The top of the Burj Khalifa is not a tourist experience. At the Top SKY, the highest public observation level, sits at 555 meters on the 148th floor — that is as high as any regular visitor gets. The real pinnacle, all 828 meters of it, has had exactly eight famous visitors in the tower’s entire history. Here is every name documented at the top of the Burj Khalifa, in order.
Tom Cruise, 2010
Tom Cruise put the Burj Khalifa on the global map during production of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. For the film’s centrepiece stunt, he physically climbed a section of the exterior facade — no stunt double, no CGI — ascending roughly 200 feet of glass from around the 123rd floor with a safety harness. Separately, during the same production period, Cruise also accessed the building’s actual spire via helicopter and internal ladder, where behind-the-scenes photographs were taken. The film released in December 2011.
Alain Robert and Alexis Landot, 2011 and 2023
French free solo climber Alain Robert, known worldwide as the “French Spider-Man,” made his first ascent to the top of the Burj Khalifa in March 2011. Using a harness in line with safety requirements, he reached the full summit after just over six hours. He returned in November 2023, at age 61, alongside his climbing partner Alexis Landot, for Mashreq Bank’s Climb2Change campaign timed with COP28 in Dubai. Two climbs. Twelve years apart.
Sheikh Hamdan, 2013 and 2020
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, first stood at the top of the Burj Khalifa in November 2013, waving the UAE flag to mark Dubai’s successful World Expo 2020 bid. He made the climb again in December 2020, posting the footage to Instagram with the caption “828 metres of excitement.” He is the only person on this list with two confirmed visits to the pinnacle.
Nicole Smith-Ludvik, 2021
In August 2021, American stuntwoman and professional skydiver Nicole Smith-Ludvik stood at the top of the Burj Khalifa for a viral Emirates Airlines campaign. Dressed in the Emirates cabin crew uniform, she stood on a custom 1.2-meter platform at the spire with a harness hidden under her outfit. No green screen, no visual effects. She spent hours at the top of the Burj Khalifa while a helicopter and drone crew filmed. The ad reached global audiences within days.
Will Smith, 2021
Three months later, in November 2021, actor Will Smith reached the top of the Burj Khalifa for his YouTube Originals series Best Shape of My Life. He walked all 2,909 stairs in 51 minutes, then climbed additional ladders inside the spire to reach the absolute peak. The footage published that month showed him sitting at the very top with the Dubai skyline below.
Sam Sunderland, 2022
British rally racer Sam Sunderland, a two-time Dakar Rally champion, reached the top of the Burj Khalifa in January 2022 for a Red Bull and Dubai Tourism campaign. A dedicated video showed him riding a motorbike through Dubai’s landmarks on his way to the tower, then making the final climb to the pinnacle. He won his second Dakar title that same month.
MrBeast, 2024
In November 2024, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), the most subscribed creator on YouTube, reached the top of the Burj Khalifa as the grand finale of a video comparing travel experiences from $1 to $500,000. He confessed to a genuine fear of heights during the climb. At the pinnacle, he posted: “I made it! I am standing on top of the tallest building in the world.” He was confirmed as the eighth person to reach the Burj Khalifa’s summit.
What to Know About Access
The Burj Khalifa’s actual summit is not open to the general public. Every climb on this list required special permits, custom safety rigging, and direct coordination with the tower’s management, plus days of preparation. The process cannot be initiated independently.
Eight Names. Fourteen Years.
Tom Cruise. Alain Robert. Sheikh Hamdan. Nicole Smith-Ludvik. Will Smith. Sam Sunderland. Alexis Landot. MrBeast. That is the complete record of famous individuals documented at the top of the Burj Khalifa. It took fourteen years to reach eight names, and given what each visit requires in terms of planning and approvals, this list is not expanding quickly.
