"Stroller" comes closest, but flâneurs aren't idly strolling. They're city explorers and keen observers of its character. It's the fashion to tackle long hikes up mountains and along coastlines, but how many rocks and trees are enough?

If you want what Balzac called "gastronomy of the eye", then surely only city streets will do. Such walks condense a city's character into a concrete kilometre or two; they provide history, architecture, culture, cafés, shopping and scenery. None of the walks below would take more than an hour if you just beetled along, but most would take all day if you savoured them in true flâneur style.

THE STRIP, LAS VEGAS, USA

WHY HERE No other street has more bling and unabashed excess: try to prevent your eyes popping from their sockets.

STEP THIS WAY The Strip emerges in gaudy neon excess from the Nevada desert like a heat-induced hallucination. Its themed hotels, outrageous bars, big-name shows and bacchanalian buffets celebrate the kitschy, mind-boggling American dream. Rollercoasters thunder, stretch limousines roll, and a faux sphinx, ancient Rome and Venice appear. The Bellagio's dancing fountains provide a silver-screen moment.

PITSTOP Mon Ami Gabi brasserie beneath Paris hotel's Eiffel Tower is one of few places to sit outside (www.monamigabi.com).

INSIDER TIP Linger after midnight, when shift workers head off duty and the party ramps up in nightclubs and bars.

NEARBY Fremont Street Experience is a computerised sound-and-light show with 12 million LED lights and live concerts (www.vegasexperience.com).

ESSENTIALS Double-decker buses run along The Strip and stop outside major hotel-casinos. Stay at The Venetian (www.venetian.com), from $152. See www.visitlasvegas.com.au

LAN KWAI FONG, CENTRAL, HONG KONG

WHY HERE Hong Kong nightlife is normally sedate, but this wild bar street bucks the trend.

STEP THIS WAY Lan Kwai Fong street also lends its name to a Central district packed with 100-odd Champagne bars, beer halls, hip gay nightclubs and raucous drinking venues. Packed-in crowds table dance, knock back shots and eventually surge outside to take over the street. No better place for a stroll, a stickybeak at the partygoers, and perhaps a jelly vodka or two.

PITSTOP A block away, huge Yung Kee Restaurant specialises in roast goose and BBQ pork (www.yungkee.com.hk).

INSIDER TIP Grab a perch on one of the bars' balconies or upper windows for a great view over the milling crowds beneath.

NEARBY Shanghai Tang recreates traditional Chinese clothes in modern styles, and is a five-minute walk (www.shanghaitang.com).

ESSENTIALS Central is the nearest MRT station. Stay at the Mandarin-Oriental (www.mandarinoriental.com), from $655. See www.discoverhongkong.com

PHILOSOPHER'S PATH, KYOTO, JAPAN

WHY HERE There could hardly be a more delightful walk within urban bounds: it might inspire you to write a haiku.

STEP THIS WAY The two-kilometre path along a canal in Kyoto's eastern hills links historic Silver Pavilion with Nanzen Temple, and takes in several other delightful temples and gardens along the way, as well as passing backyards where elderly residents prune their camellias. Eikan-do is the most beguiling temple, with its wooden verandahs, grey-clad monks and lovely maple trees atwitter with birds.

PITSTOP Tuck into a vegetarian menu at Junsei Restaurant, surrounded by traditional gardens (www.to-fu.co.jp).

INSIDER TIP The walk only takes 30 minutes, but budget the entire day to appreciate its slow pleasures.

NEARBY Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts displays traditional masks, fans, kimono textiles and umbrellas (www.miyakomesse.jp).

ESSENTIALS A $10 day bus pass gets you to both ends of the walk. Stay at Hyatt Regency Kyoto (www.kyoto.regency.hyatt.com), from $293. See www.pref.kyoto.jp

STRØGET, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

WHY HERE Strøget means "stroll" in Danish, and this pedestrian shopping street certainly invites a genteel appreciation of its lengthy charms.

STEP THIS WAY Actually five connecting streets, Strøget is lined with gingerbread buildings, churches and café-crowded squares filled with beautiful Danes. It runs for kilometres right through Copenhagen's old town (philosopher Søren Kierkegaard called it the hub of the universe) and is jammed with antique, homeware and design stores that are the epitome of Scandinavian cool.

