- Cities
- United Kingdom
- Swansea
How walkable is Swansea?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Swansea has a walkability score of 66 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the least walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,241 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Swansea. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, shopping, parks and schools.
Groceries
- SPAR, 7 min
- Masala Bazaar, 10 min
Restaurants & bars
- Theo's Fishbar, 7 min
- Waun wen chippy, 7 min
Shopping
- Premier, 4 min
- Browns premier store, 4 min
Coffee
- Matt's Cafe, 11 min
- Tim Hortons, 11 min
Banks
- The Co-operative Bank, 15 min
- HSBC Swansea, 16 min
Parks
- Brynmelyn Park, 9 min
- Hafod Park, 14 min
Schools
- St Joseph's Cathedral Primary School, 10 min
- Jack In The Box Childrens Nursery, 10 min
Books & libraries
- WHSmith Swansea Rail, 12 min
- South Wales Miners Library, 17 min
Culture & entertainment
- Swansea Water Front Museum, 10 min
- RE:ACT Performing & Production Arts, 10 min
Further than usual
- The nearest restaurant is 5 minutes from the centre on foot, against 1 minute for the median city ranked.
- The nearest café is 11 minutes from the centre on foot, against 3 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest bank is 15 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at 51.6286, -3.9505, the point near Swansea'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 124 street intersections per km², and blocks average 86 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Swansea's score of 66 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 85 within 1 km of the centre, 73 from 1 to 3 km out and 53 from 3 to 5 km out. 42 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. 47% 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 Swansea. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 85 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 85 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 73 | 55% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 53 | 23% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff, United Kingdom | 55 km | 81 |
| Bristol, United Kingdom | 95 km | 78 |
| Birmingham, United Kingdom | 170 km | 82 |
| Coventry, United Kingdom | 188 km | 73 |
| Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom | 207 km | 70 |
Questions about walking in Swansea
Is Swansea a walkable city?
Partly. Swansea has a walkability score of 66 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 85. 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 20th of 20 cities in the United Kingdom and joint 354th 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. Swansea ranks 20th with 66.
How does Swansea compare with nearby cities?
Swansea is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 66, against Cardiff (81, 55 km away), Bristol (78, 95 km away) and Birmingham (82, 170 km away).
Which part of Swansea is most walkable?
Swansea's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 85. Walkability averages 85 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-east (averaging 67) and falls most to the south-west (38).
How is Swansea's walkability score calculated?
For Swansea it is the average of 49 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 23 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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