How walkable is Essen?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Essen has a walkability score of 71 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 10th most walkable of the 22 cities ranked in Germany, with 1 other.
What's within walking distance of the centre
2,057 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Essen. The nearest grocery is about 10 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, schools, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- HBB Store, 10 min
- ALDI, 11 min
Restaurants & bars
- Pizzeria Mailand, 3 min
- Pizza Profi Essen, 4 min
Shopping
- New Lifeshark Records, 4 min
- Asmodee Germany, 4 min
Coffee
- Ruebys, 7 min
- Primus Service, 9 min
Banks
- Sparda-Bank, 2 min
- Degussa Bank (nicht öffentlich zugänglich), 3 min
Parks
- Park Friedrichshof, 7 min
- Glückauf-Park, 10 min
Schools
- RuhrFutur gGmbH, 6 min
- 123FAHRSCHULE, 8 min
Books & libraries
- مكتبة بنيان, 8 min
- Mayersche Buchhandlung, 9 min
Culture & entertainment
- Markt- und Schaustellermuseum, 5 min
- Saalbau, 7 min
Measured from the centre at 51.4488, 7.0051, the point near Essen'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 162 street intersections per km², and blocks average 60 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Essen's score of 71 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, 83 from 1 to 3 km out and 61 from 3 to 5 km out. 60% 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 Essen. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 92 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 95 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 83 | 88% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 61 | 40% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bochum, Germany | 14 km | 60 |
| Duisburg, Germany | 17 km | 55 |
| Wuppertal, Germany | 24 km | 52 |
| Düsseldorf, Germany | 31 km | 78 |
| Dortmund, Germany | 32 km | 66 |
Questions about walking in Essen
Is Essen a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Essen has a walkability score of 71 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 92. 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 10th of 22 cities in Germany and joint 267th 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. Essen ranks joint 10th with 71.
How does Essen compare with nearby cities?
Essen is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 71, against Bochum (60, 14 km away), Duisburg (55, 17 km away) and Wuppertal (52, 24 km away).
Which part of Essen is most walkable?
The streets just around Essen's centre are its most walkable, averaging 95 within 1 km. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 92. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-west (averaging 79) and falls most to the south-east (58).
How is Essen's walkability score calculated?
For Essen it is the average of 83 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 50 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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