How walkable is Ulaanbaatar?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator) has a walkability score of 44 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it car-dependent: most errands require a car. Its centre scores 97, and open map data lists fewer everyday places away from the centre here, so the score is likely an underestimate. It ranks joint 640th of 690 cities worldwide, though fuller map data would likely place it higher.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,033 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Ulaanbaatar. The nearest grocery is about 7 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- City Club, 9 min
- Good Price, 15 min
Restaurants & bars
- Pho House, 1 min
- Nazca Restaurant & Lounge, 1 min
Shopping
- Flower Center, 5 min
- tsetseg tuw, 5 min
Coffee
- Хангарьд Цамхаг, 3 min
- The Reef Cafe Bar, 3 min
Banks
- State Bank of Mongolia (Төрийн банк), 3 min
- Bogd Bank, 3 min
Parks
- Төрийн ордны хойд талын цэцэрлэгт хүрээлэн, 5 min
- Б.Явуухулангийн цэцэрлэг, 5 min
Schools
- Шинэ эриний хүүхдүүд цэцэрлэг, 7 min
- Сүхбаатар дүүргийн 25-р цэцэрлэг, 8 min
Books & libraries
- Ider Inst, 7 min
- National Learning Resource Center, 7 min
Culture & entertainment
- National Museum of Mongolia, 3 min
- 蒙古国家博物馆, 4 min
Measured from the centre at 47.9194, 106.9134, the point near Ulaanbaatar'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 85 street intersections per km², and blocks average 103 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Ulaanbaatar's score of 44 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 87 within 1 km of the centre, 62 from 1 to 3 km out and 24 from 3 to 5 km out. 17 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. 26% 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 Ulaanbaatar. 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 | 87 | 83% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 62 | 48% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 24 | 0% |
Questions about walking in Ulaanbaatar
Is Ulaanbaatar a walkable city?
Its centre is, but most of the area around it is not. Ulaanbaatar has a walkability score of 44 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it car-dependent: most errands require a car. Its centre scores 97. Open map data lists fewer everyday places away from the centre in some cities, so scores there may be underestimates. 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 joint 640th of 690 cities worldwide on How Walkable.
Which part of Ulaanbaatar is most walkable?
Ulaanbaatar's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 97. Walkability averages 87 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 62) and falls most to the north-west (5).
How is Ulaanbaatar's walkability score calculated?
For Ulaanbaatar it is the average of 74 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 19 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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