Can you walk up the monument?

Today, visitors to Washington DC can tour the monument and visit it day or night, including climbing to the top of the obelisk. Although it is free and open to the public, guests need to get tickets in order to tour the monument.



Yes, you can walk up The Monument to the Great Fire of London. As of 2026, it remains a popular attraction where visitors can climb the 311 spiral stone steps to reach the observation gallery at the top. The climb is physically demanding, as there is no elevator, but the reward is a breathtaking 360-degree view of the City of London and the River Thames. The gallery sits 160 feet (48.7 meters) above the ground. In 2026, adult tickets cost approximately £6.00, and those who successfully reach the top are traditionally awarded a certificate as a memento of their achievement. Because the staircase is narrow and the climb is steep, it is not recommended for those with mobility issues or claustrophobia. The Monument is typically open daily from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, with a short closure for lunch between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. It is one of the few places in London where you can experience a 17th-century perspective of the city's skyline from a structure designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

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Touring the Washington Monument The nonstop elevator ascent to the top floor 500 feet above the ground takes approximately 70 seconds. Once at the observation deck, you are free to explore at your leisure. The 500' foot observation deck has windows on all four sides.

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Inside the ground floor lobby, there is a statue of George Washington. An elevator provides transportation to the top floor, the 500' observation deck at the base of the pyramidion.

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Having always struggled to gather funding, the Society's change in administration alienated donors and drove the Society to bankruptcy by 1854. Without funds, work on the monument slowed to a halt. Architect Robert Mills died in 1855.

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5 Things You Might Not Know About the Washington Monument
  • Plans for the monument began even before Washington was elected president. ...
  • The original design for the monument was much different than what ended up being built. ...
  • The monument was once the site of a hostage situation. ...
  • The monument has survived an earthquake.


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There are no scalpers generally, as Recreation.gov blocks them (you can also tell because no one sells tickets secondhand), it's just that supply is very very limited, this is an area with millions of tourists and residents and only a hundred or so tickets released per day. Beyond that, it's just luck.

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Although the monument is 555-feet tall, the observation deck is located at 500 feet. From this height, you can see all of Washington, D.C.'s monuments, government buildings, as well as surrounding national parks.

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Moais – Easter Island, Chile The famous Moai of Easter Island are one of the rarest and most mysterious monuments on the planet. There are around 900 of them in total, making it the largest sculptural art exhibition in Rapa Nui. Interestingly, some of the sculptures form groups and others are isolated.

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Facing increased criticism from black leaders and concerns that the water was polluted, Congress voted to ban swimming in the Tidal Basin in 1925. Swimming has never been allowed in the Reflecting Pool, but there were segregated, whites-only swimming pools near the Washington Monument during the late 1920s.

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