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How walkable is Manchester?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Manchester has a walkability score of 86 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 2nd most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,952 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Manchester. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- The Co-operative Food, 1 min
- Tesco Express, 1 min
Restaurants & bars
- Bearded Feeder, 1 min
- Barburrito, 1 min
Shopping
- Pinkblock Hot Tub Hire, 1 min
- Shared Earth, 1 min
Coffee
- Blank Street Coffee, 1 min
- Piccadilly Wall, 1 min
Banks
- Santander, 1 min
- Halifax, 1 min
Parks
- Sackville Gardens, 7 min
- Cathedral Gardens, 9 min
Schools
- Eleven Plus Tutors In Manchester, 9 min
- City College Manchester, 11 min
Books & libraries
- NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care, 1 min
- National Research Ethics Service, 1 min
Culture & entertainment
- Piccidilly Gardens, 1 min
- Nobles Amusements, 1 min
Measured from the centre at 53.4809, -2.2374, the point near Manchester'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 289 street intersections per km², and blocks average 52 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Manchester's score of 86 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, 87 from 1 to 3 km out and 84 from 3 to 5 km out. 92% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 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 Manchester. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 99 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 87 | 100% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 84 | 86% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom | 44 km | 68 |
| Bradford, United Kingdom | 47 km | 75 |
| Liverpool, United Kingdom | 50 km | 85 |
| Sheffield, United Kingdom | 52 km | 75 |
| Leeds, United Kingdom | 57 km | 80 |
Questions about walking in Manchester
Is Manchester a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Manchester has a walkability score of 86 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 99. 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 2nd of 20 cities in the United Kingdom and joint 52nd 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. Manchester ranks 2nd with 86.
How does Manchester compare with nearby cities?
Manchester is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 86, against Preston, Lancashire (68, 44 km away), Bradford (75, 47 km away) and Liverpool (85, 50 km away).
Which part of Manchester is most walkable?
Manchester's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 99. Walkability averages 98 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the west (averaging 90) and falls most to the north-west (76).
How is Manchester's walkability score calculated?
For Manchester it is the average of 88 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 81 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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