How walkable is Sydney?
Sydney has a walkability score of 98 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the 2nd most walkable of 5 cities ranked in Australia.
What's within walking distance
6,529 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Sydney. The nearest grocery is Friendly Grocer, about 4 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
- Friendly Grocer280 m · 4 min
- Coles Pyrmont470 m · 6 min
- Woolworths Metro Pyrmont670 m · 8 min
- The Ternary50 m · 1 min
- Fratelli Fresh80 m · 1 min
- Champagne Bar80 m · 1 min
- Debonaire on Darling90 m · 1 min
- Newborn Photography | by JADE100 m · 1 min
- Royal Vending100 m · 1 min
- Canvas Cafe200 m · 2 min
- Grace Road Cafe230 m · 3 min
- Cafe Cre Asion260 m · 3 min
- Diverze investments Pty Ltd290 m · 4 min
- Hawk Eye Finance320 m · 4 min
- Commonwealth Bank Pyrmont Branch600 m · 7 min
- Paradise Reserve470 m · 6 min
- Fig Lane Park500 m · 6 min
- Pyrmont Bay Park540 m · 7 min
- KU Maybanke Preschool720 m · 9 min
- Ultimo Public School780 m · 10 min
- St Pauls Catholic College, Greystanes910 m · 11 min
- ACMA Information & Research Services - Sydney510 m · 6 min
- John Fairfax Holdings Limited690 m · 9 min
- Jessie Street National Women's Library790 m · 10 min
- Gondola Darling Harbour220 m · 3 min
- National Film and Sound Archive300 m · 4 min
- Pyrmont Comedy Club400 m · 5 min
Measured from the representative point at -33.8723, 151.1980. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 95 street intersections per km², and blocks average 91 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 84 to 100, and Sydney's score of 98 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 100 | Map |
| 1 km north | 98 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 84 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 99 | Map |
| 1 km south | 100 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 98 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 87 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne, Australia | 714 km | 98 |
| Brisbane, Australia | 733 km | 97 |
| Adelaide, Australia | 1,164 km | 96 |
| Auckland, New Zealand | 2,164 km | 98 |
| Perth, Australia | 3,310 km | 96 |
Questions about walking in Sydney
Is Sydney a walkable city?
Yes. Central Sydney has a walkability score of 98 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 2nd of 5 cities in Australia and 55th of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Australia?
Melbourne is the most walkable of the 5 cities ranked in Australia, with a score of 98. Sydney ranks 2nd with 98.
How does Sydney compare with nearby cities?
Sydney is at least as walkable as its nearest ranked neighbours: Sydney scores 98, against Melbourne (98, 714 km away), Brisbane (97, 733 km away) and Adelaide (96, 1164 km away).
How is Sydney's walkability score calculated?
The score counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and deducts up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long. For Sydney it is the median of seven points within 1 km of the city centre, using open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
Scores follow a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. City position and population from GeoNames.