You Won't Get By Without A Car In These 10 Cities, But You Can In These 10
How Does Your City Rank?
Even if you love driving, some places just aren't accommodating to cars. In these cases, driving can be a horrendous experience. Before you travel, you need to know if a car would be a help or a hindrance. Here are ten cities where you won't get by without a car and ten where you can.
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1. Los Angeles, USA
Although public transit exists in LA, the sprawling city is really designed for cars. So much so that the city’s urban core is often characterized by its wide palm tree-lined boulevards.
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2. Dubai, UAE
Dubai is a dazzling city with groundbreaking modern architecture. However, one thing that’s not groundbreaking is the public transportation which is not yet fully developed in the relatively new urban core. Most people opt for cars in this city.
3. Houston, USA
The image of cowboys driving around in pickup trucks is synonymous with Houston. Although public transportation exists, its metropolitan area is exceptionally spread out necessitating a car to get around.
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4. Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and is exceptionally modern in every way besides public transportation. It’s also huge and sprawling so even when you do plan your day around the trains, it can take an awfully long time to get places.
5. Manila, Philippines
Manila was designed more like an American city than a European one with how spread out everything is. What’s more, many roads lack proper sidewalks so attempting to walk anywhere is dangerous and unpleasant.
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6. Phoenix, USA
Phoenix is yet another American city where driving is by far the most convenient option. There’s a metro, but not many people use it as the metropolitan area is sprawling and parking is abundant.
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7. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh’s downtown core is very modern; however, it lacks decent public transportation and a bike will only get you around the city center. That being said, the traffic in this city is appalling and chaotic so many people prefer to take taxis or hire a driver than drive themselves.
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8. Kuwait City, Kuwait
Another Middle Eastern city where a car is essential for getting around is Kuwait. The city is large and although public transportation exists, it isn’t well-developed, and buses are few and far between.
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9. Nashville, USA
Nashville is another car-oriented city where, although you can walk around the downtown core quite comfortably, getting anywhere on buses is insanely frustrating. What’s more, bike lanes aren’t very developed so finding safe cycling routes would prove challenging.
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10. Calgary, Canada
As the center of Canada’s oil industry, it comes as no surprise that you need a car in Calgary. It may not be completely necessary if you’re staying in the center, but if you want to get places, the car is king.
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If you don’t drive, fear not: many cities are built with other forms of transportation in mind.
1. Paris, France
Paris has an amazing public transportation system that’ll get you between the city’s countless monuments. Walking in the urban center is also a joy as you get to really take in all the breathtaking architecture lining the boulevards.
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2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam is known as the bike capital of the world for good reason. The city has an intricate bike lane system that makes cycling the most convenient way of getting around by far.
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is known for being a bike-friendly and walkable city. However, it is in Scandinavia and winters are harsh so their public transportation system is also very efficient.
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4. São Paulo, Brazil
São Paulo is a city in Brazil of over 11 million people. Needless to say, traffic is horrendous, and driving a car is more infuriating than convenient. The city has a well developed public transportation system and the city center is compact so walking is also a great option.
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5. Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich is known for its pristine public transportation system. However, that quality doesn’t come cheap–its trains and buses are some of the most expensive in the world, but traversing the city on foot is also easy and safe.
6. Tokyo, Japan
Japan’s massively busy capital is generally considered a nightmare to travel in with a car. Most people use the city’s very organized public transportation or bike the city streets to get around.
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7. Barcelona, Spain
Driving in Barcelona is usually much more stressful than taking the clean and efficient metro system. What’s more, the city’s lovely weather and pretty streets make it a joy to travel by foot.
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8. Milan, Italy
Milan’s many attractions are easy to get to by foot. If you want to go further, the affordable and hassle-free metro system will get you there much more seamlessly than a car.
9. Medellín, Colombia
Driving in Medellín is a chaotic experience to say the least. The city is extremely busy, parking is impossible, and driving customs are different than in the USA but the downtown core is dense and accessible by foot.
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10. New York City, USA
Anyone who’s tried driving in NYC knows how frustrating it is. Traffic can be stopped for hours and parking is extremely costly. Luckily the subway system is well developed and the city’s core is walkable.
