First annual edition · Published 21 August 2026
The small towns that out-walk the world’s great capitals
The first Questo City Stories Index scores 80 cities in 19 countries on one question: how much does a city give back when you explore it on foot? It draws on real walked routes and the players who walked them, not opinion panels.
London tops the index with 75 points out of 100, ahead of New York City on 69 and Bucharest on 66. The Romanian capital finishes above Rome, Amsterdam and Paris.
The pattern running through the 2026 edition is that fame and walkability are not the same thing. Sibiu, a Transylvanian city of 134,308 people, comes sixth in the world, ahead of Amsterdam, Madrid and Paris. Walk a route there and you pass a place with a story every 156 metres. Pisa, population 89,002, outscores 48 of the index’s big cities. Colchester places 17th, ahead of Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool.
The index scores four things: how much story a city holds, how often you pass one, what those stories are about, and how people actually play there. It does not measure quality of life, cost or reputation.
Scores are frozen for each annual edition and recomputed for the next, so a citation stays valid. Cities without enough measured coverage are published unranked rather than scored low. The full method, including sample sizes and known limitations, is public.
"Fame is not what we measured. A quiet city with dense, well-told streets will outrank a celebrated one whose streets keep to themselves. This is not a verdict on greatness. It is a map of where walking pays off."
Key findings
A story every 156 m
Sibiu, Romania
The closest together of any big city in Romania, in a city ranked sixth in the world.
32 in every 100 plays
Houston, United States
Bring a group of three or more, the highest rate in the index.
Outscores 48 big cities
Pisa, Italy
Population 89,002, and it beats most of the index’s major cities.
594 storied places
London, United Kingdom
The largest collection of places with a story measured anywhere.
How to cite
Questo City Stories Index, 2026 edition, with a link to the page the figure comes from. Scores are frozen per edition and recomputed for the next one, so a citation stays valid.
Want your city's numbers?
We will run the data for any city or country in the index and send it over, including cuts that are not published. Email press@questoapp.com.