Venice, Italy

Classic wooden gondolas are the best way to snake around Venice’s canals. To explore the interlaced city, visitors will need to travel on foot – as the center doesn’t even have any roads. Trying to navigate its slim side streets, steep bridges, and old squares with a car would be nigh on impossible. Despite the lack of cars, its central piazza, Saint Mark’s Square, can be chaotic with pedestrians – even out of peak season. Many of Venice’s surrounding islands are car-free, including traveler-friendly Burano. Interestingly, the Lido di Venezia – an ideal place to stay, as it’s just a short boat ride away from the city – and has roads, cars, and public transport.

Venice is considered one of the best cities in Italy and the best car-free vacation destination, and one of the primary reasons for that is that locals and visitors get around by gliding across the city’s famous canals. This Italian city boasts an urban landscape that’s so spectacular, even a massive number of tourists can’t detract from its beauty. The hidden bridges, cobblestone alleyways, and of course the legendary canals, are ideal for getting lost in, especially with a partner. Venice is Europe’s largest urban car-free area and boasts some 400 bridges linking the 118 small islands on which it is built.