The most walkable neighbourhoods in Ottawa
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
20 neighbourhoods of Ottawa ranked by walkability, each scored across the area around its own centre. Centretown leads with 98/100, then ByWard Market (94) and Golden Triangle (93). 11 of the 20 score 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot, and the lowest we rank is Rockcliffe (36).
| # | Neighbourhood | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centretown | 98 |
| 2 | ByWard Market | 94 |
| 3 | Golden Triangle | 93 |
| 4 | Old Ottawa South | 92 |
| 5 | The Glebe | 90 |
| 6 | Sandy Hill | 88 |
| 7 | Lower Town | 86 |
| 7 | Vanier | 86 |
| 9 | Little Italy | 85 |
| 9 | Hintonburg | 85 |
| 11 | Old Ottawa East | 76 |
| 12 | Riverview | 69 |
| 13 | Heron Gate | 66 |
| 14 | Bells Corners | 65 |
| 14 | Beacon Hill | 65 |
| 14 | Tunney's Pasture | 65 |
| 17 | New Edinburgh | 63 |
| 18 | LeBreton Flats | 62 |
| 19 | Blossom Park | 43 |
| 20 | Rockcliffe | 36 |
"From the centre" is the distance from Ottawa's busiest point to the neighbourhood's centre. "Area scoring 70+" is the share of points across the neighbourhood where most errands can be done on foot.
The top 5 up close
Centretown
Centretown is the most central of these five, at the centre of Ottawa, and scores 98/100. It has the most cafés of the five: 145 within a 30 minute walk, the nearest Tim Hortons, about 3 minutes away.
ByWard Market
ByWard Market scores 94/100, 1.4 km north of Ottawa's busiest point. None of the others has as many cultural venues, with 61 in a 30 minute walk; Zaphod Beeblebrox is the nearest, about 2 minutes away. 96% of its area scores 70 or more.
Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle scores 93/100, 850 m east of Ottawa's busiest point. Banks are where it leads the others, 53 of them within a 30 minute walk, starting with Comtech CU, about 4 minutes away. 95% of its area scores 70 or more.
Old Ottawa South
Old Ottawa South lies the furthest out of these five, 2.5 km south of Ottawa's busiest point, and scores 92/100. 728 everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of its middle, the nearest grocery about 8 minutes away. Its thinnest category against the others is cultural venues, with 8.
The Glebe
The Glebe scores 90/100, 1.4 km south of Ottawa's busiest point. 1,294 everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of its middle, the nearest grocery about 4 minutes away. 96% of its area scores 70 or more.
Centre and outskirts
The 12 neighbourhoods within 3 km of Ottawa's centre average 84, and the 8 further out average 62, so walkability falls away from the centre. The nearest to the centre, Centretown, 150 m away, scores 98, and the farthest, Bells Corners, 14.9 km out, scores 65.
Each dot is a ranked neighbourhood, numbered by rank and coloured by score, placed by its distance and direction from the centre of Ottawa.
Ottawa as a whole scores 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre. Other cities in Canada with ranked neighbourhoods: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton.
Questions about Ottawa's neighbourhoods
What is the most walkable neighbourhood in Ottawa?
Centretown is the most walkable of the 20 neighbourhoods we rank in Ottawa, with a walkability score of 98 out of 100 (Walker's Paradise). It is followed by ByWard Market (94) and Golden Triangle (93).
Which neighbourhoods of Ottawa are least walkable?
Of the 20 neighbourhoods we rank, the lowest scoring are Rockcliffe (36), Blossom Park (43) and LeBreton Flats (62). These are the best-known neighbourhoods with their own Wikipedia articles, so less walkable outer suburbs that are not ranked may score lower still.
How are Ottawa's neighbourhoods ranked?
Each neighbourhood is scored at points 100 m to 500 m apart across a circle around its centre, sized to its area, and its score is the mean of those points. Each point's score counts the groceries, restaurants, shops, schools, parks and other everyday places within a 30 minute walk, as described in the methodology. Ottawa scores 70 across the 5 km around its centre.
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. Neighbourhoods and where they lie from Overture Maps and Wikidata.