How walkable is São Luís, Maranhão?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
São Luís, Maranhão has a walkability score of 62 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the joint 48th most walkable of the 78 cities ranked in Brazil, with 2 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
698 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central São Luís, Maranhão. The nearest grocery is about 18 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for parks and culture & entertainment. It is weakest for groceries and coffee.
Groceries
- Central de Distribuicao Bompreco, 25 min
- Mercado Central, 26 min
Restaurants & bars
- Restaurante do França, 6 min
- mercadinho do cabeça, 10 min
Shopping
- Floricultura Vale Encantado, 9 min
- Botica Farmácia De Manipulação, 11 min
Coffee
- Café do Ponto, 24 min
- Mr. Cheney Cookies, 25 min
Banks
- Santander Brasil, 16 min
- Banco Mercantil, 16 min
Parks
- Praça Quinta do Macacão, 8 min
- Praça Odorico Mendes, 9 min
Schools
- EC Bernardo Coelho de Almeida, 9 min
- Colégio Paladium Supletivo, 11 min
Books & libraries
- Biblioteca Pública Benedito Leite - BPBL, 14 min
- Livraria Dadiva, 15 min
Culture & entertainment
- Museu Historico e Artistico do Maranhao, 18 min
- Centro Cultural e Administrativo do MPMA, 20 min
Further than usual
- The nearest grocery is 18 minutes from the centre on foot, against 5 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest restaurant is 6 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
- The nearest shop is 8 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
- The nearest café is 18 minutes from the centre on foot, against 3 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest bank is 16 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at -2.5219, -44.2938, the point near São Luís, Maranhão's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 80 street intersections per km², and blocks average 99 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
São Luís, Maranhão's score of 62 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 65 within 1 km of the centre, 69 from 1 to 3 km out and 56 from 3 to 5 km out. 32 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 44% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central São Luís, Maranhão. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 57 | 0% |
| Within 1 km | 65 | 43% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 69 | 62% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 56 | 32% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Teresina, Brazil | 330 km | 66 |
| Belém, Brazil | 482 km | 82 |
| Fortaleza, Brazil | 654 km | 85 |
| Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil | 760 km | 41 |
Questions about walking in São Luís, Maranhão
Is São Luís, Maranhão a walkable city?
Partly. São Luís, Maranhão has a walkability score of 62 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 57. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks joint 48th of 78 cities in Brazil and joint 423rd of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Brazil?
São Paulo is the most walkable of the 78 cities ranked in Brazil, with a score of 95. São Luís, Maranhão ranks joint 48th with 62.
How does São Luís, Maranhão compare with nearby cities?
São Luís, Maranhão is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 62, against Teresina (66, 330 km away), Belém (82, 482 km away) and Fortaleza (85, 654 km away).
Which part of São Luís, Maranhão is most walkable?
São Luís is most walkable beyond 2.5 km to the north, where walkability averages 77, more than the 65 within 1 km of its centre. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 57. It falls most to the south-west (28).
How is São Luís, Maranhão's walkability score calculated?
For São Luís, Maranhão it is the average of 59 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 26 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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