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How walkable is Rotterdam?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Rotterdam has a walkability score of 77 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 3rd most walkable of the 4 cities ranked in The Netherlands.
What's within walking distance of the centre
2,583 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Rotterdam. The nearest grocery is about 2 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Amigo, 2 min
- AH to go, 5 min
Restaurants & bars
- Soup & Sandwich, 1 min
- Bed Rotterdam - Bar. Eten. Drinken, 1 min
Shopping
- Lost & Found Store Spaces, 1 min
- Horeca Online Webshops, 1 min
Coffee
- Night Town, 1 min
- Carillon Coolsingel Rotterdam, 1 min
Banks
- ABN Amro Bank, 2 min
- ABN AMRO, 4 min
Parks
- Jan Evertsenplaats, 5 min
- Sint Jacobspark, 5 min
Schools
- Peuterspeelzaal 't Dominootje, 7 min
- Heer Bokel College, 8 min
Books & libraries
- Maritiem Museum Rotterdam, 1 min
- Boekhandel Snoek, 3 min
Culture & entertainment
- Oude Luxor Theater, 3 min
- Marathon Sport Expo, 4 min
Measured from the centre at 51.9225, 4.4792, the point near Rotterdam'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 191 street intersections per km², and blocks average 71 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Rotterdam's score of 77 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, 86 from 1 to 3 km out and 68 from 3 to 5 km out. 13 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 Rotterdam. 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 | 86 | 88% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 68 | 60% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| The Hague, The Netherlands | 21 km | 85 |
| Utrecht, The Netherlands | 48 km | 69 |
| Amsterdam, The Netherlands | 58 km | 87 |
| Antwerp, Belgium | 78 km | 81 |
| Brussels, Belgium | 120 km | 94 |
Questions about walking in Rotterdam
Is Rotterdam a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Rotterdam has a walkability score of 77 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 3rd of 4 cities in The Netherlands and joint 170th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in The Netherlands?
Amsterdam is the most walkable of the 4 cities ranked in The Netherlands, with a score of 87. Rotterdam ranks 3rd with 77.
How does Rotterdam compare with nearby cities?
Rotterdam sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 77, against The Hague (85, 21 km away), Utrecht (69, 48 km away) and Amsterdam (87, 58 km away).
Which part of Rotterdam is most walkable?
Rotterdam'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 south (averaging 87) and falls most to the north-east (46).
How is Rotterdam's walkability score calculated?
For Rotterdam it is the average of 78 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 57 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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