How walkable is Kota Bharu?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Kota Bharu has a walkability score of 53 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the 12th most walkable of the 18 cities ranked in Malaysia.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,053 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kota Bharu. The nearest grocery is about 7 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, schools, books & libraries and culture & entertainment. It is weakest for parks.
Groceries
- KOTA Bharu Kelantan, 10 min
- The Store, 10 min
Restaurants & bars
- Kedai Bulat Stadium, 1 min
- Popia Stadium, 2 min
Shopping
- Unit Farmasi Pesakit Luar, 3 min
- NH Printing Enterprise, 6 min
Coffee
- Roti Tempayan Ayam Tandoori Kampung Dusun, 5 min
- Laundry Hill Cafe, 5 min
Banks
- Bank Rakyat, 7 min
- Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad - Padang Garong, 7 min
Parks
- Padang Merdeka, 18 min
- Taman Minda Darul Naim, 22 min
Schools
- Brilliant Athfal Kindergarten, 6 min
- Farley's Kindergarden, 7 min
Books & libraries
- Perpustakaan HPRZ, 7 min
- Syarikat Jaffar Rawas, 10 min
Culture & entertainment
- Muzium Kelantan, 9 min
- Paragon Cinemas, 11 min
Further than usual
- The nearest park is 17 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at 6.1236, 102.2433, the point near Kota Bharu'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 127 street intersections per km², and blocks average 75 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Kota Bharu's score of 53 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 92 within 1 km of the centre, 61 from 1 to 3 km out and 43 from 3 to 5 km out. 35% 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 Kota Bharu. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 93 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 92 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 61 | 48% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 43 | 17% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia | 133 km | 51 |
| Sungai Petani, Malaysia | 202 km | 52 |
| Alor Setar, Malaysia | 208 km | 52 |
| Ipoh, Malaysia | 214 km | 67 |
| Kuantan, Malaysia | 284 km | 59 |
Questions about walking in Kota Bharu
Is Kota Bharu a walkable city?
Partly. Kota Bharu has a walkability score of 53 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 93. 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 12th of 18 cities in Malaysia and joint 553rd of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Malaysia?
Petaling Jaya is the most walkable of the 18 cities ranked in Malaysia, with a score of 80. Kota Bharu ranks 12th with 53.
How does Kota Bharu compare with nearby cities?
Kota Bharu is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 53, against Kuala Terengganu (51, 133 km away), Sungai Petani (52, 202 km away) and Alor Setar (52, 208 km away).
Which part of Kota Bharu is most walkable?
Kota Bharu's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 93. Walkability averages 92 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 63) and falls most to the north-west (20).
How is Kota Bharu's walkability score calculated?
For Kota Bharu it is the average of 82 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 29 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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