How walkable is Bielefeld?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Bielefeld has a walkability score of 55 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 20th most walkable of the 22 cities ranked in Germany, with 1 other.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,742 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Bielefeld. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- ALDI NORD, 2 min
- Familie Markt, 3 min
Restaurants & bars
- Chutney, 1 min
- Ciao Bella Bielefeld, 1 min
Shopping
- JD Sports, 1 min
- Party Balloon, 1 min
Coffee
- Espresso House, 1 min
- Cafe Preems, 1 min
Banks
- Deutsche Bank Wealth Management, 1 min
- Sparkasse Bielefeld - SB-Center, 2 min
Parks
- Rochdale Park, 9 min
- Ravensberger Park, 12 min
Schools
- Kita Münzstraße, 9 min
- DAA Pflegeschule Bielefeld, 10 min
Books & libraries
- Stadtbibliothek Bielefeld, 5 min
- Mondo Medien & Büchergilde, 6 min
Culture & entertainment
- Bielefelder Puppenspiele Dagmar Selje, 3 min
- Panorama Hochzeitssaal-Eventlocation-Tagungsraum, 3 min
Measured from the centre at 52.0256, 8.5333, the point near Bielefeld'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 161 street intersections per km², and blocks average 79 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Bielefeld's score of 55 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 95 within 1 km of the centre, 61 from 1 to 3 km out and 43 from 3 to 5 km out. 24 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. 31% 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 Bielefeld. 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 | 95 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 61 | 35% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 43 | 15% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Münster, Germany | 63 km | 57 |
| Hanover, Germany | 90 km | 71 |
| Dortmund, Germany | 93 km | 66 |
| Bochum, Germany | 110 km | 60 |
| Bremen, Germany | 118 km | 70 |
Questions about walking in Bielefeld
Is Bielefeld a walkable city?
Partly. Bielefeld has a walkability score of 55 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 20th of 22 cities in Germany and joint 520th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Germany?
Berlin is the most walkable of the 22 cities ranked in Germany, with a score of 90. Bielefeld ranks joint 20th with 55.
How does Bielefeld compare with nearby cities?
Bielefeld is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 55, against Münster (57, 63 km away), Hanover (71, 90 km away) and Dortmund (66, 93 km away).
Which part of Bielefeld is most walkable?
Bielefeld'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 95 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-west (averaging 56) and falls most to the north-west (37).
How is Bielefeld's walkability score calculated?
For Bielefeld it is the average of 67 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 21 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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