Inspiration

11 Beautiful Car-Free Places Around the World

Leave the road rage at home.
Hydra Greece carfree places
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If you’re craving a vacation that's equal parts relaxing and sustainable, there are many car-free places around the world that can help you truly escape the noise (and smog). These destinations—which range from city centers to entire islands—have either banned motorized vehicles for environmental reasons or for purely practical reasons (i.e. cars simply can’t fit through their narrow streets). The results are always the same: clean, peaceful areas where the air is fresh and life seems to move a little slower.

So the next time you’d like to really unplug and rewind, consider one of these beautiful car-free places around the world, from Kenya to Kyoto. Just remember to pack comfortable shoes.

This article has been updated since its original publish date.

  • Ghent Belgium
    Christian Lue/Unsplash

    Ghent, Belgium

    The charming center of Ghent has been car-free since 1996, as part of the city’s efforts to get rid of traffic and improve air quality. The 86-acre area is filled with Gothic-style buildings and snaking canals, which are much easier (and nicer) to appreciate from bicycles and electric boats than in the midst of a rush-hour traffic jam.

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    Halibut Cove, Alaska

    Situated in Alaska’s spectacular Kachemak Bay State Park, Halibut Cove is like the poster child for peaceful, car-free towns. There are no roads here, so people get around on foot or by ATV or seaplane. And aside from several rustic, timber-framed lodges, most of the buildings sit on stilts or float on docks. What’s not to love about a floating amphitheater, floating espresso bar, and floating post office?

  • Pintai Suchachaisri/Getty

    Zermatt, Switzerland

    The entire village of Zermatt is car-free, so travelers can only reach it by train, taxi, or helicopter (tough life). And after arriving, visitors then must rely on buses, cable cars, and horse-drawn carriages (even tougher). This combustion-free bubble makes for a ski town so pristine, people actually buy bottles of air from the mountains here.

  • Parker Hilton/Unsplash

    Fes el-Bali, Morocco

    Sometimes areas are car-free out of sheer necessity, as proven by Morocco’s labyrinthine Fes el-Bali (also known as the Medina of Fez). Cars simply won’t fit down the 9,400 narrow alleyways in this walled area, which is stuffed to the brims with shops, mosques, and leather tanneries. Most people simply get around by foot—although carts, donkeys, and bicycles are common alternatives.

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    Yelapa, Mexico

    If you are looking to truly leave it all behind during your next vacation, look no further than Yelapa. Located in the Mexican state of Jalisco, this beach town can only be reached via a 30-minute boat ride from Puerto Vallarta. From there, you’ll find mules walking along cobblestone paths, tourist-free beaches, impossibly strong tequila, and other such paradisiacal delights.

  • Moises Norena/Unsplash

    Venice, Italy

    Venice is easily the most famous car-free city in the world. Once you enter the town limits, your options for getting around are reduced to either walking or boating—but who’s complaining? Choose walking, and you can explore the city’s colorful buildings and 400+ bridges. Choose boating, and you get paddled around the narrow canals in a gondola like royalty.

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  • Harshil Gudka/Unsplash

    Lamu Island, Kenya

    Lamu Island, located off the northeastern coast of Kenya, is easily one of the dreamiest beach destinations in Africa—thanks in large part to the fact that you won’t hear a single car horn or breathe in any puffs of exhaust here. Folks on the island usually traverse by foot or donkey, but we recommend doing a little island hopping aboard a traditional dhow.

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    Giethoorn, The Netherlands

    With its lack of roads and abundance of boat-filled canals, it makes sense that Giethoorn is affectionately referred to as the “Venice of the Netherlands”. The village’s 18th-century farmhouses and wooden arch bridges can be explored via cycling lanes or aforementioned waterways—either by boat or, even better, by ice skating during the frozen winter months.

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    Daufuskie Island, South Carolina

    What this pine-dense island lacks in cars (and stoplights, and hospitals), it more than makes up for with beautiful beaches and bottlenose dolphin sightings. Lucky visitors can take guided tours of restored Gullah homes, fill up on Lowcountry cuisine, and spend the night in a converted mansion or old lighthouse.

  • Despina Galani/Unsplash

    Hydra, Greece

    One of Greece’s Saronic islands, Hydra is the perfect spot for a digital detox or quiet solo trip—mainly due to the fact that there are absolutely no cars allowed here. Instead, you’ll find cobblestoned streets traversed by mules and donkeys, immaculate stone mansions, and picturesque, harbor-side cafes.

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    Higashiyama District, Kyoto, Japan

    The Higashiyama-ku ward is one of the best places to experience traditional Kyoto, from the Kiyomizudera and Yasaka Shrines to the Gion geisha district. Thank goodness the narrow lanes throughout the district are pedestrian-only, because you don’t want to miss any of the ancient architectural details, merchants selling pottery and sweets, or hidden scatterings of pink-and-white cherry blossoms.

TopicsEnvironment