The U.S. Cities Where Visitors Can See More on Foot

Photo by Sasha P

Article courtesy of TripSIM.

Boston leads the U.S. cities ranked for exploring on foot.

A city break can involve less time in transit when attractions are easier to reach on foot. Boston ranks first in a comparison of 100 U.S. cities for tourists, followed by New York City and Seattle.

A ranking by TripSIM assessed four factors: Walk Score, average walking time for the top five attractions, parks per 100,000 people and safety.

Boston leads with a total score of 86.80. Its top five attractions have an average walking time of 35 minutes, and the city has 133.25 parks per 100,000 people.

New York City ranks second,

with the highest Walk Score among the top 10 at 88. Seattle takes third, while Chicago and San Francisco complete the top five. San Francisco has the highest Walk Score of all 100 cities, at 89, but places fifth overall.

For travelers who want to compare destinations, the ranking highlights how a city can score differently across the individual measures. New York City, for example, ranks second overall and has a 30-minute average walking time for its top five attractions. Buffalo ranks seventh overall and has 134.18 parks per 100,000 people.

Arber Abdullahu, spokesperson for TripSIM, said:

“Build your itinerary around the places you want to visit, then check the walking time between them. It’s also useful to leave room for rest stops and to review local route information before setting out.”

Port St. Lucie ranks 100th, while Los Angeles places 98th. The ranking uses a weighted composite: Walk Score and attraction walking time each account for 35%, while parks per capita and Numbeo’s Safety Index each account for 15%. It compares the 100 selected cities and does not capture differences between neighborhoods.

Full data and information: View the complete ranking