The world’s most walkable city in 2025 is Milan, Italy, where residents can reach key amenities like schools, hospitals, restaurants, and shops in just 6 minutes and 24 seconds on average, according to the study A Universal Framework for Inclusive 15-Minute Cities (M. Bruno et al., The Economist).
The research shows that European cities dominate the rankings, 45 of the top 50 are in Europe, thanks to their compact, historic urban layouts and modern policies that prioritize pedestrians. Outside of Europe, only five cities make the global top 50: Kyoto, Tokyo, Taipei, Taichung, and Kathmandu. By contrast, car-oriented North American cities are absent, with Vancouver ranking highest at 53rd.
This global ranking not only highlights where walking is easiest but also shows how city design, policy, and history influence how people move through daily life. Walkable cities are linked to better physical health, lower obesity rates, improved mental well-being, and stronger community bonds.
20 of the Easiest Walkable Places in the World
The table below shows the top 20 cities ranked by their average walking time to amenities:
Why Europe Dominates the Rankings
European cities dominate global walkability rankings because their physical design, policies, and social culture all align around the simple idea that people should be able to get where they need on foot.
Unlike car-centric regions, European urban centers blend centuries-old infrastructure with modern strategies that prioritize pedestrians. The result is not just shorter walks to amenities, but entire lifestyles shaped by movement, accessibility, and community.
Historical Layouts
Many of Europe’s most walkable cities, like Milan, Lyon, and Edinburgh, were built long before the automobile existed. Streets were designed to connect marketplaces, churches, and homes within short distances, often converging in plazas or public squares.
This compact design has endured, even as cities modernized. Narrow streets and winding alleys, once considered impractical for cars, now form natural pedestrian zones where walking feels both safe and convenient. Rather than redesigning around the car, European cities often adapted by limiting vehicle access in old quarters, turning historic layouts into assets that boost walkability today.
Urban Density and Mixed-Use Development
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Urban density is another key factor. Unlike sprawling suburban models common in North America, cities such as Paris and Barcelona are built upward and inward rather than outward. Mixed-use zoning keeps housing, shops, offices, and cultural spaces interwoven in the same neighborhoods.
In practice, this means a resident can buy groceries, drop their child off at school, and enjoy a café within a 10-minute radius of their home. The rhythm of city life is less dependent on commuting long distances, and instead favors shorter trips on foot, which makes walking the default choice for everyday errands.
Policy Initiatives and Active Mobility Frameworks
Europe also leads because of deliberate policymaking. Initiatives like the Pan-European Master Plan for Walking have set frameworks that encourage national governments to elevate walking in transport and health agendas.
Cities themselves adopt bold measures: Paris has experimented with “car-free Sundays” on major boulevards and aggressively expanded pedestrian plazas; Oslo eliminated most on-street parking in its center, creating more room for people; and Copenhagen has consistently invested in safe, connected networks for both walking and cycling.
Cultural Attitudes and Daily Habits
For many residents, walking is not seen as a chore but as part of daily life and even leisure. It is common to see locals strolling through Lyon’s riverside promenades in the evening, browsing open-air markets in Turin, or enjoying Copenhagen’s café-lined streets on foot.
The emphasis on public squares, pedestrian shopping streets, and outdoor dining reinforces walking as a natural social activity. Generational habits also play a role: children often walk to school, and older residents continue to walk as a way to maintain independence and health.
Non-European Standouts
While Europe dominates the global walkability rankings, a handful of cities outside the continent also earn recognition. These outliers prove that walkability is not exclusively a European trait; it can emerge from historic traditions, high-density modern planning, or even necessity.
The five non-European cities in the top 50 each illustrate different paths toward pedestrian-friendly living.
Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto stands as the most walkable non-European city, ranked 28th worldwide. Its strength comes from its history: the city was once Japan’s imperial capital and was designed centuries before cars shaped urban planning, according to UBIQUE.
Narrow lanes, tightly packed wooden townhouses (machiya), and temples interspersed within neighborhoods create a naturally compact environment.
Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei, ranked 35th, thrives on density and vibrant street culture. The city’s neighborhoods mix residential apartments with restaurants, markets, schools, and shops, making daily errands easy to accomplish on foot.
Street-level activity is central to Taipei’s identity, from bustling night markets to corner noodle shops. The government has also invested in pedestrian zones and walkable infrastructure, complementing its extensive metro system.
Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu, at 45th place, offers a very different model of walkability. Here, compact neighborhoods and busy streets make walking a necessity for much of the population. The city’s traditional courtyards (bahals) and markets (bazaars) are built for foot traffic rather than cars, and cultural practices encourage face-to-face interaction in shared public spaces.
Despite challenges such as inconsistent infrastructure and congestion, the sheer reliance on walking gives Kathmandu a unique form of walkability that stems from community-oriented urban life.
Taichung, Taiwan
Ranked 49th, Taichung shows how newer, rapidly urbanizing cities can carve space for walkability even amid modern sprawl. Taiwan’s second-largest city has actively pursued urban planning initiatives that balance its industrial role with livability.
Efforts include revitalizing downtown areas with pedestrian streets, investing in green corridors, and encouraging mixed-use development. While not as compact as Taipei, Taichung illustrates how deliberate planning can shift car-heavy cities toward more walkable futures.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, just makes the top 50 at 50th place. Despite its size, Tokyo succeeds by combining density with highly efficient transit networks.
Small residential streets often prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, while train stations act as hubs that integrate walking with daily life. Tokyo demonstrates that even a megacity can be walkable when design and transit work hand in hand.
What About North America?
North America’s absence from the global top 50 is telling. It underscores how heavily car dependency has shaped the urban experience in both the United States and Canada. After World War II, city planning across the continent was largely guided by suburban expansion, highway construction, and strict zoning laws that separated residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
This approach produced sprawling cities where most people rely on cars for daily life. As a result, even in North America’s most walkable cities, average walking times to essential amenities are significantly longer than in European or Asian counterparts.
According to The Economist (2025), Vancouver is the highest-ranked North American city, coming in at 53rd place. While Vancouver has made strong efforts, such as investing in mixed-use neighborhoods, building extensive bike paths, and preserving dense downtown living, it still lags behind global leaders.
Other cities like New York, San Francisco, and Montreal are often praised for their pedestrian-friendly districts, yet their overall rankings remain outside the top 50 because walkability is uneven across neighborhoods. For example, Manhattan may offer a 10-minute walk to nearly everything, but outer boroughs or suburban extensions quickly push travel beyond walking range.