USA TODAY 10Best
Get ready to save on gas money: 10 most walkable cities in the US
Most Walkable City in the U.S. (2023)
Visiting a walkable city in the United States offers a lot of benefits for travelers who want to explore different attractions, enjoy the local culture, stay healthy and especially save some money. Not to mention, you'll be doing the environment a favor by reducing your carbon footprint.
These 10 cities – chosen by a panel of travel experts and voted as the best by readers for their walkability – offer lots of things to do, places to eat and places to stay, all connected by pedestrian-friendly streets.
- Washington, D.C.
- Chicago, Illinois
- Seattle, Washington
- New York City, New York
- Boston, Massachusetts
- St. Augustine, Florida
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Long Beach, California
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo courtesy of washington.org
No. 10:
Washington, D.C. is a compact, walkable city that’s home to incredible museums and monuments, with most of its major attractions within walking distance of each other. Also, with excellent public transportation, there’s really no need for visitors to rent a car.
Photo courtesy of Alice Achterhof
No. 9:
Chicago is easy to navigate on foot and that’s especially true for its downtown area. Many other parts of the city have sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly designs, too. Some of the best walkable areas include East Ukrainian Village, West Loop, Lincoln Park, Noble Square and Oak Park. The Chicago Lakefront Trail is an especially popular walking trail with great views.
Photo courtesy of Visit Seattle
No. 8:
With the surrounding mountains, forests and bodies of water, Seattle is nicknamed the "Emerald City" for all its lush greenery. It’s also very walkable, with many shops, restaurants and attractions easily accessed on foot. The most pedestrian-friendly parts of Seattle include Belltown, South Lake Union, Queen Anne and Capitol Hill.
Photo courtesy of deberarr // Getty Images
No. 7:
New York City is one of the ultimate walkable cities. It has plentiful public transportation, but many visitors prefer to explore the city on foot. In fact, several of the city’s landmarks are within easy walking distance from the others, and all five boroughs of the city are walkable.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Klein
No. 6:
Boston is a walking city that’s fun to explore on foot. Beacon Hill, the neighborhood where the real Cheers (the bar that inspired the eponymous TV series) is located, is easily enjoyed by pedestrians. Other walkable parts of the city include the North End, Back Bay and Harvard Square.
Photo courtesy of FloridasHistoricCoast.com
No. 5:
The pedestrian-friendly streets of St. Augustine have a European feel, with many neighborhoods chock-full of easy-to-reach restaurants, entertainment options and shops – whether you're staying uptown or by the beach. Trolleys are a popular mode of transportation for longer distances.
Photo courtesy of Lane Pelovsky, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
No. 4:
Minneapolis is pedestrian-friendly, thanks to its Skyway System spanning 80 blocks and multiple neighborhoods packed with restaurants, shops and entertainment options. Some of the most walkable parts of the city include its downtown, Loring Park, Uptown, North Loop, Kingfield and Lyn-Lake.
Photo courtesy of Explore St. Louis
No. 3:
If you’re looking for the most walkable part of St. Louis, look no further than its bustling city center. Downtown St. Louis has very walkable streets and numerous small parks, in addition to plenty of entertainment and dining options. It's also easy to explore the grounds around The Gateway Arch on foot.
Photo courtesy of Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
No. 2:
Long Beach is a walkable, coastal city in Southern California. Downtown Long Beach is especially walkable with the close proximity of its stores, restaurants, waterfront attractions and beach. Other pedestrian-friendly areas of the city include Belmont Shore, Rose Park and Naples Island.
Photo courtesy of Albert Lee for the City of Philadelphia
No. 1:
Philadelphia is beloved for its cultural and historical attractions, and its walkability is appreciated by residents and visitors. The most walkable parts of the city include Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Fitler Square and Center City East.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Catherine Parker
Catherine Parker has a passion for travel that’s... Read More
Catherine Parker has a passion for travel that’s driven her across North America, visiting all 50 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, six Mexican states along with top destinations in the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Logging close to 100,000 miles behind the wheel, Catherine has explored 43 of the 63 U.S. national parks, 10 Canadian national parks in addition to national parks across the world. She is always willing to stop the vehicle for a great hike and has even been chased by a protective mamma bear. As an awarding-winning journalist, she contributes to U.S. News and World Report, Trip Advisor, Popular Science, Chron.com and Meredith Media’s Family Fun and Chicago’s Suburban Family. Her writing was featured in the onboard Alaskan travel guides: Compass—The Onboard Magazine of Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line Wonder Onboard Guide. Catherine also contributes to several Texas magazines as a monthly contributor well as online travel publications. Catherine publishes a family travel website, CarfulOfKids.com. She lives in Central Texas in a 100-year-old house with a menagerie of animals and adult-sized kids.
Catherine Parker
Catherine Parker has a passion for travel that’s driven her across North America, visiting all 50 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, six Mexican states along with top destinations in the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Logging close to 100,000 miles behind the wheel, Catherine has explored 43 of the 63 U.S. national parks, 10 Canadian national parks in addition to national parks across the world. She is always willing to stop the vehicle for a great hike and has even been chased by a protective mamma bear. As an awarding-winning journalist, she contributes to U.S. News and World Report, Trip Advisor, Popular Science, Chron.com and Meredith Media’s Family Fun and Chicago’s Suburban Family. Her writing was featured in the onboard Alaskan travel guides: Compass—The Onboard Magazine of Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line Wonder Onboard Guide. Catherine also contributes to several Texas magazines as a monthly contributor well as online travel publications. Catherine publishes a family travel website, CarfulOfKids.com. She lives in Central Texas in a 100-year-old house with a menagerie of animals and adult-sized kids.
