Usually Crowded Public Spaces That Are Now Totally Empty

The world is experiencing quite a strange time these days. Many people are facing quarantines and travel is being discouraged. This means that many sites and attractions that are typically quite crowded are now so empty, they look like ghost-towns. This is what the world looks like while a global pandemic is going on. It’s pretty surreal out there.

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Piazza San Marco is usually one of Venice’s most crowded tourist attractions. During peak season, you’ll have difficulty just walking around due to the sheer amount of visitors. This is what the Piazza looks like when the city is under lockdown.

Sensoji Temple In Tokyo’s Asakusa District

Japan has been hit pretty hard by the global outbreak, which means that tourism is also way down there. You can see the difference in the volume of visitors at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo. These two photos were taken only weeks apart.

Venice, Italy

The streets of Venice are usually packed with visitors. So much so, that the city’s residents are normally very weary of tourists. However, now that the streets are completely empty, we’re sure that Venice residents wouldn’t mind having some visitors around right about now.

Louvre Museum, Paris, France

The Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the most visited museums in the whole world. Home of the famous “Mona Lisa” painting, normally there is a long line the wraps around the museum’s entrance just to get in. It is truly a strange sight to see the museum completely crowd-free.

Kaaba, Grand Mosque In Mecca

The Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia is the site where millions of Muslims flock in order to make the annual Hajj. Normally, you’d barely be able to see the white brick floor, as the place is usually filled to the brim. As the pandemic spread, the mosque is temporary closed. Now you can see that there are only a handful of people walking around there.

San Marco Square, Venice, Italy

Here is another viewpoint of the normally jam-packed San Marco Square in Venice, Italy. It is eerily empty and is definitely a very strange sight to behold. Hopefully, the pandemic will slow down quickly and life can resume to normal as usual.

Forbidden City, Beijing, China

The Forbidden City is a palace complex located in Beijing and is one of the city’s most visited attractions. Once the home of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is now a museum. Normally a bustling tourist attraction, the area has been closed down and is a ghost town apart from a few security guards.

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy

The Trevi Fountain in Rome is such a popular tourist attraction that the city has considered permanently barricading it in order to protect it from the large amount of people that flock to the attraction. Perhaps for the first time in decades, the piazza containing the fountain is nearly deserted.

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy[/caption]

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea

Gyeongbokgung Palace was the main palace for the Joseon dynasty and is now one of Seoul’s most popular tourist attractions. Since South Korea has experienced a huge amount of people infected with the pandemic, tourism has completely dropped, leaving the typically crowded palace almost completely empty.

Ginza District, Tokyo, Japan

It’s extraordinarily rare to see a day in Tokyo’s Ginza district that isn’t crowded, but these completely deserted streets are unprecedented. Many dub Ginza the “Japanese version” of Manhattan, so it is pretty wild to see the city completely devoid of foot traffic.

Soccer Match Without A Crowd

One of the strangest effects of the global pandemic the world is experiencing is the fact that many sporting events are not allowed to have crowds in attendance. Teams Inter Milan (on the left) and Ludogorets (right side) line up as they prepare to play in a completely empty San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy.

Idle Gondoliers In Venice, Italy

Goldoliers usually have their hands full, steering gondolas around the city full of tourists who are excited to gently cruise around the canals of Venice. As the city has become a ghost town, the gondoliers sit idly, waiting for work and passing the time by petting local cats.

St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City

Viruses don’t care about religion, and so the Vatican City is also feeling the effects of the pandemic. The seats at Saint Peter’s Square remain empty as Pope Francis’s Sunday Angelus prayer is being broadcasted live to people who still wish to hear it live over the Internet.

Ski Competition In Holmenkollen, Norway

The Holmenkollen Ski Festival and World Cup competition held in Norway will not be able to have any crowds in attendance. Additionally, the Ski Festival portion will be cancelled, as governments have advised against large gatherings as the virus continues to spread.

Streets Of Venice, Italy

Venice is usually one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Many have complained about over-tourism in the area which had led to frustrated locals. Now, the streets are completely devoid of tourism and everyday life.

Sant’Ambrogio Basilica In Milan, Italy

As the coronavirus continues to spread across Italy, diocese made the decision to halt masses in order to help prevent more people from becoming infected. Here we can see a totally empty Sant’Ambrogio Basilica in Milan.

