How walkable is Bologna?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Bologna has a walkability score of 76 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 7th most walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Italy.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,969 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Bologna. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Conad City, 3 min
- Minimarket Coop, 3 min
Restaurants & bars
- Pizza Casa di Simeone Mario, 1 min
- Ristoro del Meridione, 1 min
Shopping
- Sassa Store, 1 min
- Farmacia Contavalli, 1 min
Coffee
- Caffetteria Belle Arti, 2 min
- Comix Cafe, 2 min
Banks
- UniCredit Bank, 4 min
- Monte dei Paschi di Siena, 5 min
Parks
- Parco della Montagnola, 6 min
- Giardini di Via Filippo Re, 8 min
Schools
- Docet Professional, 8 min
- Scuola Elementare Ercolani, 8 min
Books & libraries
- Associazione Serendippo, 1 min
- Libreria Nautilus, 1 min
Culture & entertainment
- John Wesley Hardin, 1 min
- Palazzo Bentivoglio, 1 min
Measured from the centre at 44.4977, 11.3482, the point near Bologna'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 147 street intersections per km², and blocks average 73 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Bologna's score of 76 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 99 within 1 km of the centre, 85 from 1 to 3 km out and 65 from 3 to 5 km out. 21 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. 73% 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 Bologna. 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 | 99 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 85% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 65 | 59% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Florence, Italy | 80 km | 71 |
| Genoa, Italy | 191 km | 75 |
| Milan, Italy | 201 km | 94 |
| Turin, Italy | 296 km | 85 |
| Rome, Italy | 305 km | 94 |
Questions about walking in Bologna
Is Bologna a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Bologna has a walkability score of 76 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 7th of 10 cities in Italy and joint 181st of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Italy?
Milan and Rome tie as the most walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Italy, each with a score of 94. Bologna ranks 7th with 76.
How does Bologna compare with nearby cities?
Bologna sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 76, against Florence (71, 80 km away), Genoa (75, 191 km away) and Milan (94, 201 km away).
Which part of Bologna is most walkable?
Bologna'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 99 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 90) and falls most to the south-west (12).
How is Bologna's walkability score calculated?
For Bologna it is the average of 70 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 51 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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