How Walkable
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  3. Bristol

How walkable is Bristol?

By Updated

Bristol has a walkability score of 78 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 joint 10th most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom, with 1 other.

78 out of 100: Very Walkable
Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
#10 of 20
tied, in the United Kingdom
#152 of 690
tied, worldwide
100
at the centre
Open on the map

What's within walking distance of the centre

3,009 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Bristol. The nearest grocery is about 3 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.

Groceries

Tesco Express
3min3.0 of 3 points
  • Local Fruit & Veg3 min
  • Co-op Food3 min

Restaurants & bars

TukTuck
1min3.0 of 3 points
  • The Milk Thistle1 min
  • The White Lion1 min

Shopping

Limeblack
1min2.0 of 2 points
  • Photographique1 min
  • Second Wave Vintage1 min

Coffee

Blue Pig
1min2.0 of 2 points
  • Arya Shift1 min
  • Quay St. Diner1 min

Banks

Bradford & Bingley
2min1.0 of 1 point
  • Stroud & Swindon Building Society2 min
  • Cheltenham & Gloucester3 min

Parks

Castle Park
5min1.0 of 1 point
  • Royal Fort Garden6 min
  • College Green6 min

Schools

Next Level Apprenticeships
1min1.0 of 1 point
  • Learning Partnership West2 min
  • BTIT Sunday Islamic School3 min

Books & libraries

Booty
3min1.0 of 1 point
  • University of Bristol Library4 min
  • BRI Education Centre5 min

Culture & entertainment

Zed Alley
1min1.0 of 1 point
  • Colston Hall2 min
  • Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre2 min

Measured from the centre at 51.4552, -2.5966, the point near Bristol'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 66 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.

How far walkability reaches

Bristol's score of 78 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, 89 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. 81% 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.

Walkability scores across the 5 km around central Bristol, one hexagon per square kilometre. 80% of points score 70 or more; the lowest, 9, is 3 km to the north-west.
  • 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 Bristol. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.

AreaScoreScoring 70+Points sampled
Centre100100%1
Within 1 km99100%7
1 to 3 km out8996%27
3 to 5 km out6868%44

Nearby cities

CityDistanceScore
Cardiff, United Kingdom41 km81
Swansea, United Kingdom95 km66
Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom113 km70
Birmingham, United Kingdom124 km82
Coventry, United Kingdom129 km73

Questions about walking in Bristol

Is Bristol a walkable city?

Around its centre, yes. Bristol has a walkability score of 78 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 10th of 20 cities in the United Kingdom and joint 152nd of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.

What is the most walkable city in the United Kingdom?

London is the most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom, with a score of 98. Bristol ranks joint 10th with 78.

How does Bristol compare with nearby cities?

Bristol sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 78, against Cardiff (81, 41 km away), Swansea (66, 95 km away) and Reading, Berkshire (70, 113 km away).

Which part of Bristol is most walkable?

Bristol'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 north (averaging 89) and falls most to the west (23).

How is Bristol's walkability score calculated?

For Bristol 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; 63 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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