PITSTOP Royal Smushi Café serves ridiculously pretty Danish food and has an attached design store (www.royalsmushicafe.dk).

INSIDER TIP Don't miss Jorcks Passage, an historic shopping arcade so atmospheric it might have come from a Harry Potter story.

NEARBY Royal residence Christiansborg Castle features sumptuous royal reception rooms and houses Denmark's parliament (www.slke.dk).

ESSENTIALS Sadly, Strøget is one of the few Copenhagen streets you can't cycle. Stick to walking. Stay at Hotel d'Angleterre (www.dangleterre.dk), from $720. See visitcopenhagen.com

BEIYUANMEN, XIAN, CHINA

WHY HERE Many cities have food streets, but none as unaffected, atmospheric and unexpected (for its Muslim cuisine) as this one.

STEP THIS WAY Xian's Moslem minority have lived under the shadow of the Drum Tower for centuries. The open-fronted wooden houses lining historic, flagstoned Beiyuanmen street tempt passers-by with grilled lamb skewers, flatbreads, oxtail stew, and bags of nuts and candied fruits. Half of Xian turns up at night for the feast, providing a pleasing, people-watching buzz.

PITSTOP Muslim Family Restaurant at the street's eastern end has delicious noodles, dumplings and beef soups.

INSIDER TIP Hanging red lanterns make Beiyuanmen especially attractive at night, and food stalls are at their most active.

NEARBY Xian's impressive city walls form a 14-kilometre loop. Cycle or walk the fortifications for great city outlooks.

ESSENTIALS Cheap taxis get you around, but old-town alleys are best explored on foot. Stay at Sofitel Xian on Renmin Square (www.sofitel.com ), from $179. See en1.xian-tourism.com

NEVSKY PROSPEKT, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

WHY HERE The illustrious, four-kilometre shopping drag has long been at the centre of the city's history.

STEP THIS WAY St Petersburg's imperial-era boulevard is lined with yellow mansions, grand department stores and designer boutiques. The canals cutting across it provide vistas of pastel palaces and gilded bridges, with the Winter Palace just off the Prospekt's western end. Walk far enough the other way to Alexander Nevsky Monastery and find the burial place of Russia's famed writers and composers.

PITSTOP Literaturnoe Café tempts with coffee and sophisticated imperial Russian fare (www.vk.com/litcafe_group).

INSIDER TIP Head into art nouveau-era Dom Knigi bookstore for its architecture, and find a luxe shopping mall on its upper floors (www.spbdk.ru).

NEARBY Wander up Griboedova Canal to admire reflections of the mosaic-covered Church of the Saviour (www.cathedral.ru).

ESSENTIALS Trolley buses rumble along Nevsky Prospect, the subway beneath. Stay at Novotel St Petersburg Centre (www.novotel.com), from $126. See visit-petersburg.ru

RIVA DEGLI SCHIAVONI, VENICE, ITALY

WHY HERE Open vistas of Venice are hard to find, but walk here and find a beautiful Tintoretto painting come to life.

STEP THIS WAY Starting at the Doge's Palace, the waterside promenade runs along St Mark's Basin and is lined by lovely buildings, a baroque church and a souvenir market. A huge equestrian statue of Victor Emanuel II looms. Across the water are cloud-scudded vistas of the mighty dome of Santa Maria della Salute and the Palladian outlines of San Giorgio Maggiore island. Magnificent.

PITSTOP Terrazza Danieli at the famous Danieli hotel serves up Venetian fare and spectacular views.

INSIDER TIP Brooding skies are stunning even on rainy days, but avoid the ankle-deep water of high tides.

NEARBY The Church of St Zechariah has a splendid Renaissance façade and is crammed with artworks.

ESSENTIALS Public vaporetto (water bus) lines run along the Riva. Stay at Hotel Giorgione (www.hotelgiorgione.com) from $169. See www.venice-tourism.com

FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, US

WHY HERE Fifth Avenue is a quintessential slice of wealthy New York, crammed with architectural and movie landmarks.

STEP THIS WAY Though it runs from Harlem to Greenwich Village, it's the central section of this grand avenue, lined with world-class museums and fabulous Art Deco architecture, that really impresses. Yellow taxis, hotdog stands, the Spider-Man public library and Audrey Hepburn's Tiffany are classic sights. Other treats include Saks department store, toy store FAO Schwartz and the exquisite Frick Collection.

