When looking for a place to travel too, one of my primary reasons to look for is too see how walkable that city is. I usually like to stay in the center of a town or city that way I can walk out the front door and go for a stroll and see what is around. If I have to get in taxi, call Uber or hop on a bus just to from one place to another, I would certainly consider other places before traveling to this type of city.
Therefore, for those that like to visit places similar to the way that I do, I have come up with my top 7 walkable cities. This is by no means that these are the only walkable cities in the world, nor are they in order of best to least, they are just the ones that I found the best of the cities that I have traveled to. Please feel free to add your own opinion in the comments section
Cartagena
The charm of Cartagena is something that has to be seen in order to be belived and is one of reasons its in my top 5 list. The city’s historic center, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site Walking around the walled City of Cartagena is a great way to spend an afternoon enjoying the Spanish Colonial architecture. There are churches and museums to explore, as well as a number of outdoor cafes where one can stop for a cold beer or other refreshment.
On any walking tour of Cartagena be sure to include a stop at some or all of Clock Tower, Plaza de Aduana, Old Town Walls, Museo Historico de Cartegena, Colorful Walls and Flower Boxes and Santuario San Pedro Claver.
Even though Cartagena in unforgettable with Cobblestone Streets, Picturess Buildings and Historic sites along with shopping, restaurants, cafes, and more, the only downside is you should Expect to sweat, as the tropical humidity spares no one, however once the sun goes down, walking around the old cobblestone streets becomes a much more pleasant affair.
A Few Recommended Places to Stay:
- Sofitel Legend Santa Clara
- Alfiz Hotel
- Casa San Agustin
- Casa Don Sancho
- Casa de Indias
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- La Cocina de Pepina
- Las Indias Boutique Gourmet
- Cuzco Cocina Peruana
Fez
Arriving in Fez for the first time you feel like you are transferred back in time. It is often reffered to as the “Athens of Africa” and the “Mecca of the West” and was once the capital of Morocco. In addition, like Cartagena it is designated a Unesco World Heritage site. It is phenomenal city to walk around although it can be a bit confusing even with the system of informational walks around the medina which are marked by color-coded signs, that the government set uop., but they are often hard to spot.
I prefer to walk around the Fez el-Bali and make it a point to see the Nejjarine Fountain and the Medersa al-Attarine ( Koranic School) that is next to the Qarawiyyin mosque in the middle of the medina. The Batha Palace is also worth a stop as it now a museum of arts and Moroccan traditions. Also, you should see the Chouwara tanneries, the Souks including Souk Attarine, which is one of the liveliest in the city and finally, Bab Boujloud with its green and blue ceramics as is the principle entrance to the old Medina in Fez.
If you have the time there is plenty more to see, just get yourself lost in the old city as is a Labyrinth of small, winding streets and you never know what surprises will await you.
A Few Recommended Places to Stay:
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- Chez Rachid at Bab Boujeloud
- Dar Roumana
- Maison Anan
- The Ruined Garden
Florence
When you are walking through Florence you often want to pinch yourself to make sure your not dreaming. I did an exchange program there for about 5 months and every day I walked by the Duomo as I made my way to class, I had to keep reminding myself how lucky I was to be able to do this. As I quickly found out, Florence is not large city and by most accounts ( mine included) its the perfect size city to walk arouund and just get yourself lost in. In fact, It’s a city that you should take your time with and walk slowly through and enjoy each and every building. Even after spending 5 months there, every time I turn the corner I seem to run into sculptures or ornate etching in the architecture that I don’t ever remember seeing.
Depending on how many days you plan on spending in Florence, you should consider seeing all or some of the following: (The Duomo, Ufizi, and the Ponte Vecchio are all just a short distance from each other).
- Michelangelo’s David and Slaves in the Accademia
- Ponte Vecchio
- Florence Duomo
- Baptistery Doors and Gates of Paradise
- Piazza della Signoria
- Palazzo Vecchio (from outside)
- Orsanmichele Church (from outside)
- Piazza Repubblica
A Few Recommended Places to Stay :
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- La Bottega Del Buon Caffè
- Trattoria Sabatino
- Il Santino
Paris
I lived a year in Paris so this one was an easy one for me to add to the list. I understand that many people may think that Paris is so large how could it possibly be a walkable city but although there is inexhaustible number of places to see, the highlights are in easy walking distance of each other. There won’t be any surprises on my list below but while you are strolling through neighborhoods that deserve exploring such as St Germain des pres, Montmartre and the Latin Quarter be sure to make time to include some or all of them( depending on time, of course) Also, don’t forget to a lot some time to stop at one sidewalk cafes and boulangerie for some of the Paris’s famous pastry.. I still think about them!
