Munich, Germany, Is the Most Walkable City in the World

Getting out and exploring a new destination is what a vacation is all about. And if you can, the best way to do that is by lacing up your sneakers and going for a nice, long walk. However, not every city is made for walking. (As someone who lives in Lisbon, I can attest to the fact that while it's entirely walkable, these hills do make it tough.)

But there are some spots where walking all day isn't just doable, it's encouraged. And Compare the Market AU has uncovered the best of the best for walks: Munich, Germany.

Methodology
The home loan marketplace website released its list of the most walkable cities in the world. To figure out which ones were the most pedestrian-friendly, it analyzed various destinations based on several factors: The city's rainfall totals, number of walking trails, their individual safety scores, public transit cost, biking trails, public transit costs, and the number of car-free places. After tallying up the data, it named Munich the most walkable of all. 

“Nestled in the heart of Bavaria, Munich is officially the most walkable city in the world, for several reasons,” the findings noted. Those reasons included its hundreds of miles of bike trails and the fact that 86 percent of the local population lives within 1km (a little more than half a mile) of a car-free space.

“Despite Munich’s public transport being the third most expensive, it scores the fourth highest for safety, which is key when walking around; as well as the joint second highest for people living within a kilometer of health care and education facilities, at 85 percent,” it added. 

Coming in a close second is Milan, Italy, winning high marks thanks to the fact that “80 percent of the population is within one kilometer of health care and educational services.”

Rounding out the top three is Warsaw, Poland, which also earned a top spot due to its compact size. The findings also noted that public transport is affordable here, with a one-way ticket costing approximately $1.

The findings also noted that nine out of the top 10 walkable cities are in Europe, with Helsinki and Paris rounding out the top five, with Tokyo breaking up the European dominance at No. 6. Madrid came in seventh, followed by Oslo, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam, completing the top 10. 

However, there are still other walkable spots sprinkled all over the globe, with Sydney taking the 11th place spot and New York City, the highest placing U.S. city, in No. 34.

See where else made the list at comparethemarket.com.