SINGAPORE - The only way to truly appreciate a city is to walk its streets, stroll through its parks and meander along its riverbanks. Which is hard to do in cities that are spread out over vast areas — Los Angeles, Tokyo and Beijing, for example. To make our 10 Best Walking list, cities had to offer our readers a horde of tourist sites, restaurants, museums and nightlife in concentrated areas – in easy walking distance, without taking a cab ride from site to site.

So, in no particular order, here are my 10 Best Walking cities where you can save on cab fare and get some exercise in the process:

Singapore

This is the Garden of Eden of Asian cities. Its 16 spectacular parks boast some of the rarest species of fauna and flora in the world and are a delight to walk. The city features some of the most colourful ethnic neighborhoods on the plant — Little India, Chinatown and Arab Street — and they’re wonderful places to walk and soak up the local culture and the spicy street foods served there. The shopping areas — I like Orchard Road the most — are packed with stores ranging from designer to dime shops. A nightly stroll along Boat Quay or Clarke Quay will take you to some of the city’s best restaurants — el fresco dining at its best. May I recommend Jumbo seafood restaurant — there are several locations along the historic quays — where the favorite local delicacy, pepper crab, was swimming offshore just a few hours earlier. Talk about fresh! You can get lost walking amid the city’s famed forest of skyscrapers in the Central Business district, which turns into an outdoor food court at night, offering the best-tasting and most affordable satays in the world. Best of all, the aforementioned attractions are all within walking distance of each other and the city’s collection of 5-star hotel properties.

Vienna

Most of the action in this Austrian beauty happens around the Ringstrasse (main boulevard) from off which elegant streets lead to much of the city’s historic sites, it’s wonderful eating and shopping core, and, of course, the blue Danube. A walking tour around the “Ring” will take you to magnificent holdovers from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including the Summer Palace, the Armoury Museum — one of my favorite in the world — St. Stephen’s Cathedral and many other grand churches, the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the city’s grand Opera House and the historic Hotel Sacher — I recommend you stop and enjoy a piece of its famous Sacher chocolate torte. Remember, too, to stop for coffee every so often — impressive cafes include, Cafe Demel, Cafe Central and Cafe Imperial. For the best schnitzel in Vienna — and the world — stop off at a pub called Zu Den Zwei Lieserln (1170 Wien, Burggasse 63). Even the Lonely Planet guide agrees with me that this is the best schnitzel you’ve ever tasted. To give yourself a rest from walking, hop aboard a tram and head a few blocks to the Belvedere Palace — great statues and gardens — or take a train to the ultimate in European palace opulence, the incredible Schonbrunn Palace.

Paris

The French capital is really just a collection of small towns divided by one great river, the Seine. And walking the river’s left and right banks and the narrow streets of Montparnasse, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Montmartre, the Latin Quarter, Le Marais and of course, Avenue des Champs-Elysees, is all part of the experience of being in Paris. Even Pigalle, the city’s notorious Red Light District where the iconic red windmill of the Moulin Rouge cabaret lights up the night sky, is an interesting place to stroll. Just be careful who you talk to. Montparnasse is one of my favorite walking areas in Paris — a place where legendary artists like Picasso and Cocteau hung out and where great writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre found many of their most memorable literary characters in smoky cafes like La Coupole and La Rotonde. A walking tour through Le Marais introduces you to an area developed by King Henri IV and features some magnificent heritage apartments and lots of small corner bakeries. St. Germain-des-Pres is home to a collection of great cafes and restaurants while Montmartre, with Sacre-Cour acting as a beacon, draws tourists to its squares where modern artists try to imitate the works of greats like Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, all of whom once lived in this area and relished in its Bohemian lifestyle.