- The Eiffel Tower: From Palais de Chaillot to Champ de Mars.
- Rue Cler to Invalides.
- Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe: Champs-Elysées.
- Place de la Concorde to the Louvre: Jardin des Tuileries.
- Palais Royal to Hotel de Ville: A Stroll Through A Royal Garden.
A Few Recommended Places to Stay ( there are lots):
- La Maison Favart
- MomArt Hotel and Spa
- Hôtel Marais Paris Caron de Beaumarchais
- Hotel Therese
- Le 1er Etage Opera
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- A La Biche au Bois
- L’As du Fallafel
- Grenier au Pain ( actually a boulangerie)
- Cosi [Sandwiches]
- Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie
- Le Marche des Enfants Rouges
Antigua
I’ll admit that this is probably not the first city you may think of in a list of top walkable cities due to all of the options available. However, having spent some many years traveling back and forth to Central America, this was always one of my favorite places to return to in part because it was such a pleasure to walk around and because its amazing collection of ancient ruins and unique and colorful churches that go all the way back to the 16th century. It is also for this reason it was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Since Antigua is a relatively small city, its an easy place to walk around at a leisurely pace. I would recommend that while you are to check out the following places:
- St Catherine’s Arch
- Casa Santo Domingo (inside the Monastery of the same name)
- Church and Convent of Our Lady of Mercy
- Hill of the Cross
- Convento de Capuchinas
- El Carmen Church and Mercado
- Church Santa Clara
- Church San Francisco
- Central Market
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- Samsara
- Y tu Pina Tambien
- Doña Luisa Xicontecatl
- SobreMesa
A Few Recommended Places to Stay:
Note: When in Antigua and similar to Fez, if you are buying souvenirs, you need to bargain with the vendor. A good rule of thumb is assuming the sellers are starting at 3 times the price.
Brugge
Even though the historic center is listed as a UNESCO Worlds Heritage Site, I would not have included Brugge if I had never returned after my initial visit . However there was a compelling reason for me to go back as there was photo tour being offered there that I really wanted to go on after hearing about it from a variety of people. And even though the tour was as good as advertised, it also showed me at the same time what gem of a city this is and how easy it was to walk around.
The center of Brugge is comparatively small and as you walk through the quaint and narrow streets you quickly come to realize how mesmerizing this city is. Depending on how much time you have or how leisurely you want to be, A typical walk of Brugge would include some of the more popular spots such as the church of Our Lady museum and the Market Square . If you have additional time and because Brugge is often referred to as the Venice of the North for its canals, a boat on the canals is definitely worth taking. The average boat ride lasts 40 minutes and you get to hear the story of some of the buildings and legends of the more famous places.
I would recommended that you include some or all of the following while you are in there:
- Hansa Quarter
- Burg
- Almshouses
- Concert Hall
- Church of our Lady Museum
- Rozenhoedkaai
- Begijnhof
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- Rose Red
- Cafe de Garre
- Cafe Vlissinghe
- Restaurant Gulden Vlies
- Rock Forte
- Chez Vincet
A Few Recommended Places to Stay:
- Hotel de Orangerie
- De Corenbloem B&B
- Hotel Prinsenhof
- Huis’t Schaep
- Cote Canal
- Hotel Monsieur Ernest
Vientiane
This choice is similar to my Antigua selection and may seem somewhat of a more controversial choice for a top walkable city list. Some may say that Vientiane is not very interesting and somewhat boring and they don’t find alot going on. However, if you visit with an open mind, I think you will find, like I did that its one of the interesting as well as the most relaxed, slowest-paced capital cities you will visit, especially if you are coming from a city like Saigon. There is a reason people translate LAO PDR not with People’s Democratic Republic, but with Please Don’t Rush!
Just as a reminder or In case you were unaware, Vientiane is the capital of Laos and the smallest capital in Southeast Asia. Its located on a curve of the Mekong Delta and It’s old town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage area. For a such a relatively small city, Vientiane has several noteworthy places to see and even thought it doesn’t have the fame of Bangkok or Hanoi, it does have its own charms and will give a surprise or two to those who spend a little time exploring.
A walking tour of some of the main sights will take only a few hours but should include:
- Presidential Palace
- Buddhist temple Sisaket
- The Patuxai Gate
- That Dam Stupa
- Wat Sisaket
- Haw Pha Kaeo
- Night Market on the river
A Few Recommended Places to Eat:
- YuLaLa Cafe
- Joma Bakery Cafe
- Little House
- L’Address de Tinay
A Few Recommended Places to Stay: