The World’s 25 Most Physically Demanding Tourist Spots—According To A New Report

Do you like to skip the gondolas and tramways when you’re traveling and truly earn your views by huffing it up a mountain side or set of stairs? A new report from British health club chain PureGym ranks the most physically demanding tourist landmarks around the world.

Absent from the list are some of the biggest outdoor feats, like climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or the Classic Inca Trail that delivers sightseers to Machu Picchu in Peru. Instead, this list concentrates more on what could be considered scenic stair steppers, and it includes a collection of staircases and steps around the world that route tourists to shrines, monasteries, ruins and more cultural landmarks.

For its report, the analysts took into account the number of steps required to experience the landmark in all of its glory, the elevation change during the ascent, and the average temps in the location. These three factors combined were used to assign a final “exertion” score to the landmarks that require some hard work to experience the cultural attraction.

At the top of the list are the Flørli Stairs in Norway, which, at 4,444 steps, is considered the longest wooden staircase in the world. The unique staircase runs parallel to century-old old water pipes that were used by the Florli Power Station.

Three U.S. attractions cracked the top 25. The Manitou Incline, which ranks No. 2, is outside of Colorado Springs ascends 2,744 steps and climbs 2,000 feet — all under one mile. Further down the list at No. 18 is the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida where visitors can climb 219 steps and take in the views overlooking Matanzas Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse came in at No. 22, though the North Carolina lighthouse is closed for climbing until summer 2026 for a restoration project.

Some other gems on this list include a medieval hilltop castle, Castle of the Moors in Portugal, and Sigiriya, a fortress atop a rock in Sri Lanka with ruins reachable by 2,200 steps spread out across several staircases.

Ahead, the most strenuous tourist attractions around the world, according to PureGym’s rankings. How many have you conquered?

No. 1: Flørli Stairs, Norway

Exertion Score: 76

No. 2: Manitou Incline, United States (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Exertion Score: 63

No. 3: Poenari Castle, Romania

Exertion Score: 58

No. 4: Konpira-san Shrine, Japan

Exertion Score: 50

No. 5: Arthur’s Seat, Scotland

Exertion Score: 48

No. 6: Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Exertion Score: 46

No. 7: Park Guell, Spain

Exertion Score: 43

No. 8: Petra Monastery, Jordan

Exertion Score: 41

No. 9: Castle of the Moors, Portugal

Exertion Score: 41

No. 10: Batu Caves, Malaysia

Exertion Score: 40

No. 11: Vindhyagiri Steps, India

Exertion Score: 39

No. 12: Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia

Exertion Score: 39

No. 13: Guatapé Rock, Colombia

Exertion Score: 38

No. 14: Seville Cathedral, Spain

Exertion Score: 35

No. 15: Heaven’s Gate, China

Exertion Score: 34

No. 16: Monolithos Castle, Greece

Exertion Score: 34

No. 17: Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

Exertion Score: 31

No. 18: St. Augustine Lighthouse, United States

Exertion Score: 30

No. 19: Dubrovnik City Walls, Croatia

Exertion Score: 30

No. 20: Florence Cathedral, Italy

Exertion Score: 28

No. 21: Sagrada Familia, Spain

Exertion Score: 27

No. 22: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, United States

Exertion Score: 27

No. 23: Palazzo Vecchio, Italy

Exertion Score: 27

No. 24: Tokyo Tower, Japan

Exertion Score: 27

No. 25: Skelling Michael, Ireland

Exertion Score: 26