Why bother with renting a vehicle when you can just walk everywhere?
Here, we’ll walk you through some of the best auto-free zones that exist throughout the world, where you can really stretch your legs. Just think: you’ll be able to waltz freely among the streets during your next vacation, and won’t have to worry about hearing honks, car alarms, or angry drivers telling you to Get Out Of The Way!!
Venice, Italy
It may come as no surprise to you that Venice is the first city on this list. Venetians tend to walk everywhere, and where they can’t walk, they travel by boat.
Venice’s center has remained car-free since the city was established all the way back in the 5th century. The choice for the city to remain car-free is based on its foundation, which is a complex structure that spans 118 islands. Maintaining a pristine medieval era town means there is no room for the heavy, clunky sets of wheels we see today.
The city centre doesn’t even allow bikes, keeping it completely wheel-free. You can bike on the city’s mainland, known as Mestre, or on the outer islands, but otherwise you have the option of a boat or your own two feet.
Mackinac Island, USA
This little island is located at the transitional point between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, close to the Canadian border. The island has remained car-free since the late 1901 in an effort to protect the area’s horse population.
To travel on Mackinac, you can, of course, walk. However, biking and horse-drawn carriages are also popular modes of transportation.
Mackinac Island has a total population of around 600 residents and a total of 600 working horses during the summer months.
Ghent, Belgium
Ghent is a more recent addition to the car-free city list. The city imposed sanctions on vehicles back in 2017 to help with noise pollution, congestion, and exhaust fumes.
Today, the city centre is completely car-free, while the rest of the city is divided into six sections, each with its own set of automobile rules.
In addition to this new plan, the city also implemented a free shuttle service to get commuters into car-free zones more effectively, on top of an already well-established transit system.
Pontevedra, Spain
Another medieval town to add to your list. Pontevedra began removing vehicles from its city back in 1999 after noticing how the pollution and congestion were affecting its residents.
It’s been an effective change as well. Since this shift, the city has seen a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions and zero fatal traffic accidents since 2011.
While the city as a whole is not car-free, the city centre, downtown area, and most major shopping streets are, while reduced speed limits are strictly enforced within the city’s traffic calming zones.
Zermatt, Switzerland
This village is nestled in the Swiss Alps and has spent the past 50 years maintaining a fossil-fuel-free city. We can’t really say it's car-free, due to the implementation of electric public transportation and taxi service, but no private vehicles or combustion engines are allowed.
The main area of the city is easily explorable on foot, but you can also get around via horse and buggy if you so choose.
Really, you won’t find air much cleaner than that of Zermatt. The city sits over 5,000 feet above sea level, so you’ll only find picturesque views and crystal-clear air up there.