Prague

If you’ve never visited this Czech Republic beauty, then you’ve never visited Europe’s most beautiful city. Prague’s Old Town is the undisputed winner of the “Most Beautiful European City” category in any guide book you’d like to look up. Its collection of spires, bridges, castles and churches is the most impressive we’ve ever seen in one small area. And walking is pretty much the only way you’ll truly appreciate all this city has to offer. Most walking tours start in the medieval centre of Prague around the Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter, once the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe. A walk across the iconic Charles Bridge, one of Europe’s oldest stone bridges, and a cruise along the city’s Vltava River are all but mandatory for any visitor. All roads in Prague lead to the city’s massive castle — the largest medieval castle complex in Europe. Within its walls there’s much to see and admire, like the magnificent St. Vitus Cathedral. There’s also a small replica of Paris’ Eiffel Tower and in the Žižkov quarter there’s a 200 meter-high telecommunications tower. Near Prague Castle you can walk through picturesque Mala Strana en route to St. Nicholas Church. Make sure you allow yourself time for a traditional Czech lunch near the Royal Way on Nerudova Street. As you’d expect in a city this old and important, there’s plenty of museums to visit — one of the most intriguing is the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments. Ouch! You can also enjoy a haunted walking tour of Prague and it’s a great way to end your visit to this amazing city.

Quebec City

This French-Canadian stronghold holds the distinction of being the oldest North American city (with occupants) and its compact size makes an easy walk for visitors, especially within in the city’s old stone walls, where most of the interest lies. If you’re lucky enough to secure a room at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac — an historic property that has been hosting world leaders and royalty ever since it opened in 1893 — you’ll be close to all the major tourist attractions. Quebec City is split into an upper and lower town, with the castle-like Chateau Frontenac sitting like a crown on the highest point of the old city. A funicular connects the upper and lower towns and walking tours usually start on a boardwalk in front of the Chateau at a spot called Terrasse Dufferin, and end in Place-Royale, a restored central square in lower town. Lower town features the oldest residential areas of the city as well as chic restaurants and boutique hotels carved out of centuries-old stone buildings. The impressive Museum of Civilization is located in lower town and is well worth a visit. The Vieux Port (Old Port) area is where cruise ships and Arctic-bound supply ships tie up. It’s always been the most active part of town since it was first settled in the late 17th century. There’s many historic houses to visit — Maison Chevallier and Maison Louis Jolliet are two we highly recommend — as well as the Royal Battery, a spot where the French lost control of the city to the British in 1759 during a battle on the Plains of Abraham. Place-Royale is a fine place to end your walking tour — the small European-type square has been the most active area of the city over its history and recent renovations have brought the former 17th and 18th-century homes of wealthy merchants back to their original beauty. A great time to visit Quebec City is during the annual Carnival, but the Arctic weather at that time of year usually makes it too uncomfortable to walk around. If you can’t afford Europe, Quebec is a great alternative.

San Francisco

This city proves good things do come in small packages. Despite being one of the smallest major tourist cities in the world — only 20 kilometers wide and about 97 kilometers long — there’s a lot crammed into this pint-sized paradise and the best way of seeing all it has to offer is by walking it. Because of its hilly terrain, however, you’d be well advised to take one of the city’s iconic streetcars to Union Square, and walk down from there. The city’s major highlights — Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, twisty Lombard Street and the Haight-Ashbury area are all within easy walking distance of each other; and more importantly they’re all downhill from Union Square. Enjoy a bread bowl of clam chowder on Fisherman’s Warf and don’t forget to walk through the Italian district — Columbus Ave. — where the focaccia sandwiches come piled high and the cafes are packed with bohemians and hipsters alike. At Stella Pastry, make sure you take a break from walking and enjoy a cannoli and the garlic-infused everything at the Stinking Rose restaurant will spice up your visit.

London

Bring an extra thick pair of walking shoes for this city. Like Paris, London is a collection of intriguing neighborhoods and it makes sense to zero in on one to tour each day of your visit. Like the Sloane Square area — one of my favorites — which is close to Knightsbridge and all that high-end shopping, as well as some fabulous historic sites and the area in which I found the best Indian restaurant in London, Amaya. Check out the Phoenix House apartment for deals on accommodation. Another spot I’d highly recommend to walk is Borough Market in East End London, where celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver can be seen buying the freshest of ingredients for their restaurants. There’s plenty of companies that offer guided tours of London, and many of those tours deal with historic events that have happened in the world’s most exciting city over the decades — like the Jack the Ripper night-time tour and lots of ghosts tours. Talk about a walk on the wild side! Another walk I’ve enjoyed is along London’s inner canal system — an often overlooked tour that brings you into the Regent district of London and an area known as Little Venice, which really looks more like Little Amsterdam. Thanks to J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter’s popularity, there’s now a walk exploring all the locations used in those films and James Bond fans can tour all the places the super sleuth hung out, including our favorite spot in the capital for martinis — shaken, not stirred — the fabulously chic Dukes Hotel. And there are always those great walks through London’s amazing collection of regal parks and of course along the Thames River to be enjoyed.

