Montagne de Bueren

374-step staircase cut into the cliff above the old city, with a panoramic view at the top

The Montagne de Bueren is a straight staircase of 374 steps cut directly into the cliff face above the old city, rising from the Rue Hors-Château to the citadel plateau above. It is an unexpected and impressive sight: a narrow slot in the rock, lined with railings, climbing steeply through the hillside with small gardens and old stone houses on either side.

The climb takes about ten minutes at a steady pace and rewards you with a wide view over the rooftops of Liège and the Meuse valley. At the top is a small park and the former citadel. The staircase is one of the most photographed spots in the city, and it is free and accessible at all times. Going down is harder on the knees than going up.

things to do sight
A story
The staircase takes its name from Vincent de Bueren, a Liégeois military commander who led 600 volunteers up this very cliff face during the night of 22 October 1468, trying to relieve the city from Burgundian siege. The attempt failed — the volunteers were killed almost to a man — but the gesture became a symbol of Liégeois resistance. The staircase was cut into the cliff in 1875, partly to honour the memory of the dead, partly to give the workers of the Outremeuse quarter a direct route to work.