The 100 best cities in the world to explore by foot revealed - Travel News

Apr 12, 2024

Pound the pavement at these pedestrian-friendly cities.

There’s truly no better way to see a city than by taking a leisurely stroll. Walking through narrow streets, off the beaten path. You get to experience the true essence of a city by seeing life take place in front of your eyes rather than zooming past you as you look out the window of a taxi or tour bus.

If you love to get your step count up and close some of those regularly neglected rings on your Apple watch then this list is for you. The 100 best cities from around the world to explore by foot have been revealed.

GuruWalk, which claims to offer ‘the best free walking tour guides in the world’, based its list off booking and search data for 800 cities across 120 countries made on the website from April 2023 – April 2024. The site compared the number of bookings and page visit per destination in order to compile this list.

Trevi Fountain, Rome. Source: Katie McKnoulty

Taking first place is none other than Italy’s Eternal City, Rome. If you’ve ever been to the Italian capital you will know that a little piece of history can be discovered around the most obscure corners. Of course, there’s big ticket attractions like the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain, but exploring the city by foot leads to discoveries like restaurants that are decades old and some of the best gelato in the world in smaller neighbourhoods.

Coming in second is Hungary’s Budapest. History, architecture and nightlife are the main pillars of this eclectic city and all can be discovered by foot. In third place is Barcelona. Here, hours can be spent getting lost in the winding streets of the Gothic Quarter where history, good food and local artisans can be discovered.

Following Barcelona in fourth place is Madrid. Spain’s capital is packed full of charming squares, cobblestone streets and green spaces, best explored by foot. Rounding out the top five is Florence, Italy. With its historic centre, which is home to main historic attractions like the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, is also a limited traffic zone so cars are not allowed to enter making it perfect for pedestrians.

Here is the complete list of 100 of the best cities around the world to explore by foot: