How many kilometers will you walk in New York?

Never run a marathon before? In New York, get ready to rack up the miles! Here are the results of our survey...

The average is 20 km of walking per day in New York

Browse our New York guide and travel tips for New York, and you’ll quickly see that New York is a megacity packed with things to see and do. You’ll need to cover serious distances to explore it all.
Be prepared: in New York, you walk “a lot, a lot, a lot,” as Fabienne points out on our Facebook group. Corinne agrees: “I’ve never walked as much as I did in New York.”
To get a precise picture of how many kilometers you’ll cover, I asked our Destination New York Facebook group to calculate an average. The result? 61.1% of respondents said they walked between 16 and 20 kilometers each day, while 24.5% walked between 21 and 25 kilometers daily.
Step-counting apps and pedometers go wild in New York. Stéphane logged 189 kilometers in 11 days, while Carole totaled 267 kilometers in 11 days.

Visitors who walked less than 15 kilometers per day during their New York stay are rare: only 5.3% covered between 11 and 15 kilometers daily.
Karine explains: “I prefer to visit fewer places—between 12 and 15 km per day—but really get to know them. That way I can come back more often and for longer to discover new areas.”
Ledra managed the pace with three children under 10 and about 16 km of walking each day. “Everyone slept really well after days like that,” she jokes.

On the other end, some covered much more than 20 kilometers daily. 7.7% walked between 26 and 30 kilometers per day.
The 30-kilometer mark seems to be a limit: only 0.53% of respondents said they walked between 31 and 35 kilometers per day, and 0.7% walked more than 35 kilometers daily.
“I still remember that 32-kilometer day,” says Peggy, “but beyond 30 km it becomes a forced march, not really enjoyable anymore.” Karinne agrees: “We had one day with 36 km—my feet still remember it.”

To handle this real marathon and avoid blisters and tendinitis, check out our tips for preventing foot pain in New York.
One thing you’ll discover: New York has an incredible energizing effect on your body. Nathalie puts it best: “Every evening you collapse exhausted, arms spread wide, convinced you won’t be able to walk another meter tomorrow. But you wake up refreshed and thrilled to explore or rediscover the streets, parks, and buildings. Really, all you need is good sneakers.” Enjoy your visit! 🙂