Insider Monkey compiled a list of the 30 most walkable cities in the world, and Budapest is one of them, standing in the 18th place. Here is what they wrote about the magnificent Hungarian capital.
Walking is good for your health
Based on the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), globally, an average person walks 5,000 steps daily, which is not enough. Those who walk more than 8,000 have better chances to remain healthy and avoid health catastrophes like cancer or heart attack.
“Walking is an exercise with many health benefits, including a lower risk of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and high blood pressure, as well as improved mental health. Moreover, AICR finds that being physically active for 30 minutes lowers the risk of developing colorectal, endometrial, and breast cancers”, the blog wrote.
Meanwhile, metropolises lack enough walkable or pedestrian-friendly areas. For example, “the largest 35 metropolitan areas of the US have only 1.2% of that landmass”, the news outlet wrote.
Distance between the top 5 tourist attractions is key
Based on WEF research, offices, houses, and rents are more valuable, provided they are in a pedestrian-friendly environment. The difference is significant. The so-called price premium (the percentage by which the selling price exceeds the base price) is 35-45%.
Walkable cities are better for your health and purse, air quality is more favourable, and there are fewer cars, which helps you improve even your mental health. Finally, more tourists come to a walkable city than a driver-friendly one.
The ranking considers multiple factors like the distance between the top 5 tourist attractions, air quality, crime and safety indexes. You may read more about Insider Monkey’s methodology in THIS article.
Budapest is the 18th most walkable city
On the bottom of the top 30 list stands Dubai, while Budapest occupies the 18th place. According to Insider Monkey, Budapest is “a city with grand boulevards, bridges, and thermal baths. It is a clean and safe city with well-preserved architecture that adds to the city’s beauty. Budapest also has public transport systems like trams and metros in place, which make the commute easier.
The top five attractions in Budapest are the Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, Hungarian Parliament Building, Heroes Square, and City Park. All five of these are located at a distance of only 4.2 miles from each other, contributing to the overall walkability of the city. Overall, even though Budapest does not have the best air quality and scores only 72 on IQAir’s list, its structure and design make up for it, along with the guarantee of safety”.
They said the walking time to check out all the top attractions was just 84 minutes. There are only a few Central European cities on the list. Prague is in the 17th place, while Vienna occupied the 27th. The first place went to Florence. Remarkably, you need only 10 minutes to see the top 5 tourist attractions there.
Read also:
- Awesome: Hungarian shadow theatre group astonished America’s Got Talent – Read more and check out their performance in THIS article
- Success: Budapest in Europe’s top 5 cities for theme parks
Featured image: depositphotos.com
The main thing is that Budapest is super safe.
I wonder why.
Maybe because the Hungarian government hasn’t let it get overrun with “cultural enrichment” courtesy of what Time called the “New Europeans”?