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How walkable is Zurich?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Zurich 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 ranks joint 181st of 690 cities worldwide.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,786 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Zurich. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Coop, 5 min
- Migrolino, 5 min
Restaurants & bars
- 2. Akt Sportsbar, 1 min
- Stamped Burgers & Fries, 2 min
Shopping
- Premium Trade, 1 min
- Jenni Uhren AG, 2 min
Coffee
- Boréal Coffee Shop Talacker, 3 min
- Miyuko, 4 min
Banks
- BBVA (Suiza) SA, 3 min
- Bordier & Cie Banquiers Privés, 3 min
Parks
- Kasernenareal, 8 min
- Mentona-Moser-Anlage, 9 min
Schools
- Schanzengraben 1, 2 min
- Academic Gateway, 6 min
Books & libraries
- SLSP AG, 6 min
- Analph Comic Shop, 7 min
Culture & entertainment
- Haus Konstruktiv, 4 min
- EWZ Unterwerk Selnau, 4 min
Measured from the centre at 47.3706, 8.5334, the point near Zurich'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 172 street intersections per km², and blocks average 69 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Zurich'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 98 within 1 km of the centre, 83 from 1 to 3 km out and 65 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. 66% 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 Zurich. 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 | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 83 | 78% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 65 | 46% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Stuttgart, Germany | 164 km | 66 |
| Augsburg, Germany | 208 km | 66 |
| Milan, Italy | 217 km | 94 |
| Mannheim, Germany | 236 km | 67 |
| Munich, Germany | 242 km | 87 |
Questions about walking in Zurich
Is Zurich a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Zurich 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 joint 181st of 690 cities worldwide on How Walkable.
How does Zurich compare with nearby cities?
Zurich sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 76, against Stuttgart (66, 164 km away), Augsburg (66, 208 km away) and Milan (94, 217 km away).
Which part of Zurich is most walkable?
Zurich'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 98 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north (averaging 90) and falls most to the north-east (49).
How is Zurich's walkability score calculated?
For Zurich 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; 38 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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