Germantown is about 1.2 to 1.5 miles from lower Broadway, depending on exactly where you start and finish. Walking takes 20 to 25 minutes at a normal pace. By car or rideshare it is 5 to 10 minutes, sometimes longer on weekend evenings when downtown traffic backs up.
The route on foot from lower Broadway to the heart of Germantown goes north through downtown, past the Tennessee State Capitol, through or alongside Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, and into the neighborhood’s southern edge near the Nashville Farmers Market and Tennessee State Museum. It is a more interesting walk than it sounds the Capitol grounds have decent views, and Bicentennial Mall has historical markers along a long, narrow green corridor.
By bike it is 8 to 12 minutes, and the Music City Bikeway runs through the neighborhood, making this one of the more pleasant cycling connections in Nashville’s otherwise car-centric grid.
Why the distance matters
The physical proximity to Broadway matters because it answers a question visitors frequently have: can you base yourself in Germantown and still access the Broadway strip easily? The answer is yes. You can walk there in under half an hour or take a short rideshare. Restaurants in Germantown are meaningfully better than most of what Broadway offers, the neighborhood is quieter and more pleasant to walk around, and several Germantown hotels offer a better base for people who want access to downtown without being in the middle of it.
The reverse trip staying downtown and visiting Germantown for a meal works just as well. A rideshare from the honky-tonk strip to Rolf and Daughters or City House costs a few dollars and takes under 10 minutes.
What changes and what doesn’t
The 1.2-mile gap is enough that Germantown feels nothing like Broadway. There are no bachelorette parties, no cover bands at street level, no lines out the door of bars. The character shift that happens between Broadway and Germantown is dramatic relative to the actual distance. This is part of the neighborhood’s appeal.
The WeGo bus system serves Germantown via Line 9, though for most visitors the choice is between walking and a rideshare. Nashville’s bus frequency is not good enough to rely on for spontaneous trips.
Sources
- Historic Germantown Neighborhood Association, “Around Town”: http://www.historicgermantown.org/around-town
- NASHtoday, “Your guide to Germantown in Nashville, TN”: https://nashtoday.6amcity.com/city-guide/live/neighborhood-guide-germantown
- Get Your Guide, “Best Neighborhoods in Nashville” (March 2025): https://www.getyourguide.com/explorer/nashville-ttd1279/best-neighborhoods-in-nashville/