1 study · 1 free dataset

Data Studies

Most travel rankings are opinions, or other people's lists stitched together. These are not.

Each study asks one travel question, measures every place in a fixed set the same way from open data, and publishes the method, the weights and the full dataset so that anyone can check or reuse the result.

See the studies

CityViking data studies in numbers

  • 1 Study published
  • 100 Places measured
  • 1 Free dataset
  • 100% Open, citable sources

The Studies

The rules every study follows

  • Our numbers. Every figure is computed by us from a named open source, not copied from another ranking.
  • Same test for everyone. Every place in the study is measured by the same method, with no hand-picked winners.
  • Method on the page. Every measure, weight and known limitation is written out on the study page.
  • Data you can take. The complete dataset is a free CSV download, with no sign-up.

Using Our Data

Journalists, researchers and other writers can use these datasets without asking first. Please link to the study page you took the figures from (not just to the CSV), so readers can see how they were produced. If a figure looks wrong, tell us: every study is a script, so a correction is made at the source and the whole table is recomputed.

Studies are rankings we compute ourselves. For trackers compiled from official sources, such as tourist taxes, visitor caps and entry rules, see Travel Data.

Data studies FAQ

Five questions about the studies and their data.

What is a CityViking data study?

A ranking or comparison built from data we computed ourselves, not collected from other rankings. Each study defines one question ("how much of this city can you do on foot?"), measures every place in a fixed universe the same way, and publishes the method, the weights and the full dataset alongside the result.

Where does the data come from?

Open sources that anyone can check: OpenStreetMap, official statistics such as US Census Bureau population estimates, and government registers. Each study page names its sources, the date the data was pulled and the limits of what it can measure.

Can I use your data in my own article or research?

Yes. Download the CSV from the study page and use it freely. Please credit CityViking and link to the study page, so readers can see how the figures were produced. Datasets derived from OpenStreetMap are shared under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0), which also requires crediting OpenStreetMap contributors.

How often are the studies updated?

Each study is re-run from its script when its sources change materially. At minimum that happens once a year, when new Census estimates are published. The "updated" date on each study shows when its figures were last recomputed.

I found an error. How do I report it?

Tell us through our contact page, with the study and the figure in question. Because every study is computed from a script, a correction is applied to the data source or the method, and the whole table is then recomputed, so one figure is never patched by hand. How we source and check figures is set out in our editorial guidelines.