It may be a cliché, but the best way to see any city is definitely by foot. No matter the location, walking is often cheaper, less stressful – and much more conducive to the chance encounter. Few pleasures beat diving down a secluded backstreet and discovering a gloriously offbeat restaurant or shop. So it’s a shame so many cities these days appear to have been designed expressly for cars.
Helpfully, a new study from hotel chain Motel One has figured out which cities are best for those travellers fond of a good old ramble. It took the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, mapped out their most popular sights, then figured out how long it would take to walk between them.
So, which city took the top spot? That would be Bruges in Belgium. The list compilers worked out that you could everything from the historic Begijnhof Bridge to the brilliantly quirky Frietmuseum – which, as you may have guessed, is entirely dedicated to fries – in just 29 minutes. Not bad at all.
Next up on the list is Manchester, where a 30-minute walk could take in sights like the People’s History Museum, the National Football Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry. That’s a whole lot of learning. Other fun European destinations like Dubrovnik, Amsterdam and Prague also feature on the list – plenty of inspo for your next holiday on the Continent.
Want to know where else is good? Here’s the top ten in full:
- Bruges, Belgium
- Manchester, UK
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Leipzig, Germany
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Venice, Italy
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Milan, Italy
- Prague, Czech Republic
Got five minutes to spare? Want to tell us what life is like in your city? Take the Time Out Index survey here.