Córdoba, the Andalusian city best known for its Islamic-era mosque, has been named the world's most walkable destination in a new index from the travel booking platform Skyscanner. The ranking looked beyond the usual big-name capitals, focusing instead on up-and-coming city breaks, and found that seven of its top 10 spots belong to European cities, alongside three in Japan and Canada.
How the index was built
Skyscanner used its own flight data to identify 30 emerging city-break destinations outside the United States, deliberately leaving out well-trodden favourites such as Berlin and Dubrovnik. Each city was scored across 14 factors, including the walking distance and time between main attractions, total steps required, average elevation, the number of walking trails nearby, population density, air quality, safety and the overall number of attractions on offer.
The top 10 most walkable cities
- Córdoba, Spain
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Hiroshima, Japan
- Reggio Calabria, Italy
- Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Tartu, Estonia
- Bursa, Türkiye
- Bolzano, Italy
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Europe's walkable stars
In Córdoba, visitors can cover the main sights, including La Mezquita, the city's UNESCO-listed Old Town, the Palacio de Viana, La Judería and the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, in just 26 minutes on foot, with 29 walking trails available in and around the city.
Reggio Calabria, on Italy's southern coast facing Sicily across the Strait of Messina, lets travellers see its waterfront, the Rabarama statues on Via Marina and the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in around 25 minutes and 2,321 steps.
Monte Carlo packs its main attractions, including the Oceanographic Museum, Casino Square and the harbour, into a city limit of under one square kilometre, though its steep hills mean the walk is not entirely flat.
Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city and a former European Capital of Culture, recorded the lowest air pollution of any destination on the list, alongside an old town, riverside walks and sites such as the Estonian National Museum and the Botanical Garden of the University of Tartu.
Bursa, in northwest Türkiye and once the first Ottoman capital, takes about an hour to walk between its main sights, including the Tomb of Osman Gazi and the Bursa Grand Mosque.
Bolzano, the gateway to the Dolomites, also takes roughly an hour on foot to cover its highlights, and was rated the safest city in the entire ranking, with 505 walking trails in the surrounding area.
Sarajevo combines a compact, walkable centre with dramatic scenery along the Miljacka River and into the Dinaric Alps, taking in sites including the city hall, the Baščaršija bazaar and the Latin Bridge.
Source: Euronews (Skyscanner Walkability Index 2026)