Amsterdam

For a city renowned for its canals, it’s Amsterdam’s walking paths and narrow streets that really lead to the city’s best highlights, like the Rijks Museum, the largest storehouse of history in the Netherlands and where the works of legendary artists like Rembrandt proudly hang. A short walk from the mega museum is the smallish Van Gogh Museum, devoted to the works of my favorite impressionist painter, whose haunting self portraits hang alongside his famous landscapes. One place I came upon during my walk around water-logged Amsterdam was the Begijnhof, where I walked through a narrow, vaulted passageway to find a charming garden ringed by apartments where celibate nuns known as the Beguines once lived in secrecy. There’s plenty of cafes where you can stop for a coffee or some marijuana — don’t worry, it’s legal in Holland — and please try the French Fries that come with a wonderful mayo dip. The Oude Kerk is an old protestant church that’s worth visiting and it’s location in the city’s infamous Red Light District gives you an excuse to go there. The area known as the “canal ring” is filled with lots of quant shops and houses, many of which have no numbers, just symbols, which were used during Napoleon’s era to identify the work done by the occupant. All canals and streets in Amsterdam lead to Anne Frank’s house and the city’s historic Jewish Quarter, as well as some wonderful Thai restaurants, the best eating spots in the city for my money.

Edinburgh

This is a city where “close” encounters are around every corner. But “close” in this case is the Scottish word for “alley” and the ones running off the Royal Mile are the highlight of any walk through this most charming of United Kingdom cities. In fact, Edinburgh has about 60 closes and each bears the name of the prominent family who lived on the close or the business conducted on them. For instance, Advocate’s Close was where Lord Advocate Sir James Stewart lived and Old Fishmarket Close, well, that is self explanatory. The most famous of all Edinburgh’s closes is Mary King’s Close — believed to be the most haunted place in Great Britain, where victims of the city’s plague (1645) were buried in mass graves. Another of the famous closes is Paisley Close, site of a tragic accident in 1861 when a building collapsed, killing 35 people. During rescue efforts, a voice of a young boy trapped in the rubble was heard to say: “Heave awa’ chaps, I’m no’ dead yet.” The boy, whose name was Joseph McIvor, survived and lived to a ripe old age. His portrait and the words he spoke that day now hang over the arched close entrance. The Royal Mile leads to Edinburgh Castle and lots of great souvenir shops as well some interesting pubs. My favorite was one called the Deacon Brodie, named after a local villain who was actually the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There’s not a dull street to walk in this city and some of the most fascinating sites can be seen on a stroll though Edinburgh’s moss-covered cemeteries. The World’s End Pub, circa 1800s, is a great place to end your “close encounters” tour of Edinburgh – a place where close encounters are of the good kind.

Charleston, S.C.

No one disputes this Southern Belle is America’s most beautiful city. And one walk around its charming cobbled stone streets lined with magnificent Antebellum homes and low hanging trees was enough to convince me. The historic downtown is where American Colonial and Civil War history intersect, because this city played an important role in both. Charleston is considered the cultural capital of the South and is a living museum, with a wonderful variety of things to do and see. In this beautifully preserved city you can experience through historic landmarks, including its charming 18th century homes and plantations, the Battery and the refurbished city market. Charleston also boasts numerous art galleries and there are many historic Charleston hotels to choose from in the downtown area – my favorite is the Mills House where Civil War general Robert E. Lee stayed. The best place to start your Charleston tour is at Waterfront Park, which leads to the Battery at the tip of the peninsula, where ships with tall masts and sails once docked and Civil War cannons proudly stood, facing the harbour and the Atlantic Ocean. Charleston is often referred to as “The Holy City” because there are so many churches; you are never out of sight of a church steeple. The whole city seems to be a garden, lush with azaleas in the spring season and other types of blossoms and foliage the remainder of the year. Because Charleston is a city of schools, there’s lots of youthful activity in the bars and restaurants around the Old Market area in the evenings.