This Is the Most Walkable City in the World

We all know just how important — and impactful — getting out and taking a walk can be for our health. It doesn’t have to be for long or a wildly far distance, but study after study shows that going out for even a small stroll can have major benefits. And that’s why your next vacation should be to a city that is supremely walkable. 

Compare the Market analyzed cities around the world to find out which ones offer the most walkable terrain. To come to its conclusion, it looked at several factors, including each city’s number of walking trails, the city’s average rainfall, and how safe the streets are following inclement weather. The team also took into account public transport systems and biking options as alternatives to having a car. 

After looking at all the available data, it named Munich, Germany, the most walkable city in the world. 

“Munich is officially the most walkable city in the world, for several reasons. For instance, it has a huge 1,468,623km (912,560 miles) worth of bike trails – the second highest anywhere in the world – as well as 86% of the population living within 1km (.62 miles) of a car-free space – again, the second highest on our list,” the findings revealed. “Despite Munich’s public transport being the third most expensive … it scores the fourth highest for safety, which is key when walking around, as well as the joint second highest for people living within a kilometer of healthcare and education facilities, at 85%.” 

The study named Milan its second-most walkable city, followed by Warsaw, Helsinki, and Paris, rounding out the top five. 

“Nine out of the top 10 walkable cities are all in Europe, with Madrid in seventh, Oslo in eighth, Copenhagen in ninth, and Amsterdam in 10th,” the findings added. “The only non-European city in our top 10 list is Tokyo, which makes it into sixth place.” 

New York City ranked as the most walkable in the U.S. but was number 34 overall. San Francisco and Boston weren’t far behind, coming in 35th and 36th, respectively.

See all the rankings, including which cities were named the least walkable, at comparethemarket.com.