How walkable is Bochum?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Bochum has a walkability score of 60 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 18th most walkable of the 22 cities ranked in Germany.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,351 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Bochum. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- REWE, 4 min
- Cappadocia Handels, 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- Restaurant Amber, 1 min
- Hopfenklause, 2 min
Shopping
- Wellness Pur, 2 min
- Polearize - Pole Dance Bochum, 3 min
Coffee
- Café Konkret, 4 min
- Café Caspi, 4 min
Banks
- Commerzbank, 5 min
- Deutsche Bank, 6 min
Parks
- Pocket Park Franz-Vogt-Straße, 10 min
- Westpark, 11 min
Schools
- Arnoldschule, 4 min
- Institut an der Ruhr, 9 min
Books & libraries
- Janssen Universitätsbuchhandlung, 6 min
- Mayersche Buchhandlung, 8 min
Culture & entertainment
- Philharmonischer Chor Bochum, 2 min
- Gleis 9 Bochum, 4 min
Measured from the centre at 51.4778, 7.2129, the point near Bochum'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 149 street intersections per km², and blocks average 62 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Bochum's score of 60 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 93 within 1 km of the centre, 62 from 1 to 3 km out and 53 from 3 to 5 km out. 16 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. 37% 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 Bochum. 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 | 93 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 62 | 38% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 53 | 28% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Essen, Germany | 14 km | 71 |
| Dortmund, Germany | 18 km | 66 |
| Wuppertal, Germany | 26 km | 52 |
| Duisburg, Germany | 32 km | 55 |
| Düsseldorf, Germany | 42 km | 78 |
Questions about walking in Bochum
Is Bochum a walkable city?
Partly. Bochum has a walkability score of 60 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 18th of 22 cities in Germany and joint 459th 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. Bochum ranks 18th with 60.
How does Bochum compare with nearby cities?
Bochum sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 60, against Essen (71, 14 km away), Dortmund (66, 18 km away) and Wuppertal (52, 26 km away).
Which part of Bochum is most walkable?
Bochum'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 93 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 68) and falls most to the west (45).
How is Bochum's walkability score calculated?
For Bochum it is the average of 75 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 28 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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