How walkable is Palermo?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Palermo has a walkability score of 83 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 5th most walkable of the 10 cities ranked in Italy.
What's within walking distance of the centre
4,180 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Palermo. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Emporio La Mela, 2 min
- Maddalena, 5 min
Restaurants & bars
- Whisky And Drink, 1 min
- Spazio Mediterraneattitudine, 1 min
Shopping
- iRiparo, 1 min
- elservice s.a.s, 1 min
Coffee
- Ai Chicchi, 2 min
- Café Plaza, 4 min
Banks
- Intesa Sanpaolo, 2 min
- Banca Centrale Per Il Leasing Delle Banche Popolari - Italease Spa, 3 min
Parks
- Parco Villa Filippina, 5 min
- Villa Trabia, 10 min
Schools
- Freedom Academy, 5 min
- Cepu Palermo - Centro Europeo Preparazione Universitaria, 6 min
Books & libraries
- Biblioteca del Convento di Sant'Oliva, 4 min
- Biblioteca dell'Associazione impiegati in quiescenza della Regione siciliana, 5 min
Culture & entertainment
- Kàlama Film, 3 min
- Studio 4e, 3 min
Measured from the centre at 38.1244, 13.3522, the point near Palermo'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 283 street intersections per km², and blocks average 57 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Palermo's score of 83 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, 95 from 1 to 3 km out and 70 from 3 to 5 km out. 27 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. 84% 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 Palermo. 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 | 95 | 100% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 70 | 70% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Catania, Italy | 165 km | 78 |
| Naples, Italy | 314 km | 86 |
| Tunis, Tunisia | 317 km | 64 |
| Rome, Italy | 427 km | 94 |
| Bari, Italy | 450 km | 66 |
Questions about walking in Palermo
Is Palermo a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Palermo has a walkability score of 83 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 5th of 10 cities in Italy and joint 84th 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. Palermo ranks 5th with 83.
How does Palermo compare with nearby cities?
Palermo sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 83, against Catania (78, 165 km away), Naples (86, 314 km away) and Tunis (64, 317 km away).
Which part of Palermo is most walkable?
Palermo'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 (averaging 86) and falls most to the north (61).
How is Palermo's walkability score calculated?
For Palermo it is the average of 64 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 54 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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