Google Maps Walking Times Edinburgh and Glasgow

Google Maps walking time is based on an average pace of 3 miles per hour and they claim its adjusted based on slope but I've never felt its very accurate. Although, I'm also a fellow flatlander so maybe I'm just slower on the hills. Also, I'm usually walking slower than 3 mph when I'm on vacation because I'm stopping to take pictures, look at the scenery, trying to figure out the right way to go, etc. I usually add around 30% to the estimated time.

I’m in pretty good shape, but not when it comes to hills. By the end of my trip to Edinburgh in 2023, I was getting a little sick and tired of the hills.

Everyone says Lisbon is hilly, but I had a worse time in Edinburgh.

I’m going back later this year and am already dreading the hills. Sounds like we both need to head to the Dunes to get some hill practice. :-)

The Glasgow timing especially feels very fast paced to me, but then I'll be honest I would never do that walk, I'm hopping on the Glasgow Subway. Distance aside I dont think it's taking into account time spent waiting at crosswalks or other pedestrian traffic.
@Gerry probably has a more informed opinion but I definitely wouldn't want to be heading for a train in that time, and I'm a fast and aggressive walker normally.

I think if you kept up a good pace you could walk from Kelvingrove Park to Queen Street in 28 minutes. There's a couple of different routes, depending on what part of the park you started in. That one is fairly flat, with quite a lot of downhill when you get to the city centre.

The Edinburgh one I'm not sure about. Sounds about right? That's a fairly flat walk too. The worst of the hills are up in the Old Town.

Another flatlander from Chicago here! I found the walking times for Edinburgh fairly accurate for me in April this year. If you are used to doing better than Google maps suggests in other places (as I am), I think the given estimates will be reasonable for Edinburgh. I noticed the stairs much more than the hills - those slowed me down a bit after I over did it on one occasion. (Not enough Stairmaster preparation???)

Google times for both driving and walking reflect average travel time. Statistical samples are used to update their algorithms. You can expect half the trips to be faster than the times and half the trips to be slower.

When I am in tourist mode, I typically slow down my pace for both driving and walking in order to enjoy the experience more. A good ten minute walk can take half an hour and add memories for a lifetime!

Happy travels.

I've seen a lot of Google walking-time estimates that were higher than 20 minutes per mile, almost certainly because of challenging terrain. I take a lot of photos but am probably a faster-than-average walker, so Google usually works pretty well for me as a guide--as long as I'm not ot diverting from the direct route or pulling a suitcase; the latter makes me a lot slower. Walking through city center areas at times when sidewalks are really crowded can make a noticeable difference, too.

I can't vouch for the walking-time estimates for the specific routes mentioned.

If it helps for context google maps says ... Glasgow 28 minutes walk from Kelvingrove Park to Queen Street Station.

I walked from Glasgow Central Station to Kelvingrove Park, which is about the same distance, and it took me right around 30 minutes, give or take a minute. I have found over the years that Google walking times are pretty accurate. As others have said, it depends on your own walking speed, but if you walk at a nice clip (not meandering too much), you will find them pretty much on point.