Cheryl Rodewig
Cheryl Rodewig is an award-winning journalist... Read More
Cheryl Rodewig is an award-winning journalist specializing in travel. When she’s not planning her next trip — preferably to a waterfall or garden — she’s putting her MBA to use crafting marketing stories for brands. You can read her words in Thrillist, AARP, USA Today, Insider, The Guardian, and all over cherylrodewig.com. She loves it when people reach out on Twitter and sometimes Instagram.
Cheryl Rodewig
Cheryl Rodewig is an award-winning journalist specializing in travel. When she’s not planning her next trip — preferably to a waterfall or garden — she’s putting her MBA to use crafting marketing stories for brands. You can read her words in Thrillist, AARP, USA Today, Insider, The Guardian, and all over cherylrodewig.com. She loves it when people reach out on Twitter and sometimes Instagram.
Danielle Fear
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized... Read More
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her audience as CruiseMiss. As well as maintaining an award-winning cruise blog, she also works as a freelance writer, content manager and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 75 sailings, including 2 world cruises, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.
Danielle Fear
Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her audience as CruiseMiss. As well as maintaining an award-winning cruise blog, she also works as a freelance writer, content manager and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 75 sailings, including 2 world cruises, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.
Dave Stamboulis
Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer/photographer... Read More
Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer/photographer based in Bangkok. Born in Athens, Greece and growing up in the U.S., Dave first discovered Bangkok while on a 45,000-kilometer bicycle trip and moved there for good in 2005. Dave's photos appear in publications around the world. He's the author of Odysseus' Last Stand, which received the Silver Medal for Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers. In addition to updating the Fodor's Guidebook to Thailand, he is the author of 500 Hidden Secrets to Bangkok, and his travel stories and photography appear in publications around the globe.
Dave Stamboulis
Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer/photographer based in Bangkok. Born in Athens, Greece and growing up in the U.S., Dave first discovered Bangkok while on a 45,000-kilometer bicycle trip and moved there for good in 2005. Dave's photos appear in publications around the world. He's the author of Odysseus' Last Stand, which received the Silver Medal for Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers. In addition to updating the Fodor's Guidebook to Thailand, he is the author of 500 Hidden Secrets to Bangkok, and his travel stories and photography appear in publications around the globe.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She... Read More
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at jamiesmithwrites@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at jamiesmithwrites@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Lauren Mack
Lauren Mack is a freelance travel and food... Read More
Lauren Mack is a freelance travel and food journalist whose work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The Daily Meal, Culture Trip, Cheapflights.com, TripSavvy, Booking.com, Newsweek International, ThoughtCo, and more. She currently writes for INSIDER, Thrillist, Time Out USA, Seeker, Goldbelly, Savory Traveler, and BestColleges. A journalist for 23 years, Lauren has edited and written travel guidebooks on Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Miami, and New York for Zagat, Time Out, GuidePal, and Explorer Publishing. Lauren has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia Journalism School. She has traveled to 54 countries on five continents and counts Beijing and Taipei, two cities where she lived for many years, as favorites. Lauren is a 2023 recipient of Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Gold Key award. Facebook: laurenmackny | Twitter: @lmack | Instagram @mack_lauren | Website: www.laurenmack.com.
Lauren Mack
Lauren Mack is a freelance travel and food journalist whose work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The Daily Meal, Culture Trip, Cheapflights.com, TripSavvy, Booking.com, Newsweek International, ThoughtCo, and more. She currently writes for INSIDER, Thrillist, Time Out USA, Seeker, Goldbelly, Savory Traveler, and BestColleges. A journalist for 23 years, Lauren has edited and written travel guidebooks on Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Miami, and New York for Zagat, Time Out, GuidePal, and Explorer Publishing. Lauren has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia Journalism School. She has traveled to 54 countries on five continents and counts Beijing and Taipei, two cities where she lived for many years, as favorites. Lauren is a 2023 recipient of Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Gold Key award. Facebook: laurenmackny | Twitter: @lmack | Instagram @mack_lauren | Website: www.laurenmack.com.
Olivia Christine Perez
Olivia Christine Perez is an outdoor + travel... Read More
Olivia Christine Perez is an outdoor + travel wellness expert, author, and the creator of O. Christine: a travel and wellness platform inspiring thousands of people to travel more and get outdoors for their wellness. Living with an autoimmune disease herself, Olivia helps people find wellness through the outdoors, self-care adventures, and mindful travel experiences. You can follow her work at ochristine.com and instagram.com/ochristine.
Olivia Christine Perez
Olivia Christine Perez is an outdoor + travel wellness expert, author, and the creator of O. Christine: a travel and wellness platform inspiring thousands of people to travel more and get outdoors for their wellness. Living with an autoimmune disease herself, Olivia helps people find wellness through the outdoors, self-care adventures, and mindful travel experiences. You can follow her work at ochristine.com and instagram.com/ochristine.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
