Climbing Taipei 101 can mean two very different things: using the stairs inside the building, or doing an expert-level exterior climb like Alex Honnold’s recent stunt. The timing depends massively on which one you mean and on your fitness level.

Quick Scoop

  • A world‑class pro climber (Alex Honnold) just did an exterior free‑solo of Taipei 101 in about 1 hour 31 minutes.
  • A fit everyday person doing an organized stair climb (inside, using stairwells) would usually take something like 30–90 minutes depending on fitness and pace (estimate by comparison with similar skyscraper races).
  • Taking the elevator to the 89th‑floor observatory only takes well under a minute, around 37–45 seconds.

What “climb Taipei 101” can mean

  1. Exterior wall climb (stunt/expedition)
    • Alex Honnold’s authorized free‑solo of Taipei 101 reached the top in 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 40 seconds.
 * This is elite, high‑risk climbing on glass and steel, not something open to the public.
  1. Stair climb inside the tower (what most people imagine)
    • The building has 101 stories and reaches about 508 meters in height.
 * Many similar skyscraper “tower run” races (like other 80–100‑story buildings) see top amateurs finishing in ~15–30 minutes, average participants more like 30–60+ minutes. (There is less precise public timing data specific to Taipei 101, so this is inferred from comparable events.)

 * If you are moderately fit and pacing yourself, plan on roughly 45–90 minutes of hard stair work.
  1. Elevator ride to the observation deck
    • Taipei 101’s high‑speed elevators go from the 5th floor to around the 89th‑floor observatory in about 37 seconds.
 * Promotional and social clips often state “89 floors in about 45 seconds,” which is in the same ballpark.

Rough timing guide (for a typical visitor)

If you’re asking “how long will Taipei 101 take to climb” as a tourist :

  • Using stairs in a hypothetical public event
    • Very fit runner: 20–35 minutes (based on similar global tower runs).
* Average fit adult: 45–90 minutes, with breaks.
* New to intense cardio: it could easily go beyond an hour and feel very tough.
  • Using the elevator to the top
    • Queue + ticketing + security: 10–60 minutes depending on time of day and season.
* Actual elevator ride: well under a minute to the main observatory.

A simple way to think of it:

For elite climbers, Taipei 101 is a 90‑minute vertical marathon on glass and steel; for an everyday person, the “climb” is usually a one‑minute elevator ride and a lot of photos.

Mini FAQ

Is there a public “climb Taipei 101” stair event right now?
Public information focuses mainly on the observatory visit and high‑speed elevators; specific stair‑race events are not consistently listed as regular offerings, so availability can vary by year.

Can I do what Alex Honnold did?
No. His free‑solo was a special, authorized, highly controlled event with world‑class expertise and extreme risk; it is not a standard activity.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.