What does "Walking Distance" really mean to Europeans vs. Americans

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One of the funniest culture shocks for Americans traveling to Europe isn’t the food, the language, or even the tiny coffee cups—it’s the sheer amount of walking Europeans consider “normal.”

In most American cities, “walkable” often means:

• “Can I get from my parked car to the front door without getting wet?”

• A half-mile errand requires your vehicle.

• Anything over 15–20 minutes on foot starts to feel like you are going to have to stop for food at some point.

Then you land in Paris, Rome, London, or Amsterdam and discover that Europeans have an entirely different scale of "walkable" and that these cities aren't laid out like a theme park. For example, I often hear people say they want to stay someplace central where they can "walk everywhere". Here are some sample walking distances:

• Kensington Palace to the Tower of London: nearly 2 hours

• Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame: 1 hour 15 minutes

• Colosseum to Vatican City: 1 hour 15 minutes

Even if you split the distance and stay between these attractions, you're STILL looking at AT LEAST a 30-minute walk either direction, which, for many Americans, is unfathomable but for Europeans is their walk to work each day.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Americans and Europeans look at walking distances VERY differently.

I’ve watched American tourists in London look at Google Maps, see “22 minutes walking,” and instinctively reach for their phone to call a ride… only to realize the tube or a taxi would take longer. They start the walk grumbling, and 15 minutes later they’re posting Instagram stories about how “Europe is magically walkable!!” (Translation: they just walked farther than they have in the last three years back home but don't want anyone to know that it was a struggle.)

The secret, of course, is that most European city centers were designed centuries before cars existed. Streets are narrow, parking is a nightmare, public transit is excellent, and everything you actually need—bakery, pharmacy, café, grocery, bar—is usually within a 10–15-minute radius. So walking five kilometers doesn’t feel like “exercise”; it feels like… going places. Sometimes getting to your car in Europe would take longer than walking to the place you're going. I know people in London who park their cars miles from where they live. So, they only use them when they are leaving the city. Otherwise, they walk (or take public transit).

Meanwhile, many American cities were planned around the automobile. Corner stores disappeared, grocery runs became big-box expeditions, and anything beyond the driveway feels like an inconvenience. I mean, can you imagine doing your Costco run on foot? Europe isn't built like that. Larger big box stores like Costco or Ikea are found outside the historic areas tourists frequent.

The result? Americans arrive in Europe, accidentally log 20,000 steps before lunch every day, and then go home completely exhausted, 5 lbs lighter and with sore feet.

So if you’re American and heading to Europe soon, pack comfortable shoes and lower your expectations of what “far” means. Your fitness tracker will thank you, and you’ll finally understand why Europeans look mildly horrified when you suggest driving three blocks to get tacos.

I always suggest my clients start walking longer distances months before their trips. Few take that advice and many tell me later they SHOULD have taken that advice.

Check out my new favorite shoes! I just logged thousands of steps through Christmas Markets in these and while my knees were sore (the stairs.... nobody tells you about all the stairs), my feet never hurt. LINK