan
#57 Stairs In Our Old Home. Everyone Has Fell Down These At Least Once
Image source: Devin L Hill
#58 Found Today In Sorrento, Italy
Image source: Melissa Saint-Hilaire
#59 When The House Lights Go Down, Good Luck
Image source: Arlo Dykstra
#60 I Just Fell Down These In My Mind And It Sounded Like Someone Hitting A Gong In A Very Uncoordinated Way
Image source: Victor Merriam
#61 Yeah, That Is A One-Story Home For Me
Image source: Brad Blackwell
#62 “Stairs” Designed By Francesco Librizzi. It’s Really More Of A Treacherous Ladder. I’d Consider Going Up These. Would Not Be Interested In Going Down Them
Image source: Eve Bensky
#63 Oh No, I’ll Jump, Thanks
Image source: Bec Collier
#64 I Can Already Feel The Concussion
Image source: Greta Peterson
#65 Love My New Apartment But These Are The Stairs Leading Up To The Loft. They Feel More Like A Ladder Because Of How Steep They Are. Don’t Get Me Started On How We’re Going To Move Furniture Up There
Image source: Beth Carmen
#66 A Little Nauseating Looking Down
Image source: thisoldhoustonhouse
#67 Handicapped Accessible Ramp In Germany
Image source: iLuffy99
#68 This Was A Wheelchair Ramp To A Mall But When People Started Using It For Shopping Carts The Mall Decided To Fix The Issue Like That
Image source: Asem_ibrahim
#69 I Am Amazed By These Stairs… Are They Carved In Marble? Won’t It Be Slippery?
Image source: Farhana Ahsan
#70 A Wood Staircase Is Covered With Decorative Stones Leaving Only A Narrow And Snaking Path For The User
Image source: Katherine Gales
#71 Steps Are Complete!!!
Image source: Michael Duty
#72 Looking Down A Window Lit Rail-Less Stairwell. Dark Planks Across A Central Point With No Added Support
Image source: Tabby Jackson
#73 Stone Stairs So Steep And Narrow They’re Like Climbing A Ladder Almost Straight Up
Image source: Ryan Hamshire
#74 A Fire Escape Of The 38-Story Copan Residential Building In São Paulo, Brazil
Image source: Interesting Chit
#75 Stairs Hanging From The Ceiling Of A Gas Holder I Didnt Go All The Way Up Far Too Bouncy For My Liking LOL
Image source: Peter Franck
#76 Tom Dixon’s Mykonos Villa Is On The Market
Image source: Livingetc
#77 Old Farmhouse Steps
Image source: Daniel Bush
#78 Steps Up To Our B&b In Portugal
Image source: Gwyn Headley
#79 13 Landings 39 Steps 4 Stories. It Was Constructed Using All Mortise And Tenons With Half Lap Joinery. No Nails Or Screwshttps
Image source: Mark Stephenson
#80 Made In Hungarian . Moreover, The Sticks Were Flexible
Image source: Marcell Breuer
#81 Stairs To A Second Floor Of A Historical Building In The Ethnographic Museum In Riga, Latvia
Image source: Alexander Oleinikov
#82 Spotted These In Tenerife
Image source: Donya Barnes
#83 Seen On A Temple In Siem Reap, Cambodia. Imagine Climbing This In Loose Monk’s Robes!
Image source: Rob Allen
#84 I Think My Stairs Fit Here
Image source: IsItKandar
#85 Got An Unsatisfying Feeling When Walking Downstairs And The Last Step Was Not There
Image source: antglin
#86 That’s How I Broke My Leg
Image source: Dis-Man-8
#87 Imagine Being Drunk
Image source: M3strefi
#88 To Make The City More Inclusive
Image source: ivancastro
#89 May I Present To You: The Weird Stairs At My House. (Adding To The Recent Post From U/Psychedelicdevilry . I Never Actually Realized How Weird This Are Since I Lived With Them All My Life)
Image source: Trashadonna
#90 This Staircase
Image source: visionaryillusion
#91 Boss Says Build Stairs, I Build Stairs
Image source: TallestToker
#92 This “Disable Friendly” Ramp
Image source: armando2311
#93 Got Funky While Building My First Staircase
Image source: autoCADdicted
#94 Not Mine But Holy Wow This Is The Worst I’ve Seen
Image source: Seven Robyn Summers
#95 A Set Of Steep Stairs Each Step Alternates So That You Can Only Really Put One Foot On A Step At A Time. It’s Also Nearly A Straight Down Angle
Image source: Martin Ellis Everett
#96 My Shins Hurt Looking At This
Image source: Ria Josephine
#97 Sthairs
Image source: Madison Elaine Kruse
#98 Can You Guess Where Does The Step Start And End In The Stairway Of My University?
Image source: RhadaMarine
#99 These Stairs In An Air Bnb That We Are Wiring
Image source: PerceivedD
#100 Stairs In Front Of A Local Beer-Stand On A Festival…
Image source: HotterThenMyDaughter
#101 This Restaurant Had Wheelchair Accessible Washrooms… Down The Stairs
Image source: baabaaredsheep
#102 Me On My Girlfriends Stairs
Image source: Gunny-Guy
#103 These Stairs Where You Have To Hug The Wall Or Sprain Ur Ankle
Image source: purukumihoro
#104 Ayo, The Pizza’s Here! Image Description: A Flight Of Stairs That Goes Straightforward For 13 Stories Without Turning
Image source: Richard Vautrin-Hickam
#105 Fire Stairs On A Building In Vietnam Where Handrails Are Only On The Top Floor
Image source: Neverovali ILI DA
#106 I Feel Like These Count
Image source: William Proctor
#107 Some Stairs In A Bungalow I’m Working On. They’ve Also Added A Decapitation 2000 Ceiling Fan At Throat Level Which I Think Is A Nice Touch
Image source: Stephen Patrick
#108 These Are Shin And Neck Breaking Stairs Located At Turkey Run State Park In Indiana And Yes They Are Exactly As Slick As They Look
Image source: William Proctor
#109 Church In Roscoff, Brittany
Image source: Howard Bennett
Follow Us
