How walkable is Plovdiv?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Plovdiv has a walkability score of 57 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 2nd most walkable of the 3 cities ranked in Bulgaria.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,847 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Plovdiv. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- Гладстон 60 Нон Стоп, 3 min
- Магазини "Corner Shop", 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- The Tree, 1 min
- Victoria Restaurant Mall Markovo Tepe, 1 min
Shopping
- Pandora, 1 min
- Skechers Markovo Tepe Mall, 1 min
Coffee
- Stenata, 3 min
- Козирог, 4 min
Banks
- Raiffeisen Bank, 3 min
- ОББ (United Bulgarian Bank) Гладстон, 5 min
Parks
- парк „Цар Симеоновата градина“, 5 min
- Гроздов пазар, 7 min
Schools
- "ПГВАД "Христо Ботев"", 1 min
- "ОУ "Екзарх Антим I"", 7 min
Books & libraries
- Книжарница Енигма - Борса за учебници, 10 min
- НЧ Христо Г. Данов - 1904, 12 min
Culture & entertainment
- "Кино "Арена"", 1 min
- Comedy Club Plovdiv, 3 min
Measured from the centre at 42.1422, 24.7409, the point near Plovdiv'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 158 street intersections per km², and blocks average 76 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Plovdiv's score of 57 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 97 within 1 km of the centre, 74 from 1 to 3 km out and 33 from 3 to 5 km out. 24 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. 45% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 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 Plovdiv. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 99 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 97 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 74 | 68% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 33 | 13% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia, Bulgaria | 132 km | 82 |
| Thessaloniki, Greece | 227 km | 82 |
| Skopje, North Macedonia | 275 km | 55 |
| Bucharest, Romania | 276 km | 88 |
| Varna, Bulgaria, Bulgaria | 284 km | 54 |
Questions about walking in Plovdiv
Is Plovdiv a walkable city?
Partly. Plovdiv has a walkability score of 57 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 99. 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 2nd of 3 cities in Bulgaria and joint 497th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Bulgaria?
Sofia is the most walkable of the 3 cities ranked in Bulgaria, with a score of 82. Plovdiv ranks 2nd with 57.
How does Plovdiv compare with nearby cities?
Plovdiv sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 57, against Sofia (82, 132 km away), Thessaloniki (82, 227 km away) and Skopje (55, 275 km away).
Which part of Plovdiv is most walkable?
Plovdiv's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 99. Walkability averages 97 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the east (averaging 74) and falls most to the north-west (22).
How is Plovdiv's walkability score calculated?
For Plovdiv it is the average of 67 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 30 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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