The Weirdest Elevators in the World: A Ride You Won’t Forget

When most people think of elevators, they imagine the standard metal box that quietly moves between floors. But around the world, some elevators go far beyond ordinary. These unique lifts challenge the limits of engineering, architecture, and even imagination.

Here’s a ride through some of the weirdest, wildest, and most wonderful elevators ever built.

🌊 The AquaDom Elevator – Berlin, Germany

Picture this. You're riding an elevator inside a massive saltwater aquarium, surrounded by more than 1,500 tropical fish. That was the experience inside the AquaDom at Berlin's Radisson Blu Hotel. This cylindrical tank elevator was part of the SEA LIFE Center and stood over 80 feet tall.

Before it sadly ruptured in 2022, the AquaDom was one of the most visually stunning elevators in the world. It cost over €12 million to build and offered a 360-degree underwater view unlike anything else.

Weird Factor: An elevator inside an aquarium. It was like riding through a sci-fi submarine world.

🏔 The Hammetschwand Lift – Lucerne, Switzerland

Built into the side of a cliff in the Swiss Alps, the Hammetschwand Lift is Europe’s highest outdoor elevator. It rises nearly 500 feet in under a minute and offers panoramic views of Lake Lucerne and the surrounding mountains.

Originally constructed in 1905 and upgraded several times, this open-air elevator is equal parts scenic and heart-pounding.

Weird Factor: It feels like you’re flying up the face of a mountain in a glass box.

🛥 The Falkirk Wheel – Falkirk, Scotland

This one isn't for people but for boats. The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift that connects two canals with a 115-foot difference in elevation. It works by balancing two water-filled gondolas that rotate in perfect harmony.

The structure looks like a futuristic gear or a piece of alien machinery. It’s the only rotating boat lift in the world and is a true feat of engineering.

Weird Factor: It’s a giant spinning elevator for boats, and it actually works with near-zero energy use.

🌿 The Bailong Elevator – Zhangjiajie, China

Located in the dramatic sandstone cliffs of China’s Wulingyuan Scenic Area, the Bailong Elevator is the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. It rises more than 1,000 feet along the cliffside, offering breathtaking views of a landscape that inspired the floating mountains in the film Avatar.

This glass elevator moves fast and feels like it’s floating in thin air.

Weird Factor: An elevator carved into a cliff that takes you straight into a movie-like landscape.

🏛 The Lacerda Elevator – Salvador, Brazil

This historic public elevator connects the upper and lower parts of Salvador, Brazil. The Lacerda Elevator has been in service since 1873 and now carries more than 30,000 passengers each day.

Its twin shafts and Art Deco style make it look more like a retro-futuristic time machine than public infrastructure.

Weird Factor: A working public elevator that feels like it belongs in a vintage sci-fi film.

🧭 The Gateway Arch Tram – St. Louis, USA

Inside the iconic Gateway Arch is a truly one-of-a-kind elevator system. The egg-shaped tram cars tilt and adjust as they climb the curved interior of the 630-foot monument.

Because of the arch’s unique shape, this system behaves like a mix between an elevator, a tram, and a theme park ride.

Weird Factor: You feel like you’re inside a lunar lander making its way to the top of a giant silver rainbow.

💎 The SkyView Elevator – Stockholm, Sweden

The Ericsson Globe in Stockholm has a one-of-a-kind attraction. The SkyView Elevator is a glass gondola that travels along the outside of the globe-shaped building, following its curve from bottom to top.

As you ascend, you get sweeping views of the city, and the sensation is more like a scenic amusement ride than a standard elevator trip.

Weird Factor: The elevator doesn’t just go up. It climbs the surface of a giant ball.

⚙️ The Lloyd’s Building Lifts – London, England

At the Lloyd’s Building in London, the elevators are located on the exterior of the structure. That’s right. These glass lifts are bolted to the outside, making them fully visible and giving passengers a clear view of the city as they rise.

The building was designed by architect Richard Rogers in a style known as "Bowellism," where the mechanical systems are exposed and celebrated rather than hidden.

Weird Factor: You’re riding an elevator with a front-row view of London, and all the machinery is in plain sight.

🧊 The Sky Tower Elevator – Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand’s tallest building, the Sky Tower in Auckland, offers more than a regular elevator experience. As you ride up to the viewing deck, you’re standing over a glass floor that gives you a clear look at the 600 feet below.

The elevator reaches the observation deck in just 40 seconds, giving thrill-seekers a fast and transparent ride to the top.

Weird Factor: A high-speed elevator with a glass floor and one of the best views in the Southern Hemisphere.

🔄 Honorable Mention: The Paternoster Lift

Located in a few older European buildings, the Paternoster is a chain of open elevator cabins that continuously move in a loop. The cabins never stop. You have to jump in and out while it's moving.

Because of safety concerns, most of these have been phased out, but a few still operate in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Weird Factor: You step into a moving elevator that never stops. It’s like playing a game of vertical hop-on-hop-off.

Final Thoughts

Elevators are everywhere, yet most of us barely notice them. These incredible examples prove that vertical transportation can be artistic, daring, and unforgettable. From underwater tubes to cliffside views and boat-lifting wheels, the elevator world is filled with unexpected creativity.

At Olympic Elevator, we’re inspired by the innovation and imagination behind these systems. While we focus on safe, modern, and reliable elevators for our clients here at home, we can still appreciate how far a little creativity, and a lot of engineering, can take you.

Which of these elevators would you ride first? Let us know in the comments or share this post with someone who needs a little lift in their day.