Who has climbed Burj Khalifa?
Updated October 27, 2026
Quick answer
The French climber Alain Robert scaled the outside of Burj Khalifa to the top of the spire on 28 March 2011, in about six hours, using a rope and harness. Tom Cruise climbed and hung from its façade, on safety cables, while filming Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in late 2010.
The climbs on record were done with permission. Alain Robert, nicknamed the French Spiderman, usually climbs buildings free solo, with no ropes. On the Burj Khalifa he used a rope and harness to comply with UAE safety laws, according to Wikipedia, and the BBC reported the climb the same day. A few months earlier, Tom Cruise had performed stunts on the tower's glass, high above the city, for the fourth Mission: Impossible film. Both feats made the tower's façade famous. Visitors cannot climb it, but they can stand behind the same glass: the Levels 124 & 125 ticket starts at $51 (AED 189, at 1 USD = 3.6725 AED).
Alain Robert in 2011
On 28 March 2011, Alain Robert climbed the outside of the Burj Khalifa from the base to the top of the spire, 829.8 m up, in about six hours. Wikipedia notes that Robert is known for free solo climbs but used a rope and harness on this one to follow UAE safety laws, and his Wikipedia page lists it as a legal climb. The BBC's report that day was headlined "'Spiderman' Alain Robert scales Burj Khalifa in Dubai". The building's 27 setbacks and glass and steel cladding made it a technical climb rather than a straight wall. Wikipedia also lists a second legal climb of the tower by Robert on 20 November 2023, alongside Alexis Landot, promoting the Mashreq bank's Climb2Change initiative.
Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible
For Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, directed by Brad Bird, Tom Cruise filmed scenes on the outside of the Burj Khalifa in late 2010. Al Arabiya reported on 7 November 2010 that Cruise had been seen hanging from the tower during filming, with work in Dubai set to continue until the end of November. Wikipedia records that he was secured by several cables at all times, which Industrial Light & Magic erased digitally, and that the sequences were shot partly with IMAX cameras. The film opened in IMAX in the US on 16 December 2011. Our Tom Cruise and Burj Khalifa guide covers the scenes in detail.
Alex Honnold questions
Alex Honnold, the American climber known for his free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite shown in the documentary Free Solo, is often linked with the Burj Khalifa in searches. We found no report of Honnold climbing the Burj Khalifa. The confusion probably comes from Alain Robert, the climber who did. Other people have gone off the top rather than up the side. In January 2010, Nasr Al Niyadi and Omar Al Hegelan set a BASE-jump record from the tower, as Sky News reported, and Red Bull reported in April 2014 that Fred Fugen and Vincent Reffet jumped from the top of the tower.
Can visitors climb it?
No. Climbing the façade needs permission from the owner, Emaar, and is not offered to the public. The highest a visitor can go is level 154, part of the Lounge on levels 152 to 154 at 585 m. The Lounge ticket, from $209 (AED 769), includes a tour of an outdoor terrace. The SKY level 148 ticket, from $109 (AED 399), has an open-air terrace at 555 m, and level 124 has one at 452 m on the standard ticket. Each goes up by double-deck elevators that travel at up to 10 m/s, a faster route than six hours on a rope.
- Level 124 terrace — 452 m, from $51
- Level 148 terrace — 555 m, from $109
- The Lounge, 152–154 — 585 m, from $209
Frequently asked questions
Who climbed the Burj Khalifa?
Alain Robert, on 28 March 2011, to the top of the spire in about six hours, with rope and harness.
Did Tom Cruise really climb the Burj Khalifa?
He did his own stunts on the façade for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in late 2010, secured by cables that were removed digitally afterwards.
Did Alex Honnold climb the Burj Khalifa?
We found no report that he did. The climber who scaled it is Alain Robert, in 2011.
How long did it take Alain Robert to climb the Burj Khalifa?
About six hours, according to Wikipedia.
Has anyone jumped off the Burj Khalifa?
Yes, as BASE jumps: Nasr Al Niyadi and Omar Al Hegelan in January 2010, and Fred Fugen and Vincent Reffet from the top of the tower in 2014.
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