How walkable is Ottawa?
Ottawa has a walkability score of 97 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the most walkable of 4 cities ranked in Canada.
What's within walking distance
2,033 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Ottawa. The nearest grocery is Farm Boy, about 7 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
- Farm Boy540 m · 7 min
- Sobeys Urban Fresh570 m · 7 min
- Food Basics - Ottawa820 m · 10 min
- Ad Mare40 m · 1 min
- Mamma Teresa Chelsea Ristorante40 m · 1 min
- Shawarma Village40 m · 1 min
- Fantastic Nails40 m · 1 min
- The Fresh Flower & Gift Emporium80 m · 1 min
- The Fresh Flower & Gift Basket Company100 m · 1 min
- Tim Hortons20 m · 1 min
- Bridgehead110 m · 1 min
- Bobbie Coffe Shop160 m · 2 min
- BDC - Business Development Bank of Canada140 m · 2 min
- CAPITAL CENTRE160 m · 2 min
- BMO Bank of Montreal170 m · 2 min
- Unnamed park370 m · 5 min
- Confederation Park590 m · 7 min
- Confederation Square610 m · 8 min
- Ryle Seminary500 m · 6 min
- Children on the Hill520 m · 6 min
- Spring2 Innovation520 m · 7 min
- Indigo250 m · 3 min
- Ottawa Public Library - Main310 m · 4 min
- Courts Administration Services Library430 m · 5 min
- Queen St. Fare190 m · 2 min
- Empire Theatre210 m · 3 min
- Escape Manor270 m · 3 min
Measured from the representative point at 45.4202, -75.6981. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 69 street intersections per km², and blocks average 115 m long. Sparser streets or longer blocks reduce the score by 1%, since they make walks longer than the straight-line distance suggests.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 83 to 100, and Ottawa's score of 97 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 99 | Map |
| 1 km north | 97 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 100 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 95 | Map |
| 1 km south | 83 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 98 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 88 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Montréal, Canada | 165 km | 67 |
| Toronto, Canada | 350 km | 94 |
| The Bronx, United States | 529 km | 91 |
| Manhattan, United States | 534 km | 95 |
| New York City, United States | 541 km | 100 |
Questions about walking in Ottawa
Is Ottawa a walkable city?
Yes. Central Ottawa has a walkability score of 97 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 1st of 4 cities in Canada and 69th of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Canada?
Ottawa is the most walkable of the 4 cities ranked in Canada, with a score of 97. Toronto is second with 94.
How does Ottawa compare with nearby cities?
Ottawa is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: Ottawa scores 97, against Montréal (67, 165 km away), Toronto (94, 350 km away) and The Bronx (91, 529 km away).
How is Ottawa'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 Ottawa 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.