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Walking is often a great way to get to know a destination in depth.
But in some places, this activity is at best a monumental folly, and at worst a gamble on life.
And what about the locations? It’s the travelers’ turn. Redditwho came to the site to share the places where they had their least pleasant experiences as pedestrians.
User ‘Lakuriqidites’ started the discussion on the ‘Travel’ forum when he asked: ‘In which city/country did you have the “worst experience” as a pedestrian?’
From a European city where “bikes run you over” to a place where a co-worker had to take a taxi to cross the street, scroll down to see the world’s least walkable places…
One Reddit user described Egypt’s capital Cairo (pictured) as “hell for the feet.”
Egypt’s largest city – and its capital – has left some pedestrians distressed, with Redditor ‘mscherrybaby007’ describing it as a “hell for the feet”.
User ‘Wandercay’ agreed: ‘Drivers often drive on the wrong side of the road and most of them don’t seem to follow any rules. We were also very bothered by people trying to extort money from us when we were walking around the city. They would follow us and not leave us alone.’
‘Elegant-Passion2199’ added: ‘In Cairo, I spent a lot of money on taxis, the lack of sidewalks, the constant harassment to buy things, the heat, the garbage, the smell.’
Houston, Texas
One Reddit user described Houston, Texas (pictured) as the “worst city for pedestrians” in the US.
Houston, walkers have a problem.
Redditor ‘Refrito_perdido’ described Houston as ‘by far’ the ‘worst pedestrian city’ in the United States
The user explained: ‘There are no sidewalks or they are right next to a street (there is no boulevard), plus the zoning laws are crap or non-existent. So walking from one place to another just doesn’t make sense. And urban sprawl is no joke either.’
User ‘koreamax’ added: ‘I grew up in San Francisco and thought most cities were walkable. I visited Houston and went out one night with friends. I drunkenly said I would walk back to my hotel. It took me four hours.’
User ‘thrwaway75132’ added: ‘Even if you can see where you need to go, there’s an eight-lane highway with no crosswalks between you and your destination.’
Hanoi, Vietnam
One Reddit user said Hanoi (above) is “by far the worst hiking experience I could have ever imagined.”
Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has come under fire for forcing pedestrians into the streets.
‘Aceholio404’ wrote: ‘Hanoi is by far the worst walking experience I could have ever imagined. All the sidewalks are literally covered with motorbikes or makeshift seating at restaurants which they hide when the police drive by as it is not allowed. You can’t go a single block without having to walk through extremely busy streets.
‘To be fair, it does add to the experience and I would like to point out that it is a good city and a great country, but I am convinced that there is no worse experience of walking in a city.’
Amsterdam, Netherlands
One user claimed that in Amsterdam (above) “bikes will run you over”
With up to 400 kilometers (248 miles) of bike lanes, Amsterdam is perfect for cyclists but, as some Redditors point out, not for pedestrians.
‘FroeverKangaroo’ wrote: ‘Amsterdam caused me stress as a pedestrian. Bikes run you over.
‘We stayed a little outside the city centre, which probably made matters worse as our daily walk to see the sights often shared the paths with cyclists on the faster parts of their commute.’
User ‘AW23456__99’ said: ‘I’m from Southeast Asia and Amsterdam gave me a lot of anxiety as a pedestrian.’
One furious Redditor, ‘Golfandrun’, added: ‘Cyclists are fucking ignorant.’
Philippines
Trying to cross the streets in the Philippines is like “putting your life on the line.” Above is a busy street in the country’s capital, Manila.
One country that was on the tip of many Redditors’ tongues was the Philippines.
‘A_panda_named_ewok’ wrote: ‘Manila was my instinctive response. The Philippines is a beautiful country and the people are incredibly friendly, but trying to cross those huge streets (which have no crosswalks) is literally risking your life to play Frogger.’
User ‘Cgtdream’ agreed: ‘Crossing traffic in the Philippines should be a sport. I could have died many times over there.’
User ‘sudoku602’ added: ‘I once had to take a taxi just to cross the street because there was no way for pedestrians to do it.’
‘Gie_lokimum’ said: ‘I’m Filipino. Last time I visited, it took me 30 minutes to cross the street.’
Bali, Indonesia
According to Reddit users, Bali is “barely walkable” due to “traffic” and “lack of sidewalks.” Above is a typical street in the city of Ubud.
Despite its popularity as a tourist destination, Bali is not a pedestrian-friendly place, according to Reddit users.
‘Legitamate_Map963’ wrote: ‘Bali is virtually impassable in the tourist areas – there are no sidewalks in 90 percent of places and there is a lot of traffic.’
To which ‘CityboundMermaid’ replied: ‘Yeah, the missing sidewalks in Bali are crazy! I felt fine during the day, but at night? Hell no!’
User ‘bb79’ agreed: ‘Bali also gets my vote. In Ubud, I was always wondering, “Where’s the footpath?” Every building and shop seems to have its own makeshift strip of narrow, unconnected tiles, concrete or dirt, but most of the time it’s easier to just walk down the street.’