How walkable is Lyon?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Lyon has a walkability score of 83 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the joint 2nd most walkable of the 6 cities ranked in France, with 1 other.
What's within walking distance of the centre
5,563 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Lyon. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Carrefour City Lyon Saxe 41, 5 min
- Vival, 5 min
Restaurants & bars
- Péniche le 15, 1 min
- Modulo, 1 min
Shopping
- Marin et Tullet Bourdon, 1 min
- Rue des Producteurs, 2 min
Coffee
- CASTE Café, 4 min
- Le Moliere 6eme, 4 min
Banks
- CIC LYON LAFAYETTE, 5 min
- Banque Populaire, 5 min
Parks
- Place Edgar Quinet, 5 min
- Place du Maréchal Lyautey, 6 min
Schools
- School Édouard Herriot Lyon, 5 min
- Lycee General Technologique Ampere, 6 min
Books & libraries
- Librairie Derain, 4 min
- Librairie Les Biblios, 6 min
Culture & entertainment
- Acteurspros, 5 min
- Théâtre Comédie Odéon, 7 min
Measured from the centre at 45.7646, 4.8415, the point near Lyon'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 207 street intersections per km², and blocks average 66 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Lyon's score of 83 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 100 within 1 km of the centre, 89 from 1 to 3 km out and 77 from 3 to 5 km out. 78% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 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 Lyon. 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 | 100 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 89 | 80% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 77 | 75% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Turin, Italy | 234 km | 85 |
| Marseille, France | 276 km | 83 |
| Nice, France | 297 km | 55 |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 336 km | 76 |
| Milan, Italy | 340 km | 94 |
Questions about walking in Lyon
Is Lyon a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Lyon has a walkability score of 83 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most 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 2nd of 6 cities in France and joint 84th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in France?
Paris is the most walkable of the 6 cities ranked in France, with a score of 99. Lyon ranks joint 2nd with 83.
How does Lyon compare with nearby cities?
Lyon sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 83, against Turin (85, 234 km away), Marseille (83, 276 km away) and Nice (55, 297 km away).
Which part of Lyon is most walkable?
Lyon'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 100 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 92) and falls most to the north-west (65).
How is Lyon's walkability score calculated?
For Lyon it is the average of 88 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 69 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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