Many cities may not entirely be car-free, but have a small portion of the city (often the city or historic centre) car-free. It should also be noted that a destination being car-free does not indicate that they are free from any motorised vehicle – waste collection vehicles, emergency vehicles and occasionally residents still have limited access via a car.
See Wilderness backpacking and Next-to-impossible destinations for other places which usually do not have cars.
Understand
[edit]While all cities prior to the automobile were car-free, the rise of the private automobile meant that almost every city around the world embraced cars. However, since the early 21st century, many cities around the world have attempted to go car-free or car-lite to curb increased carbon emissions, noise and air pollution and serious traffic accidents caused by cars. Although met with pushback from the auto industry in some parts of the world, these changes have generally received quite the support from locals.
From a travellers' perspective, there are also plenty of reasons why a car-free destination would appeal: they're friendlier for travelling with children without having to worry about an irresponsible motorist, you won't be treated as a second-class traveller for not having a driver's licence, rental cars can be expensive. For travellers from car-centric areas, visiting a car-free destination – whether it be local or overseas – is a great way to gain a different insight, one that doesn't centre around cars.
Car-free destinations also make for an interesting urban planning trips, all the more so for those living in cities plagued by cars. They offer a different insight on how transport doesn't always need to revolve around the private motor vehicle, in addition to the economic benefits from more foot traffic, the health benefits from the lack of noise and exhaust fumes and long-term sustainability from alternate means of transport (the exact figure for the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions from cars varies by country: 11 per cent in Australia, 22 per cent in the US or 18 per cent in the EU). They also provide for more socially equitable cities as mobility isn't marred by car ownership and more community cohesion due to the greater number of third spaces (and thus more social/face-to-face interaction). Zoning laws also radically differ in car-free (or car-lite) destinations – mixed use development is the norm in newer cities (it's a mixed bag in older towns) and what may typically be space allocated for parking is often used as housing instead.
Destinations
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Car-free cities and districts
[edit]- 1 Culdesac Tempe
, Arizona, United States. One of the few fully modern car-free neighbourhoods and the first of its kind in the United States, opened in 2023. Travel outside is usually via the light rail. - 2 Fes el Bali , Morocco. Fez's largest walled part of the city is known for its medieval architecture, narrow streets and bustling stalls and carts, consisting of many of the oldest institutions such as the world's oldest university and library. Travel is by foot and interestingly, donkey.
- 3 San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy. This small town chock-full of great Gothic art and architecture is off-limits to cars inside the walls. All motorists must park their vehicles in parking lots outside the walls and walk in.
- 4 Siena, Tuscany, Italy. There is a small amount of vehicular traffic on some streets from taxis, little buses, motorcycles and scooters, but for the most part, the streets inside the walls are free of motorized traffic. Motorists arriving in Siena may stand outside their hotels to drop off and pick up at the beginning and end of their stays but otherwise must park their vehicles at parking lots outside the walls, and the long-distance bus terminal is near the cathedral of San Domenico on the outskirts of the walled city.
- 5 Vézelay, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France, is a small town with a spectacular and very important medieval cathedral. If you arrive by car, you must park in a parking lot outside the town's walls.
Large pedestrian zones
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It's become an increasing trend for cities around the world to slowly convert what used to be congested streets designed for cars, and more commonly than not pedestrian zones tend to be the most visited car-free destinations (at least in the developed world). The reasons for favouring large pedestrian zones is no different, but the improved safety benefits for what are some of the most high-pedestrian areas anywhere where the impacts of a car collision with a pedestrian much more likely (even with 30 or 40 km/h streets). This is particularly a concern for children and elderly people. The lack of vehicular noise also makes for a much more pleasant experience.
There is also the economic benefit from such pedestrian zones – pedestrian zones are far more likely to see foot traffic (way more than valuable real estate lost in car space), yielding better opportunities from dining and retail venues (and entertainment in some cases); people typically spend more time and money at such places when visiting on foot. The environmental benefits are similar to most other car-free destinations, except the lack of cars is a major contributor to a lower heat island effect – making such destinations far more appealling in hotter places.
Many pedestrian zones have also become major cultural attractions – including George St in Sydney and Strøget in Copenhagen. And for older pedestrian zones, these end up preserving culturally rich heritage areas without significantly damaging such areas.
