And without roads crowded with cars, arriving at a new destination can mean taking a cable car over a mountain, hopping on a ferry, or taking a walkway to a magical hilltop town.

This Italian village is car free, but even more dramatic is the fact that the only way to get in or out is through a catwalk. The town’s picturesque location – on top of a hill overlooking a vast canyon – is all the more striking as you have to take a footbridge to reach it.

The isolated village of Halibut Cove is home to only about 90 permanent residents, which adds to the charm of this magnificent and car-free place. If that doesn’t sound serene enough, it’s also home to one of the only floats – yes, floating – American post offices.

When you visit Lamu town on Lamu Island, Kenya, you will come across donkeys instead of cars. Once you set foot on the island, you’ll understand why. The roads – er, the driveways – are narrow and twisty, making it virtually impossible to get around by car.

Giethoorn may be the cutest place you have ever seen. The village relies on a series of footpaths, cycle paths and waterways for transport. In fact, the most popular way for visitors to see the town’s century-old thatched-roof houses is to explore the canals by boat.

Imagine lying on a pristine beach without crowds of tourists. Well, that’s the reality in Islas Cíes (also known as the Cíes Islands) off the coast of Galicia, Spain. The archipelago is only accessible by boat, has no hotels and only allows 1800 visitors (over 600 campers) on the island per day. It’s the closest many of us will ever have to basking on a private island.

You don’t have to travel far to escape the stress of New York traffic. Fire Island, located off the south shore of Long Island, attracts travelers who would rather hear the ringing of a bicycle bell than the horn of a taxi. To get to one of the island’s many beaches, hiking trails or surf spots, all you need to do is rent a bike and navigate like a local.

Zermatt is a popular travel destination, but this mountain town in the Swiss Alps still takes its car-free policy seriously. Those looking to stay and play at the foot of the Matterhorn – known for skiing, hiking and climbing – should travel by train, helicopter or taxi, which have permission to use the road in Zermatt and can drop you off at your hotel.

A car-free island in Hong Kong, a city renowned for its flickering skyscrapers, neon lights and traffic? Believe it. Lamma Island is only a 25 minute ferry ride from the heart of town, but it feels like another world. You can spend the day lounging at the beach or on top of the mountains – just know that you can’t rely on a taxi to get there.

Just north of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is Isla Holbox, a small island with a big reputation. It is home to flamingos, pristine beaches and shallow water. The lack of cars gives the whole island a laid back vibe that blends in perfectly with its sandy streets and colorful wooden houses.

La Cumbrecita is located in Argentina, but it definitely has a European feel to it. Indeed, in addition to being almost completely free of cars, it was founded by citizens of Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria, many of whom were exiled during WWII. Today, the isolated hamlet not only bans cars, it also relies almost entirely on renewables and a water treatment and reuse system.

Not far from Athens floats the island of Hydra (alias Ydra or Idra). Once you get off the water taxi, you’ll be hard pressed to find a car or even a bicycle on the island. Instead, visitors head on foot or by boat to Hydra’s natural springs and secluded beaches.

When you board the ferry to Bald Head Island, you leave your car and mainland standards behind. Life moves slower here, about as slowly as the island’s primary form of transportation – the golf cart.

Nestled between the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey is Sark, a small car-free island accessible only by ferry. As well as being traffic-free, the island is devoid of street lights, ensuring nothing gets in the way of your view of the starry sky.

Chamois, located in the beautiful mountainous region of northwestern Italy, has a lot to offer. But what really makes this city remarkable is the fact that it is not accessible by car. To get there, you need to put on your hiking boots or get on a cable car that will take you into the mountains.

The old walled medina of Fes El Bali in the city of Fez is made up of more than 9,000 labyrinthine alleys which are far too narrow for cars, making it one of the few distinctly urban car-free destinations. Without the cars taking up space and polluting the air, you can scramble through the narrow alleys in search of leather goods, street kebabs and renowned sweets from the medina.

The state of Michigan is home to what many call a national treasure: Mackinac Island. Without cars to get from point A to point B, you can rent a bike, walk, or better yet, take a horse-drawn carriage. It’s about as wonderfully old-school as it gets, but it’s only a 16-minute ferry ride from the mainland.

If you’ve been to Venice, you might have been so enchanted by the narrow waterways, cobblestone streets, and St. Mark’s Basilica that you forgot to notice the lack of cars. That’s right, this iconic medieval town is car-free, relying on human-powered gondolas rather than motor vehicles. The fun little fact only adds to the undeniable charm of Venice (as if the city needs more).

In the Croatian city of Dubrovnik is the historic and car-free Old Town district, part of the city surrounded by medieval walls. It’s the kind of place where you can hang out for hours, shop, eat and sightsee, feeling like you’ve traveled back in time.