How walkable is Hanover?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Hanover (Hannover) 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
2,915 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Hanover. The nearest grocery is about 2 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Asia Markt City Hannover, 2 min
- go asia Supermarkt - Hannover, 4 min
Restaurants & bars
- Shisha Bar DELUXXE, 1 min
- Pho 3 Mien, 1 min
Shopping
- Joe’s Dark And Playrooms, 1 min
- Titus Hannover, 2 min
Coffee
- McCafé, 4 min
- Espressamente Illy Hannover, 5 min
Banks
- Postbank, 2 min
- Commerzbank, 3 min
Parks
- Welfenplatz, 12 min
- Georgengarten, 13 min
Schools
- Griech.-Orth. Kindergarten Hannover, 4 min
- Montessori Kinderkrippe Rapunzelino, 6 min
Books & libraries
- Buchhandlung Am Klagesmarkt, 3 min
- Comics am Steintor, 4 min
Culture & entertainment
- Hochhaus Lichtspiele, 3 min
- ASTOR Grand Cinema, 4 min
Measured from the centre at 52.3783, 9.7332, the point near Hanover'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 145 street intersections per km², and blocks average 74 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Hanover'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 98 within 1 km of the centre, 80 from 1 to 3 km out and 61 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. 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 Hanover. 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 | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 80 | 67% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 61 | 30% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bielefeld, Germany | 90 km | 55 |
| Bremen, Germany | 100 km | 70 |
| Hamburg, Germany | 133 km | 80 |
| Münster, Germany | 151 km | 57 |
| Dortmund, Germany | 182 km | 66 |
Questions about walking in Hanover
Is Hanover a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Hanover 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 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 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. Hanover ranks joint 10th with 71.
How does Hanover compare with nearby cities?
Hanover sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 71, against Bielefeld (55, 90 km away), Bremen (70, 100 km away) and Hamburg (80, 133 km away).
Which part of Hanover is most walkable?
Hanover'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 98 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 75) and falls most to the south-west (59).
How is Hanover's walkability score calculated?
For Hanover 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; 36 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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