How Walkable
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  3. Edinburgh

How walkable is Edinburgh?

By Updated

Edinburgh has a walkability score of 80 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 8th most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom, with 1 other.

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

What's within walking distance of the centre

4,118 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Edinburgh. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.

Groceries

Metro
5min3.0 of 3 points
  • Sainsbury's Local6 min
  • Co-op Food6 min

Restaurants & bars

Eve Edinburgh
1min3.0 of 3 points
  • Cafe Andaluz1 min
  • Kick Ass Bar1 min

Shopping

Hannah Zakari
1min2.0 of 2 points
  • Fabhatrix1 min
  • Macdonald Framing2 min

Coffee

The Cow Shed
1min2.0 of 2 points
  • Knoops1 min
  • Grassmarket Centre1 min

Banks

Bank of Scotland
2min1.0 of 1 point
  • Royal Bank of Scotland3 min
  • Bank of Scotland Foundation3 min

Parks

East Princes Street Gardens
4min1.0 of 1 point
  • West Princes Street Gardens5 min
  • The Meadows5 min

Schools

Wallace College
1min1.0 of 1 point
  • Residence Life University of Edinburgh6 min
  • St Thomas of Aquins RC High School9 min

Books & libraries

National Library of Scotland
1min1.0 of 1 point
  • Scottish Business Information Service1 min
  • Central Library1 min

Culture & entertainment

Underbelly Cowgate
1min1.0 of 1 point
  • The Bongo Club1 min
  • Annexe1 min

Measured from the centre at 55.9482, -3.1925, the point near Edinburgh'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 103 street intersections per km², and blocks average 90 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.

How far walkability reaches

Edinburgh's score of 80 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, 86 from 1 to 3 km out and 72 from 3 to 5 km out. 19 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. 79% 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 Edinburgh, one hexagon per square kilometre. 79% of points score 70 or more; the lowest, 7, is 3 km to the south.
  • 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 Edinburgh. 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 out8688%26
3 to 5 km out7269%39

Nearby cities

CityDistanceScore
Glasgow, United Kingdom67 km83
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom148 km78
Belfast, United Kingdom230 km76
Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom246 km68
Bradford, United Kingdom257 km75

Questions about walking in Edinburgh

Is Edinburgh a walkable city?

Around its centre, yes. Edinburgh has a walkability score of 80 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 8th of 20 cities in the United Kingdom and joint 127th 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. Edinburgh ranks joint 8th with 80.

How does Edinburgh compare with nearby cities?

Edinburgh sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 80, against Glasgow (83, 67 km away), Newcastle upon Tyne (78, 148 km away) and Belfast (76, 230 km away).

Which part of Edinburgh is most walkable?

Edinburgh'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 87) and falls most to the south (51).

How is Edinburgh's walkability score calculated?

For Edinburgh it is the average of 72 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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