Philly Named America’s Most Walkable City by USA Today — For the Third Straight Year!

Step aside: Philly’s walkability reigns supreme (again and again).

Today, the 2025 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards announced that Philadelphia has been named the Most Walkable City in the U.S. — for the third year in a row. (As if there was any doubt …)

Experts from USA Today and 10Best.com nominated Philadelphia for the accolade and the nation voted for Philly to take the No. 1 spot, strolling past other major destinations like Boston, Chicago and New York City.

And it’s no surprise: Center City Philadelphia is super-easy to navigate — spanning 26 blocks from the Delaware River on the east to the Schuylkill River on the west. Only 2.4 miles separate Penn’s Landing and the Schuylkill River Trail — meaning you can walk from one end of Center City Philly to the other in just 50 minutes.

Northern Liberties   — Photo by Beaumonde Originals

Much of Philadelphia’s walkability is attributable to 17th-century city planner William Penn, who envisioned the green spaces, public squares and grid of streets that comprise Philadelphia’s downtown. Numbered streets run perpendicular north-south and east-west (many named for trees, like Walnut, Locust and Spruce).

Looking to take advantage of the city’s foot friendliness? One of the best ways to do so is to hop on a walking tour.

Philly’s robust tour scene offers in-depth excursions exploring history, food, culture, public art, ghosts, magic, veganism and much more.

Prefer going it alone? Peruse our guide to self-guided walking tours, giving you the freedom to pop into shops and down terrifically cute alleys in between stops.

Old City   — Photo by M. Stanley

Philly’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Award joins an impressive list of recent awards and accolades. In 2025 alone, the city was named one of the top 10 U.S. cities for food & drink by Food & Wine, one of America’s top destinations by Tripadvisor and the best city in America for Street Art (for the second time) by USA Today.

And let’s not forget chef Phila Lorn of Mawn recently brought home the 2025 James Beard Award for emerging chef.