How walkable is Sofia?
Sofia has a walkability score of 100 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 14th of 252 cities worldwide.
What's within walking distance
3,184 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Sofia. The nearest grocery is „Березка“ руски гастроном, about a minute away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
- „Березка“ руски гастроном40 m · 1 min
- Parkmart Supermarket240 m · 3 min
- Магазини 345330 m · 4 min
- My Sushi40 m · 1 min
- oBento Sushi40 m · 1 min
- Restaurant Primavera Sofia40 m · 1 min
- BIKE HIVE - Sweet rides and repairs40 m · 1 min
- Евромастер Ломско Шосе - Фирмен магазин40 m · 1 min
- Магазин за обувки Герена40 m · 1 min
- FLOCAFE40 m · 1 min
- Българска Чаена Компания110 m · 1 min
- Кафе-Ресторант Ротонда / Bar & Dinner Rotonda180 m · 2 min
- Postbank40 m · 1 min
- БНБ200 m · 3 min
- Alpha Bank220 m · 3 min
- Unnamed park80 m · 1 min
- пл. Бански230 m · 3 min
- Градска градина250 m · 3 min
- МОН140 m · 2 min
- Darbi College730 m · 9 min
- Pomme d'Happy920 m · 12 min
- Верига Книжарници "BookPo!nt"50 m · 1 min
- Филиал Сердика Столична Библиотека100 m · 1 min
- Хеликон (Helikon)230 m · 3 min
- Площад "независимост"50 m · 1 min
- Ларгото на София130 m · 2 min
- National Archaeological Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences160 m · 2 min
Measured from the representative point at 42.6975, 23.3241. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 146 street intersections per km², and blocks average 85 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 97 to 100, and Sofia's score of 100 is their median. Walkability is consistent across the centre.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 100 | Map |
| 1 km north | 99 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 97 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 100 | Map |
| 1 km south | 100 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 99 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 100 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bucharest, Romania | 296 km | 99 |
| Belgrade, Serbia | 328 km | 100 |
| Istanbul, Turkey | 503 km | 99 |
| Bursa, Turkey | 554 km | 99 |
| İzmir, Turkey | 576 km | 87 |
Questions about walking in Sofia
Is Sofia a walkable city?
Yes. Central Sofia has a walkability score of 100 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 14th of 252 cities worldwide on How Walkable.
How does Sofia compare with nearby cities?
Sofia is at least as walkable as its nearest ranked neighbours: Sofia scores 100, against Bucharest (99, 296 km away), Belgrade (100, 328 km away) and Istanbul (99, 503 km away).
How is Sofia'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 Sofia 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.