Footsteps Or Four Wheels
Some countries make you want to ditch the car keys and wander for hours. Others? You’ll be clocking miles on the highway just to reach a decent breakfast café. So to help you plan better, we pulled together ten countries that are perfect for power walkers and ten that are better explored behind the wheel. First up, let’s hit the destinations where walking shoes become your best travel companion from day one.
1. Kenya
Life in Nairobi unfolds on foot, since many residents lack access to private transport. Streets buzz with people weaving through traffic, even though sidewalks feel risky. Authorities recently pledged one-fifth of the road budget to safer walking paths to make the place safer for everyday commuters.
2. Ethiopia
Addis Ababa’s city plan places walking at its core, with hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks underway. Officials now see pedestrian life as part of national progress. New crossings and safety lighting are reshaping how residents travel on foot.
3. India
For many Indian families, owning a car remains uncommon, so walking forms the heart of everyday movement. Bustling bazaars flourish by serving people on foot, and seasonal rains transform streets into colorful umbrella parades that reveal how deeply pedestrian life shapes both cities and villages.
4. Nigeria
In Lagos and other hubs, streets teem with walkers navigating markets and busy intersections. Car ownership is low, and it forces a reliance on pedestrian travel, while informal shuttles fill the gaps. From farmers returning home to children heading to school, walking is the way to go.
5. Vietnam
Sidewalks in Hanoi feel alive with scooters parked beside cafés, vendors selling noodles, and people weaving through. Walking doubles as transport and culture, especially since car ownership remains limited. Grab a stool at a street stall and you’ll see just how foot traffic keeps the city thriving.
6. Philippines
Manila’s dense streets push parents and workers to walk daily. Corridors crowd with footsteps, and side streets buzz with chatter. Few households own cars, so informal transport joins walking as the default. Schools even design entrances with pedestrian flow in mind, which proves that walking dominates city life.
7. Bangladesh
Dhaka’s roads showcase how vital walking can be. Rickshaws dart between crowds, but most movement happens on foot. Vendors thrive on sidewalks, and social life often centers around the street corner. Mobility may be tough, yet pedestrian energy drives the entire city.
8. Denmark
Copenhagen’s famous bike culture doesn’t overshadow walking, since city centers carve out entire streets just for pedestrians. Planners even track foot traffic to shape future design. Bridges shaped like sculptures encourage people to cross on foot, which makes walking both practical and visually memorable across the city.
9. France
In Paris, every corner feels like it’s built for walking. Half of all trips happen on foot, supported by dense neighborhoods and quick metro links. Some districts even close streets to cars on weekends, letting families stroll freely. The “15-minute city” model pushes walkability into the spotlight of France’s urban life.
Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France on Wikimedia
10. Colombia
Bogotá embraces pedestrians with bold moves like weekly car-free Sundays, where 120 kilometers of road turn into a massive walking festival. Pop-up plazas appear in squares, and activism keeps pushing walkability forward. For residents, walking is like a civic ritual celebrated every week.
Now that we’ve explored countries on foot, let’s turn to those where the layout and lifestyle are built around a 4-wheeler and walking becomes a nightmare.
1. United States
American suburbs thrive on the automobile. With ownership rates surpassing 90 percent, families depend on cars for everything from errands to work to travel. Even schools adapt with designated drive-up lanes, reflecting how deeply vehicles are embedded in the nation’s ordinary daily structure.
2. New Zealand
Getting around here often means hopping into a car. Cities like Auckland face endless traffic, and rural routes stretch for miles without decent transit. Scenic drives past lakes and mountains turn necessity into pleasure, which is probably why New Zealand embraces car culture wholeheartedly.
3. Australia
Across Australia, sheer space influences daily habits. Major hubs sit far apart and public transport falls short, so families depend on cars for work runs and outback journeys. The country’s sprawling road network is to credit for this.
User:Orderinchaos on Wikimedia
4. Saudi Arabia
Deserts and rapidly expanding cities leave little room for alternatives. Riyadh’s wide roads and Jeddah’s spread-out neighborhoods demand vehicles. Extreme heat only strengthens reliance. While metro projects are underway, for now, cars define Saudi Arabia’s pace, carrying families across vast regions.
5. Monaco
Despite being tiny, Monaco has one of the world’s highest car ownership rates. Luxury vehicles dominate narrow streets, and wealth fuels a love for automobiles. Public transit exists, though the supercars gleaming outside casinos tell you how people here prefer to move around.
6. Poland
Highways and cross-border drives shape mobility in Poland. Cars remain vital for both city dwellers and rural residents, with ownership rates among the highest in Europe. Weekend road trips to neighboring Germany are common, and many historic towns lean heavily on car-based access.
Warszawska róg Szerokiej w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim, w województwie łódzkim, PL, EU on Wikimedia
7. United Arab Emirates
Similar to Saudi, the distance is large, and the heat is unbearable in the UAE. Dubai’s wide highways and Abu Dhabi’s sprawling layout make driving unavoidable. Luxury SUVs fill the roads, but practicality plays its part too, with cars becoming less a luxury and more a lifeline.
8. Canada
Snowy winters and sprawling suburbs push Canadians into cars. Even in major cities, neighborhoods stretch far beyond walkable distances, and public transit often lags behind. Pickup trucks and SUVs top the list of favorites, making the open road a daily necessity across the country.
9. Greece
On the mainland and across its islands, travel often depends on cars. Public transit can’t always reach mountain villages or tourist spots hidden away from cities. Locals rely on scooters within towns, but between destinations, cars remain the most practical way to move.
10. Iceland
Few countries highlight car reliance like Iceland. The famous Ring Road circles the island and links glaciers and fishing towns. With minimal rail options and harsh winters, locals and tourists depend on cars because they have become the only safe way to travel.
