How walkable is Quebec City?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Quebec City (Québec) has a walkability score of 69 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 5th most walkable of the 14 cities ranked in Canada, with 2 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,644 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Quebec City. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Les marchés Tradition, 6 min
- L'Intermarché, 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- Kundah Hôtel, 2 min
- Deli-mex, 2 min
Shopping
- Uniprix, 3 min
- Signatures Québécoises, 3 min
Coffee
- Café In Brûlerie/Lounge, 3 min
- Café Van Houtte, 3 min
Banks
- Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins, 9 min
- Scotiabank, 15 min
Parks
- Parc Gilles-Lamontagne, 3 min
- Place de l'Université-du-Québec, 5 min
Schools
- Ecole St-Louis de Gonzague, 13 min
- Collège CDI - Québec, 15 min
Books & libraries
- Liratoutage, 4 min
- L'Institut Canadien de Quebec, 4 min
Culture & entertainment
- L'Anti Bar & Spectacles, 5 min
- Cineplex Odeon Place Charest, 6 min
Measured from the centre at 46.8162, -71.2244, the point near Quebec City'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 164 street intersections per km², and blocks average 73 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Quebec City's score of 69 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 92 within 1 km of the centre, 79 from 1 to 3 km out and 60 from 3 to 5 km out. 26 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. 48% 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 Quebec City. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 100 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 92 | 86% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 79 | 83% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 60 | 25% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal, Canada | 234 km | 82 |
| Laval, Quebec, Canada | 236 km | 60 |
| Ottawa, Canada | 380 km | 70 |
| Boston, United States | 496 km | 89 |
| Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | 641 km | 59 |
Questions about walking in Quebec City
Is Quebec City a walkable city?
Partly. Quebec City has a walkability score of 69 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 100. 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 5th of 14 cities in Canada and joint 310th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Canada?
Vancouver is the most walkable of the 14 cities ranked in Canada, with a score of 83. Quebec City ranks joint 5th with 69.
How does Quebec City compare with nearby cities?
Quebec City sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 69, against Montreal (82, 234 km away), Laval, Quebec (60, 236 km away) and Ottawa (70, 380 km away).
Which part of Quebec City is most walkable?
Quebec City's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 100. Walkability averages 92 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-west (averaging 70) and falls most to the south (42).
Why is Quebec City's score different from its Walk Score?
Walk Score's city scores average every neighbourhood within the city limits, weighted by where people live, so they count outer suburbs that the 5 km around Quebec City's centre leaves out, and they are usually lower. Address by address the two agree closely: across 46 addresses in the United States and Canada, How Walkable's scores were 5.9 points from Walk Score's on average, as the accuracy study at howwalkable.com/accuracy shows.
How is Quebec City's walkability score calculated?
For Quebec City it is the average of 65 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 31 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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