10 stunning photos of staircases taken by Local Guides

[DanniS]

When I travel, I love to look for unusual staircases to photograph. You can find some hidden gems in the most unexpected places—a neighborhood cafe, a hiking trail, and more. This is one of the reasons why I find stairs to be so intriguing to capture.   

Photographing staircases is mostly about applying composition techniques. Composition is about shape, design, and, in many cases, patterns. Choosing the angle from which to take a photo gives you the opportunity to experiment with the edges and curves of the stairs. You can create a more exaggerated or a more balanced look, or even give a minimalistic feel to the most grandeur stairways.

My fascination with beautifully photographed staircases led me to look at some of the photos shared on Google Maps. Here are 10 excellent photos taken by Local Guides like you that showcase stunningly diverse staircases around the world.

1. Muralla Roja in Calpe, Spain by Local Guide Cata Ionescu

Caption: A photo of the outside stairs of the pink colored Muralla Roja apartment complex in Calpe, Spain. (Local Guide Cata Ionescu)

2. Dominion Tower in Moscow, Russia by Local Guide Николай Прокопцев

Caption: A photo of the futuristic black and white staircases in Dominion Tower business center in Moscow, Russia. (Local Guide Николай Прокопцев)

3. Toorji Ka Jhalra in Jodhpur, India by Local Guide Srikanth Hampapur

Caption: A photo of the stone stepwell Toorji Ka Jhalra in Jodhpur, India, with many staircases leading down to the bottom. (Local Guide Srikanth Hampapur)

4. Tiger and Turtle in Duisburg, Germany by Local Guide Dariusz Tetelewski

Caption: A photo of the winding Tiger & Turtle steel staircase sculpture in Duisburg, Germany. (Local Guide Dariusz Tetelewski)

5. Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, South Korea by Local Guide Alex Lee

Caption: A photo of a wooden staircase with white handrails at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, South Korea. (Local Guide Alex Lee)

6. Vessel TKA in Hudson Yards, New York, USA by Local Guide Rita Meirina

Caption: A photo of the Vessel staircase tourist attraction, reflecting the sun off its glass and metal structure in Hudson Yards, New York, USA. (Local Guide Rita Meirina)

7. Moanalua Valley Trail in Honolulu, Hawaii by Local Guide Daniel Poblano

Caption: A photo of a metal stairway, part of the Moanalua Valley hiking trail which follows the steep ridge of a mountain in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Local Guide Daniel Poblano)

8. Grand Café Orient in Prague, Czech Republic by Local Guide Yves Laudelout

Caption: A photo from below of a staircase that forms a light bulb-like shape at the Grand Café Orient in Prague, Czech Republic. (Local Guide Yves Laudelout)

9. Awaji Yumebutai in Awaji, Japan by Local Guide 美濃英樹

Caption: A photo of multiple square flower beds arranged in grids and spread over several levels on a hill, with staircases between them at Awaji Yumebutai in Awaji, Japan. (Local Guidе 美濃英樹)

10. City Hall in London, UK by Local Guide 麥翔雲

Caption: A photo from above of a glass and metal spiral staircase at City Hall in London, UK. (Local Guide 麥翔雲)

Have you ever photographed an interesting staircase? What do you love to take photos of? Share with us in the comments below. 

[MoniDi]

Hey @DanniS ,

It's amazing how beautiful some staircases can be, especially when you find the right angle to take a nice photo. 

Browsing through my photo library, I managed to find some interesting photos of staircases that I took. The first one is from the Cactus Garden in Lanzarote, Spain and the second one is the famous round staircase in the Vatican Museums.

Caption: A photo of reddish brown staircase and an interesting art installation in the middle, Cactus Garden, Lanzarote, Spain (Local Guide @MoniDi)

Caption: A photo of the round staircase in the Vatican Museum, Vatican City (Local Guide @MoniDi)

[AslamMo]

Beautiful photos @DanniS @MoniDi , photo number 3 is if a step well used to go in the well when water recedes in summer, it also adds up as a cool place to hangout in summer 🙂

Badi bowli, Qutub Shahi tombs, Hyderabad

[DanniS]

@MoniDi Those are beautiful! Oh yes, I've seen the Vatican staircases. Really impressive indeed, thanks for sharing them!

[YuliAtev]

Чудесно уловени атрактивни снимки @DanniS .

Благодаря, че ги сподели с нас.

Слънчеви поздрави от морето,

Yuli 

[vijayparadkar]

Hi @DanniS wonderful & amazing collection of stunning photos of staircases. 

A photo of a metal stairway, part of the Moanalua Valley hiking trail which follows the steep ridge of a mountain in Honolulu, Hawaii (Local Guide Daniel Poblano) is Superb!!!

Thanks for sharing.

[ShahMdSultan]

All the photos are so beautiful.

@DanniS, Thanks for sharing with us.

[Michlynn]

@DanniS I love to photograph interesting shapes and staircases .

Thanks for sharing this compilation 

[AdamGT]

Interesting topic and great matching pictures @DanniS.  I have climbed many stairs in my travels but I don't think any as beautiful as these and in particularly, the winding Tiger & Turtle steel staircase in Duisburg, Germany and the metal stairway, part of the Moanalua Valley hiking trail.   However, some of the stairs that I have climbed while not so interesting have had a long history or story of their own to tell like the stairs up to the bell tower of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris or the 268 stone steps that wind their way up to the Chapel of Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe

[DanniS]

@AdamGT Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like them. They are all unbelievable and hope to see them in person too! I'm really impressed with the one in New York!