How walkable is Thessaloniki?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Thessaloniki has a walkability score of 82 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 less walkable of the 2 cities ranked in Greece.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,823 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Thessaloniki. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, parks, schools, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- AB Shop & Go, 7 min
- To Bizeli, 7 min
Restaurants & bars
- Asterix, 4 min
- Ouzeri - Tavern Cafe, 5 min
Shopping
- 4all, 5 min
- Οπωροπαντοπωλείο Ο Αστέρης, 5 min
Coffee
- Elbarista, 5 min
- Γιασεμί Garden Bar, 6 min
Banks
- Alpha Bank, 8 min
- Alpha Bank Business Centre, 13 min
Parks
- Πάρκο Γεωργίου Ιβάνοφ, 10 min
- Πάρκο των Εθνών, 10 min
Schools
- 59ο Δημοτικό Σχολείο Θεσσαλονίκης, 6 min
- 4ο ΓΕΛ Θεσσαλονίκης (Official), 10 min
Books & libraries
- Παιδική Βιβλιοθήκη Καλλιθέας Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης, 7 min
- The Bookstore, 7 min
Culture & entertainment
- Averto Theatro, 8 min
- HobThessaloniki, 8 min
Further than usual
- The nearest shop is 5 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at 40.6446, 22.9438, the point near Thessaloniki'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 345 street intersections per km², and blocks average 55 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Thessaloniki's score of 82 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, 85 from 1 to 3 km out and 76 from 3 to 5 km out. 33 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. 81% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 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 Thessaloniki. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 97 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 81% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 76 | 77% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Skopje, North Macedonia | 196 km | 55 |
| Plovdiv, Bulgaria | 227 km | 57 |
| Sofia, Bulgaria | 231 km | 82 |
| Pristina, Kosovo | 270 km | 35 |
| Tirana, Albania | 273 km | 49 |
Questions about walking in Thessaloniki
Is Thessaloniki a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Thessaloniki has a walkability score of 82 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 97. 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 2nd of 2 cities in Greece and joint 97th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Greece?
Athens is the most walkable of the 2 cities ranked in Greece, with a score of 94. Thessaloniki ranks 2nd with 82.
How does Thessaloniki compare with nearby cities?
Thessaloniki is at least as walkable as its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 82, against Skopje (55, 196 km away), Plovdiv (57, 227 km away) and Sofia (82, 231 km away).
Which part of Thessaloniki is most walkable?
Thessaloniki is most walkable beyond 2.5 km to the south, where walkability averages 99, more than the 98 within 1 km of its centre. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 97. It falls most to the west (42).
How is Thessaloniki's walkability score calculated?
For Thessaloniki it is the average of 58 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 47 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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