PITSTOP Rock Centre Café is an American grill overlooking the Rockefeller Centre's famed ice-skating rink (www.rockefellercenter.com).

INSIDER TIP Check out the lobby of 505 Fifth Avenue, a permanent light installation by American light artist James Turrell.

NEARBY Grand Central Terminal offers art deco splendour, industrial chic and fine dining (www.grandcentralterminal.com).

ESSENTIALS Useful subway stops are located at Bryant Park, 53rd Street and 59th Street. Stay at The Peninsula New York (newyork.peninsula.com), $1156. See www.nycgo.com

CHANDNI CHOWK ROAD, DELHI, INDIA

WHY HERE No better place to people watch, as wonderful folk from across India congregate at food stalls and street markets.

STEP THIS WAY Running through Old Delhi from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque, this wide thoroughfare is lined with restaurants, spice-laden shops and street stalls, and festooned overhead with electric cabling. Old traders' mansions hunker in side alleys. Best of all is its fabulous bustle of turbaned Sikhs, Rajasthani women in red saris, temple priests, hobbling sadhus and evening wedding processions.

PITSTOP Annapurna Bandar at NO. 1463 tempts with Bengali confectionary. Bring a very sweet tooth.

INSIDER TIP Return in the evening, when crowds are denser, lamps flare over food stalls and the atmosphere is festive.

NEARBY The 1656 Friday Mosque is magnificent, and its minaret provides views over the Chandi Chowk area.

ESSENTIALS Alight from the metro at Chandni Chowk station. Stay at Hyatt Regency Delhi (delhi.regency.hyatt.com), from $142. See www.delhitourism.gov.in

RUE MONTORGUEIL, PARIS, FRANCE

WHY HERE Forget the touristy Champs-Élysées; this pedestrian street provides all the Paris romance and style you need.

STEP THIS WAY Want to know why the French call window-shopping leche-vitrine or window licking? You'll be salivating on this street, where hipster Parisian shoppers come for top-quality shellfish, artisan breads, and fabulous pastries and chocolates. Cafés spill across the cobblestones, gorgeous flower shops blossom and cookware stores offer impeccable French style. The whole street smells of hot bread and roasting chickens.

PITSTOP Patisserie Strohrer, opened in 1730, is renowned for luscious babas filled with rum and cream (www.stohrer.fr).

INSIDER TIP Many of the shops open at 7.30am, making the street's bakeries and patisseries just the place for breakfast.

NEARBY Passage du Grand-Cerf is a venerable shopping arcade lined with trendy jewellery and furniture stores.

ESSENTIALS Sentier is the nearest metro stop. Stay at Hotel Victories Opéra (hotelvictoiresopera.com), from $251. See www.en.parisinfo.com

FIVE WATERSIDE WANDERS

QUEEN'S WALK, LONDON, UK

Following the south bank of the Thames between Westminster Bridge and the Millennium footbridge, this pedestrian promenade provides views of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and St Paul's Cathedral. It also passes the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Tate Modern: a thousand years of London art and history in a two-kilometre stroll. See www.visitlondon.com

PROMENADE DES GOUVENEURS, QUEBEC CITY, CANADA

Start on Dufferin Terrace high on a river bluff, gazing onto the historic port district beneath and up at the wildly grandiose Château Frontenac, built by a Victorian-era railway baron. The promenade leads high above the St Lawrence River, where ships sail in from the distant Atlantic and seagulls screech. Magnificent at sunset. See www.quebecregion.com

THE BUND, SHANGHAI, CHINA

Shanghai's colonial-era Bund is lined by the art deco and neo-classical facades of former trading houses, banks and consulates. Across the Huangpu River soar the dazzling, neon-draped skyscrapers of new Pudong. Its promenades are crowded with people strolling the waterfront, doing early-morning exercises, snapping photos and buying snacks. See www.meet-in-shanghai.net

KORNISH AL NILE, LUXOR, EGYPT

This riverside corniche offers a grandstand view over the Nile and its crowded ferries and cruise ships, and links fabulous sights, including Luxor Temple, an ancient monument embedded in a later mosque, and the fascinating Mummification Museum. Finally you reach the mighty temple complex of Karnak, where obelisks and statues of Rameses II loom. See www.egypt.travel

