Walkable cities, from Prague to Lisbon, five routes without a car.

Which cities are best explored on foot?

In September 2025, Compare the Market Australia published a ranking of 90 cities by how easy it is to get around them without a car. It measures eight things: the share of residents living within a kilometre of schools, health services and car-free spaces, safety, the price of a public transport ticket, how many people commute on foot, by bike or by public transport, cycle routes, AllTrails trails and the average rainfall of each month. Each figure is converted to a scale of 0 to 1 and the final result is a score out of 100.

Prague takes first place, with 63.11 points: according to the study, 82% of its residents live within a kilometre of a car-free space and 71% of education and health services. Vienna is second, with 62.95. Then come Tokyo, Wrocław and Warsaw, and in sixth place London. Madrid is seventh, with a good score for its low monthly rainfall; Stockholm, eighth; Lisbon, ninth, with 84% of residents near services; and Helsinki, tenth. We don't cover Tokyo, Wrocław, Warsaw, Stockholm or Helsinki yet; here are the five cities from the ranking that we do.

A ranking measures whole cities, not your weekend. What follows is a walking route for each one, made from streets and places that already have a listing on Geocalia, plus the free tours for anyone who prefers to go with a guide.

Prague: from the clock square to the castle

Start in Old Town Square. The astronomical clock brings out its apostles every hour from 8:00 to 23:00 and can be watched for free from the square. To the north is Josefov, the former Jewish quarter, and from there you head down to the Vltava. Cross Charles Bridge, half a kilometre of stone with thirty statues; before 8:00 there is almost nobody. On the other side you enter Malá Strana, and from there you have two climbs: Petřín Hill, by funicular or through the gardens, and the castle, whose courtyards are open from 6:00 to 22:00. The library of Strahov Monastery is on the way between Petřín and the castle.

For another day, Vyšehrad can be reached on foot along the riverbank from the Dancing House, and the boat along the Čertovka rests your legs. With a guide, there is a free tour of the Old Town and Josefov that leaves from Old Town Square.

Vienna: from the Hofburg to the opera and the market

The route follows a line. Enter through the palace gardens and Heldenplatz, next to the Hofburg, and continue through the courtyards and squares of the palace district to the Graben, the shopping street with fountains and cafés. It ends at the square of St Stephen's, where the Graben and Kärntner Straße start; the south tower has 343 steps. Kärntner Straße leads to the State Opera, with 435 standing places sold on the day from 10:00. And from Karlsplatz starts the Naschmarkt, more than a kilometre of stalls as far as Kettenbrückengasse, with a flea market on Saturdays.

If you want a guide, the free tour of the palace and centre leaves from Helmut-Zilk-Platz, lasts about two hours and ends near St Stephen's. For museums, the Kunsthistorisches and Schönbrunn each need a day of their own.

London: from the City to the Thames

London is walked in pieces. The City section fits in a morning: the Millennium Bridge, with St Paul's straight ahead if you cross from south to north, and about twenty-five minutes along Cheapside, Leadenhall Market, with its Victorian roof of 1881. Two streets away is the Sky Garden, free with a booking, and a quarter of an hour's walk further, the Tower of London. From there, the river bus reaches Greenwich in 23 minutes, and Greenwich is explored on foot.

Royal London has its free tour: it leaves from Charing Cross and passes Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards, St James's Park, Buckingham Palace and Parliament as far as Westminster Abbey. If a theme interests you, Platform 9¾ at King's Cross or Camden Market are mid-morning stops.

Madrid: from Habsburg Madrid to the Royal Palace

The historic centre is done on foot from Plaza Mayor to Plaza de Oriente. You pass Plaza de la Villa, the San Miguel Market and the Almudena, and finish next to the Royal Palace, with the changing of the guard on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next to it, the Teatro Real has a technical tour at 10:00, and Plaza de Isabel II and Ópera metro station close the route. It is exactly the route of the free tour, of about two and a half hours.

For another day, the Retiro opens at 6:00 and is free, and the Prado has two free hours at closing time. Madrid rises in the ranking partly because of its low monthly rainfall.

Lisbon: downhill, from viewpoint to viewpoint

Lisbon isn't flat, and it is better walked downhill. The viewpoints route starts at the top at Senhora do Monte and descends through Graça, Portas do Sol and Santa Luzia to the Sé: about two kilometres, two hours, free. Above it stands São Jorge Castle, with eleven towers and walls you can walk all the way round, and tram 28 takes you up what you don't want to walk. Below, the Baixa is flat to walk from Praça do Comércio, and the free tour tells the story of the 1755 earthquake and ends in the Bairro Alto. For another day there are Belém and the boat to Cacilhas. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the Feira da Ladra fills the Campo de Santa Clara.