How walkable is Köln?
Köln has a walkability score of 99 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the 3rd most walkable of 4 cities ranked in Germany.
What's within walking distance
3,549 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Köln. The nearest grocery is Basic, about 6 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
- Basic440 m · 6 min
- Asia Shop Köln450 m · 6 min
- Barakat Markt450 m · 6 min
- Crazy Corner - Das Original in Köln200 m · 3 min
- Wurstbraterei230 m · 3 min
- Restaurant Rheinau260 m · 3 min
- BOS Büro- und Objekteinrichtungen100 m · 1 min
- Restaurierungsatelier Wojdan150 m · 2 min
- Kuchenplatte Köln150 m · 2 min
- Café Glück390 m · 5 min
- crux köln400 m · 5 min
- VARIATO Café460 m · 6 min
- RAAN GmbH340 m · 4 min
- Allianz Versicherungsagentur380 m · 5 min
- Sparkasse KölnBonn - Geldautomat460 m · 6 min
- Unnamed park280 m · 4 min
- Von-Stein-Park390 m · 5 min
- Trude-Herr-Park430 m · 5 min
- Kaiserin Augusta Schule430 m · 5 min
- Städt. Kindertagesstätte450 m · 6 min
- Städtische Gemeinschaftsgrundschule530 m · 7 min
- Literacula GBR520 m · 6 min
- Maternus Buchhandel Köln600 m · 8 min
- Tagediebe690 m · 9 min
- Chamber Remix Cologne160 m · 2 min
- House Of Blue Rose330 m · 4 min
- Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum390 m · 5 min
Measured from the representative point at 50.9288, 6.9623. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 136 street intersections per km², and blocks average 84 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 94 to 100, and Köln's score of 99 is their median. Walkability is consistent across the centre.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 99 | Map |
| 1 km north | 99 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 100 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 99 | Map |
| 1 km south | 94 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 100 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 99 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels, Belgium | 183 km | 100 |
| Hamburg, Germany | 358 km | 100 |
| Paris, France | 403 km | 100 |
| Munich, Germany | 457 km | 100 |
| Berlin, Germany | 479 km | 98 |
Questions about walking in Köln
Is Köln a walkable city?
Yes. Central Köln has a walkability score of 99 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 3rd of 4 cities in Germany and 29th of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Germany?
Munich is the most walkable of the 4 cities ranked in Germany, with a score of 100. Köln ranks 3rd with 99.
How does Köln compare with nearby cities?
Köln is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: Köln scores 99, against Brussels (100, 183 km away), Hamburg (100, 358 km away) and Paris (100, 403 km away).
How is Köln's walkability score calculated?
The score counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and deducts up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long. For Köln it is the median of seven points within 1 km of the city centre, using open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
Scores follow a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. City position and population from GeoNames.