- 1 Bourke Street Mall , Melbourne CBD, Victoria, Australia, is Melbourne CBD's most prominent pedestrian zone and is one of Melbourne's major shopping precincts. It also crosses Swanston St, the busiest tram corridors anywhere in the world, though Bourke St Mall is also served by the 86 and 96 tram routes.
- 2 George Street in Sydney CBD is a 2-km-long pedestrian zone along the city's main and busiest street, making it one of the world's longest pedestrian streets (though occasionally criss-crossed by a few roads for motor vehicles). The light rail line running through the centre also makes for an interesting photogenic location. George Street is also crossed by 3 Martin Place , one of the first pedestrian zones (having been pedestrianised way back in 1971) in Sydney and also a popular icon for film and TV productions.
- 4 Istiklal Avenue is perhaps Istanbul's best known street. Pedestrians share the street with a heritage tram line which runs down the entire length of it, 1.4 km (0.87 mi).
- 5 Nanjing Road is a busy shopping street in central Shanghai. About 1 km (0.62 mi) of it is pedestrians-only.
- 6 Skolavordustigur – perhaps Iceland's biggest noteworthy attraction in the urban planning sphere, home to Laugavegur, Iceland's most famous shopping street, and a colourful rainbow street.
- 7 Strøget in Copenhagen's old town at 1.1 km is one of Europe's longest pedestrian malls (and the longest at the time of conversion) and one of Copenhagen's primary shopping precincts.
- 8 Times Square , New York, United States – although the pedestrian area is not very large, the small portion of what is a pedestrian zone has become a major cultural and commercial worldwide icon.
Car-free islands
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Unlike cities, there are plenty more reasons for islands to eliminate cars in theory – maintenance on car infrastructure and maintenance for vehicles cost far more than they would on a mainland. Most car-free islands are also often the perfect distance to be connected via public transport, mobility scooters or other means of active transport.
However, this also hasn't stopped islands from being some of the most car-centric places anywhere in the world, with some of the worst offending examples including Tasmania, Hawaii, Réunion or The Bahamas. This makes the appeal for car-free islands even more apparent.
- 1 Dangar Island – an island on the northernmost outskirts of greater Sydney. Visitors can only access the island by the Dangar Island Ferry Wharf.
- 2 Gulangyu – an island in Xiamen on the coast of China, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cars, motorcycles and bicycles are forbidden. - 3 Holbox, Mexico – an island off the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, visitors park their car in Chiquila on the mainland and take a ferry to the island.
- 4 Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States – one of the only instances of a car-free resort island in the United States, keeping in line with its 19th-century ideals. Mackinac Island is not very large in the first place, and as such the primary method of transport on the island ends up being walking.
- 5 Mykines, Faroe Islands – the largest car-free island of the Faroe Islands. The lack of cars most notably facilitates for a thriving puffin population. The lack of cars also makes it a more attractive destination to go hiking, plus the works of Instagram.
- 6 Princes' Islands – Istanbul's highly scenic archipelago is a great getaway to escape frenetic crowds of the mainland. Renting a bike is a very popular way of getting around.
- 7 Rottnest Island, Western Australia – Australia's most notable example of a car-free island, popular with visitors for being home of the infamous quokkas. Travel is either by bike, bus or electric scooter.
- 8 Sark, one of the Channel Islands which are Crown Dependencies of the United Kingdom. Sark has no motor traffic except tractors. Horse drawn vans are the main transport on the island, and even the ambulance is horse drawn.
- 9 Suomenlinna, Finland — an 18th-century fortress off Helsinki centre, with connection by a car-free ferry (and a service tunnel, inaccessible to visitors). It is a popular day trip destinations for city residents and tourists alike, with the population combining a life as ordinary city folks with one more or less in a resort or car-free quasi-countryside.
Ski resorts
[edit]- 1 Blue Cow Mountain , New South Wales, Australia – entirely car-free, only accessible via the Skitube during the winter/ski season (and offroad during the summer/off-season). It tends to be much quieter than its counterparts further down at Perisher Valley.
- 2 Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland is perhaps the most iconic example of a car-free town anywhere in the world (and often rigorously compared to nearby St. Moritz). Drivers must park their cars at Täsch and then take the train for the last 7 km.