If you visit the center of Ghent in Belgium you might come across a street party, kids riding bikes, or hordes of shopping pedestrians. What you won’t see is any cars. This city has turned 35 hectares of the congested center into a car-free zone and now Ghent is seen as a successful example of how car-free cities and towns could look. Check out these other great car-free towns for more inspiration and some sweet vacation spots for those who hate traffic.
Fire Island, New York
Who needs a car when you can climb to the top of a lighthouse, canoe through salt marshes, hike through sunken forests, hit the beach, or rent a sailboat? Welcome to Fire Island, an iconic car-free paradise only 50 miles from New York City. And as wholesome as that all sounds, this island without cars truly knows how to party. Famous for its LGBTQ+ nightlife, the summer brings thousands of people to the beach parties, bars, and clubs of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. The season culminates in the Pines Party where thousands dance under the stars and all proceeds go to charity. And no one has to be a designated driver.
Hydra, Greece
In the 70s Hydra was home to a bohemian collection of artists and writers, drawn to the dazzling Mediterranean sea and slow pace of life. It’s an island without cars and donkeys are used to take supplies from boats to the villages. Today you’ll often see super yachts in the little harbor of the main town but Hydra remains a car-free island, and you’ll still hear donkey bells passing by as they make deliveries through the cobbled streets. Away from the harbor, the island gets wilder and you can hike to stunning beaches, jump off rocks, and feast on Greek salad at beachside tavernas. There’s not much else to do on Hydra, but what else do you need?
Venice, Italy
Of course, we all know Venice for its network of canals and gondolas, but that isn’t the only way this city cuts out cars. The Centro Storico, the medieval center of the city, is Europe’s largest car-free zone and remains untouched by the invention of the car. The city is strung across 124 islands in a salt lagoon, requiring 438 bridges and 183 canals to make it function. Add the impossibly narrow medieval streets and you can see why cars, motorbikes, and scooters aren’t welcome here. For tourists, especially those from convenient and car-focused America, an unchanged medieval city can be both awe-inspiring and challenging. Yes, you’ll probably get lost, but you’ll also find yourself in ancient plazas, sipping on a spritz far from the noise and smell of traffic.
Old town Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik’s car-free old town is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the world. Huge stone walls carved from nearby limestone mountains helped protect this trading port, and today they stop cars from entering. Vehicles are left at the city gates so you can wander the winding streets and picture what the city was like centuries ago. Baroque churches and monasteries sit next to Renaissance buildings, fountains splash in marble squares, and steep cobbled streets lined with terracotta-roofed houses create dazzling car-free city views. It’s not just the architecture that makes this place. The streets are full of the local people, drinking in cafes, shopping in markets and catching up in squares where you can sit and sip a beer and watch the world go by.
La Cumbrecita, Argentina
Follow a cobblestone road through a mountainous region of Córdoba in Argentina and you will reach a beautiful wooden bridge. This will be the last road you set foot on as across the bridge lies La Cumbrecita, an intriguing car-free town of German and Swiss-style Alpine houses. In 1935 a German working in Buenos Aires built a summer chalet here and over the years his friends and family added more houses until a whole village was created, one that runs on solar power, recycles its water, and composts its organic waste. As well as gawping at the untypical architecture, visitors can swim in the natural pool, hike through the forest, and indulge in German and Swiss food washed down with their famous beer.
Fes El Bari, Morocco
Giving Venice a run for its money as the largest urban car-free city is the medina area of Fez in Morocco. It’s a fascinating labyrinth of almost 10,000 winding alleyways too narrow for any car or motorbike. As you wind your way past mosques, schools, markets, and shops you’ll find artisan handicrafts, piles of spices, and hawkers selling bread and Moroccan dates. It’s easy to get lost here but that’s half the fun, you might find yourself in a darkened alleyway one minute and be sipping fresh mint tea in a tiled courtyard the next.
Long Story Short...
If you want a taste of the future head to any of these car-free towns and cities where, by design or necessity, life is lived at a pedestrian pace. Maybe the winding medieval city centers of the past have something to teach us, and the future of the city will be cleaner air, increased community, and far less road rage.
Written by Laura Sedlak
