Getting around on foot isn’t always easy in the U.S., where sprawling suburbs and car culture often dominate. But according to a new global survey by Time Out, there are still a few American cities where walking is not just possible, it’s preferred.
The magazine asked 18,500 people across dozens of cities one simple question: How easy is it to get around your city by foot? Their answers helped rank the most walkable cities in the world.
The number 1 spot went to Abu Dhabi, UAE, but surprisingly, an American city claimed second place overall. And no, it wasn’t New York City. While NYC ranked fourth globally (behind Brighton, UK), the title of most walkable city in the U.S. went to Boston. An impressive 89 percent of locals gave the city high marks for its walkability.
Boston earns its spot with its compact layout, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, and historic sights all within close reach. In fact, one of the city’s top attractions is a walk, the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile route that links 16 key historic sites from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument.
Other U.S. cities that made the list include Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., proving you don’t always need a car to explore.
The world’s top 20 most walkable cities
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Boston, USA
- Brighton, UK
- New York, USA
- Bilbao, Spain
- Chicago, USA
- Edinburgh, UK
- Marrakech, Morocco
- San Francisco, USA
- Cardiff, UK
- Shanghai, China
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Paris, France
- Oslo, Norway
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Singapore, Singapore
- Melbourne, Australia
- London, UK
- Lyon, France
- Washington DC, USA