PROMENADE DU LAC, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

To take in Geneva's lakeside and Alp-gazing setting, walk the lakeshore from the Jardin Anglais (English Garden) to romantic Parc des Eaux-Vives, perfumed with roses and shaded by towering cedar trees. Along the way you can admire Geneva's two tourist icons, its floral clock and soaring 150-metre Jet d'Eau fountain. See www.geneve-tourisme.ch

FIVE PROMENADES THROUGH THE PAST

RINGSTRASSE, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Ringstrasse, a princely boulevard that encircles Vienna's old town and showcases grand architectural styles, from the Hofburg palace's overblown baroque to the neo-Gothic City Hall and startling Greek Revival style of the parliament. Top cafés, parks and museums are other Ringstrasse delights.

ROYAL MILE, EDINBURGH, UK

Running from Edinburgh's magnificent crag-perched castle to Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mile is thick with history, from the cathedral where John Knox preached to the house belonging to body-snatcher William 'Dr Jekyll' Brodie. Lady Stair's House is devoted to Scottish literary greats, and the troubled story of Mary Queen of Scots haunts Holyrood.

SOUTH LUOGU LANE, BEIJING, CHINA

This lovely lantern-lit lane off Di'anmen East Road was laid out in 1267. Its tiny fashion stores and pocket-size bars are a hip hangout for young students and backpackers, but the lane's venerable appeal is wonderfully preserved in one of the remaining corners of Beijing that recalls imperial days.

REPUBLIC STREET, VALLETTA, MALTA

Walter Scott described Valletta as "a splendid town, quite like a dream". Republic Street runs from opera house to city gates and passes its great monuments, including the Grand Master's Palace and Caravaggio-hung cathedral. In the evenings, its pedestrian strip comes alive during the pre-dinner stroll so beloved of Mediterranean societies.

AVENIDA EL SOL, CUZCO, PERU

The street was laid out in the 1650s by the Spanish; St Domingo Church is built over an Incan temple's carved foundations. The avenue culminates in Plaza de Armas, where Quechuas in pink shawls and stovepipe hats hawk souvenirs, and a cathedral groans under the weight of Incan gold.

FIVE GREAT AUSTRALIAN STROLLS

SOUTH BANK, BRISBANE

Promenades provide views across the river to the CBD. A lagoon, artificial beach, playgrounds, Ferris wheel and restaurants line this pleasant precinct, where walkers and bikers drift in shoals.

WINDAN BRIDGE LOOP, PERTH

This walk loops around both sides of the Swan River and across Herrison Island in central Perth. Most is green space, but East Perth's art galleries and cafés tempt with a detour.

MACQUARIE STREET, SYDNEY

This 1810, rather overlooked thoroughfare runs between Opera House and Hyde Park. Classic Georgian-era buildings include the NSW parliament, mint and barracks, now housing a convict museum.

FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE

This quintessential city-centre laneway is packed with fashion, accessories and crafts stores showcasing the latest creations of young Melbournian designers, as well as many excellent cafés.

LEIGH STREET, ADELAIDE

Adelaide has found its groove and its laneways. Pedestrian Leigh Street (plus parallel Peel Street) is transformed by wine bars and restaurants that spill tables across the tarmac.

FIVE STREETS OF SHAME

CHAMPS-ELYSÉES, PARIS

The lower end of this famous avenue has grand buildings and gardens, but its upper end towards the Arc de Triomphe is overtaken by souvenir shops and fast-food joints, and crowded with tourists.

THE MALL, LONDON

Running under a kilometre long and serving little purpose except to link Trafalgar Square with the prim, dreary-looking Buckingham Palace, this pink boulevard only comes into its own during a royal parade.

AVENIDA 9 DE JULIO, BUENOS AIRES

The city's main boulevard, named for Argentina's independence day, is the world's widest street, but most of the time it's jammed with multi-laned traffic, political rallies or crazed football fans celebrating an international win.

RODEO DRIVE, LOS ANGELES

If you feel you really haven't seen a Prada or Ralph Lauren shop before, by all means sashay down this yawn-inducing street, lined by swank designer boutiques where staff have all the attitude of Sydney drag queens.

CHANG'AN AVENUE, BEIJING

The seven-kilometre Avenue of Eternal Peace is anything but peaceful. The major traffic artery notably cut across Tiananmen Square by the beautiful Gate of Heavenly Peace, but whistle-wielding policeman move the gawking crowds along.