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Seattle, WashingtonLet your stomach lead the way in Seattle. Start at Pike Place Market: Seafood lovers will enjoy Pike Place Chowder, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese serves dairy delights, and the line’s worth it for Piroshky Piroshky’s sweet and savory Russian delicacies. Then stroll along the bay for beautiful views, wander the Olympic Sculpture Park, and head up the iconic Space Needle for a jaw-dropping vista of the whole city. (1.4 miles)

Photograph by Berthold Steinhilber, laif/Redux

Stroll America’s most walkable cities

From Portland to New Orleans, slow down for the perfect stroll in these beautiful cities.

ByKelly Barrett

September 6, 2019

There’s nothing like the freedom and spontaneity of exploring a city entirely on foot. You stumble upon places the tour guides skip, meet locals along the way, and enjoy the scents and sounds you’d miss from inside a car. (Explore the cities of the future.)

Many U.S. cities are quite walkable, especially those built before 1950, according to urban planners. For city-dwellers, using the popular tool Walkscore is a good way to gauge walkability. Navigating a city on foot is one thing, but a traveler’s true question is: Why would I want to? Does the city offer visually appealing architecture, nature, or landmarks? Do trees canopy the streets? Is traffic slow?

Incorporating insights from urban experts, including Robert Steuteville of the Congress for the New Urbanism, here are walking itineraries for 10 cities where you can practice the art of taking a stroll.