The Most Walkable Cities in Canada: Ranked by Walk Score and Real Experience

I have a controversial opinion: you can judge a city by how much you can accomplish on foot. If you need a car to buy groceries, get coffee, and reach a park, the city has failed at being a city. Sorry, I don't make the rules. (I do, actually. This is my list.)

I spent the last year walking through Canadian cities with a pedometer, a notebook, and an unreasonable amount of curiosity about sidewalk quality. I tracked Walk Scores, Transit Scores, counted crosswalks, measured block lengths, and ranked the most walkable cities in Canada based on actual data — not feelings.

Here are the results.

Getting Around

The whole point of this article is that you walk. But getting between walkable cities still requires transit:

Pro tip: VIA Rail's "Escape" fares are absurdly cheap if you book 2-3 weeks ahead. I got Toronto → Montreal for $35 USD. That's less than the Uber to the train station cost.

What to Do

The Most Walkable Cities in Canada — Full Rankings

#1: Montreal, Quebec — Walk Score: 65 (city avg) / 95+ (downtown)

Montreal wins, and it's not particularly close. The plateau neighborhoods — Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mile End, Outremont — have Walk Scores above 95. I walked 14 km in a single day without trying, without needing transit, and without running out of things to see.

What makes it work:

• Dense, mixed-use neighborhoods with shops, cafés, and parks on every block
• Wide sidewalks and genuine pedestrian culture (Montrealers actually walk places)
• The Underground City (RÉSO) — 33 km of tunnels connecting malls, metro stations, and buildings. Walkable even in -25°C
• Mont Royal Park sits right in the middle. A 30-minute walk up gives you a view of the entire city
• Car-free streets in summer (Rue Sainte-Catherine becomes pedestrian-only in sections)

Best walking neighborhoods: Le Plateau, Mile End, Old Montreal, Griffintown, Villeray

Where I walked: Old Montreal → Chinatown → The Plateau → Mile End → back via Avenue du Parc. 16 km. 4 hours. Zero transit needed. Stopped at 3 cafés and 2 bakeries. Perfect day.

#2: Vancouver, British Columbia — Walk Score: 60 (city avg) / 92+ (downtown)

Vancouver's walkability gets a massive boost from the Seawall — a 28 km paved path circling the waterfront and Stanley Park. I've walked sections of waterfront paths in 40+ cities worldwide, and Vancouver's Seawall is the best I've experienced. Not close.

What makes it work:

• The Seawall connects Coal Harbour → Stanley Park → English Bay → Kitsilano → Granville Island
• Downtown is compact enough to cross in 25 minutes on foot
• Granville Island is a walking paradise (market, studios, waterfront)
• Multiple beach access points by foot from downtown
• Excellent transit (SkyTrain) fills the gaps

Limitations: Anything south of Broadway starts getting car-dependent. North Vancouver and Burnaby require transit. The hills in parts of Kitsilano and Main Street are real.

Best walking neighborhoods: West End, Gastown, Yaletown, Kitsilano, Main Street

#3: Toronto, Ontario — Walk Score: 61 (city avg) / 89+ (downtown)

Toronto is a tale of two cities. The downtown core — roughly bounded by Bloor, the Don Valley, the Lake, and Bathurst — is extremely walkable. Sprawling suburbs like Scarborough and North York? Car territory.

What makes it work:

• PATH underground system (30 km connected)
• Dense, diverse neighborhoods (Kensington, Queen West, Danforth, Leslieville)
• Flat terrain means comfortable walking everywhere downtown
• TTC streetcars supplement walking perfectly

Limitations: The city is bigger than you think. Walking from The Beaches to High Park is technically possible but it's 15 km. Beyond the downtown core, walkability drops fast.

Best walking neighborhoods: Kensington Market, Queen West, Yorkville, St. Lawrence, The Annex

#4: Quebec City, Quebec — Walk Score: 58 (city avg) / 90+ (Old City)

Quebec City's Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the single most walkable square kilometer in Canada. Narrow cobblestone streets, no cars in many sections, architecture from the 1600s. It feels European because it basically is — this is the only walled city in North America north of Mexico.

What makes it work:

• Old Town is compact and pedestrian-first
• Funicular connects Upper and Lower Town ($4 CAD)
• Plains of Abraham park is right there
• Petit Champlain is the oldest commercial district in North America

Limitations: Outside Old Town, Quebec City gets suburban fast. The walk from Old Town to newer neighborhoods requires hills and highway crossings. It's a walkable destination, not a walkable city in the modern sense.

Best walking areas: Upper Town, Lower Town, Place Royale, Rue Saint-Jean

#5: Victoria, British Columbia — Walk Score: 53 (city avg) / 85+ (downtown)

Victoria might be the most pleasant city to walk in Canada. Not the most walkable by raw numbers, but the experience is something else. Mild weather year-round (rarely below 0°C), harbor promenades, and a small downtown that takes 15 minutes to cross.

What makes it work:

• Mild, wet-but-walkable climate year-round
• Inner Harbour to Beacon Hill Park is a stunning 20-minute walk
• Fisherman's Wharf has floating homes and food stalls
• Dallas Road waterfront path along the ocean
• Small enough that everywhere feels close

Best walking neighborhoods: James Bay, Downtown, Fernwood, Cook Street Village

#6: Ottawa, Ontario — Walk Score: 51 (city avg) / 82+ (downtown)

Ottawa surprises people. The Rideau Canal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) doubles as a 7.8 km walking/cycling path in summer and the world's largest skating rink in winter. ByWard Market is one of Canada's oldest and most walkable market districts.

What makes it work:

• Rideau Canal paths on both sides
• ByWard Market is walkable and full of restaurants
• Parliament Hill and national museums are all clustered within walking distance
• Major improvements to cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in recent years

Best walking neighborhoods: ByWard Market, The Glebe, Centretown, Westboro

#7: Halifax, Nova Scotia — Walk Score: 56 (city avg) / 80+ (downtown)

Halifax punches above its weight class. The waterfront boardwalk is 4 km of restaurants, beer gardens, and boat-watching. The city is small enough that downtown to the Citadel (historic fort on a hill) is a 10-minute walk.

What makes it work:

• Compact downtown with waterfront access
• Halifax Public Gardens (free, beautiful, Victorian-era)
• University campuses add energy and walkable street life
• Great food scene concentrated in a small area

Limitations: Hills. Halifax is built on a hill, and the walk from the waterfront to the top of Citadel Hill is steep. Worth it for the view, rough on the knees.

Best walking neighborhoods: Downtown waterfront, Spring Garden, North End, Quinpool

The Full Rankings Table

Where to Eat

Best restaurants accessible on foot in each walkable city:

Pro tip: In Montreal, walk from Schwartz's to Fairmount Bagels (1.2 km). Get a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz's, then a fresh sesame bagel at Fairmount. This is the definitive Montreal food walk and costs under $15 total.

Budget Breakdown

Average daily cost in walkable Canadian cities (assuming you walk everywhere downtown):

Montreal and Quebec City are the best value. Halifax is the cheapest. Vancouver is the most expensive. Toronto falls somewhere in between.

FAQ

Q: What is the most walkable city in Canada? A: Montreal, by every metric I measured. Walk Score, density, pedestrian culture, underground walkability in winter, and pure enjoyment of walking. Vancouver is a close second, especially if you weight waterfront walkability heavily.

Q: Can you survive in Canadian cities without a car? A: In Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto's downtown cores — absolutely. I spent weeks in each without renting a car. In smaller cities like Victoria, Halifax, and Quebec City, you can manage in the downtown areas but will want transit or rides for anything outside the core.

Q: What about Canadian winters? Can you still walk? A: Montreal's Underground City (RÉSO) solves this — 33 km of tunnels. Toronto's PATH does the same (30 km). In other cities, winter walking depends on your cold tolerance. Victoria stays mild year-round. Ottawa turns the frozen Rideau Canal into a skating commute.

Q: Are Canadian cities bike-friendly too? A: Montreal has 900+ km of bike paths and a BIXI bike-share system. Vancouver has protected bike lanes downtown. Toronto is improving but still behind. Calgary has the most bike path kilometers per capita in North America, which surprised me.

Q: How do Canadian cities compare to European walkability? A: Quebec City's Old Town rivals any European city for walkability. Montreal's Plateau neighborhoods are comparable to mid-tier European cities like Lyon or Barcelona's Eixample. Vancouver and Toronto are more North American in layout but their cores compete well. Overall, Canada's best neighborhoods are walkable; the problem is suburban sprawl beyond downtown.

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