Empty Shelves At Costco

Costco shelves are typically stocked with boxes and boxes of industrial-sized packages of food, cleaning supplies, and anything else you can imagine. As the virus has begun spreading across the United States, people have chosen to stock up on food and essentials, rendering stores bare.

Streets Of Milan, Italy

Milan is one of the most bustling cities not just in Italy, but also in the whole world. It is the country’s fashion and business epicenter. The spread of the coronavirus has been slowing down local and global economies as people are required to stay at home.

Cathedral Of Saint John The Baptist, Turin, Italy

Although those who are very devout typically turn to their faiths during stressful times like these, large gatherings have either been banned or are strongly advised against. Many houses of worship are closing down to the public. Here we see a completely empty Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin.

Empty Tram In Milan, Italy

Entire regions (and now countries) have been placed on lockdown in response to the continuing spread of the novel coronavirus. That means that usually packed and bustling public transportation is unusually bare, like this tram in Milan.

Tourist Buses In Bangkok, Thailand

Many people are either voluntarily canceling travel plans or have no choice as certain areas are closed down to visitors. Here are unused, parked tourist buses near an airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Many countries’s economies that rely on tourism will be hit very hard.

Empty Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

A typical scene at the Grand Canal in Venice has many boats and gondolas carrying people around the city. Tourists and locals alike must travel by boat in order to get from one part of the city to another. However, now that the city is on lockdown, no boats can be seen on the canal at all.

Baseball Game Without A Crowd In Tokyo, Japan

Baseball is quite a popular sport in Japan, but during a global pandemic, games now have to be played without a crowd and behind closed doors. Japan has already had many confirmed cases of the virus and this is one of the precautions that have been taken to help curb the spread of the virus.

Piazza Del Duomo, Milan, Italy

Piazza del Duomo in Milan could be considered one of the world’s most iconic squares. The square is normally flooded with tourists, vying to get a social media-worthy photo in front of the famous cathedral. Now, there are more pigeons than tourists in the piazza.

Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milan, Italy

Milan is Italy’s financial hub, home to the national stock exchange, and a capital of fashion. Corso Vittorio Emanuele is one of the city’s busiest streets. Now, the area is nearly completely deserted as the country hunkers down in a nation-wide lockdown.

Supermarket In Turin, Italy

As the virus spreads, so does fear. While hoarding food and supplies is not strictly necessary, many people have chosen to stock up out of panic and paranoia. This leaves many supermarkets and stores running out of many staples and supplies.

Virtual Classes At A Milan University

One of the ways the spread of the virus has affected daily life is the fact that students are not allowed to physically go to school. Instead, they tune into virtually held lectures hosted by their teachers or professors.

Empty Shelves In Grocery Store In California

As in many parts of the world, people in the United States are starting to worry about the long-term effects and impact of the virus that is spreading. Therefore, many are choosing to shop and stock up on food, cleaning supplies, medications, and anything else they might need in case of an emergency.

Restaurant In Chinatown, Singapore

Many countries that heavily rely on tourism are experiencing very difficult times at the moment. One effect that the virus is having is some unwarranted racist attacks on Chinese people outside of China, as well as other Asians in general.

Milan Central Station

As Milan is Italy’s financial center, many people make a daily commute to the city for work. In normal times, the Milan Central Station is normally a vibrant, busy, and crowded place to be. Now that the country is on lockdown, the train station is eerily empty.

Soccer Match Without A Crowd, Milan, Italy

Sports teams around the world have been affected by the spread of the coronavirus and have had to hold matches and games without crowds in attendance. It must be very strange for players who are used to ear-splitting crowds chanting, yelling, and cheering to suddenly be playing to an empty house.

Deserted Milan Central Station

Central train stations around the world are usually a symbol of capitalism, tourism, and the transience of the modern world. Now that a global pandemic is on our hands, stations are completely deserted, giving an almost otherworldly feel to places that are usually teeming with life.

Supermarket In Australia

As the virus continues to spread around the globe, many feel the need to prepare. Australians are no exception, and there has even been a shortage in essentials such as toilet paper. Here you can see the shelves quickly emptying out as people stock up on supplies.

Empty Train In Termini Station, Rome, Italy

Daily life is now being disrupted in a very real way, as people are confined to their homes. This means that most people’s commute to work is nonexistent, and any type of large gathering and travel is not recommended, so trains and buses are completely empty.

Lecture Hall At Palazzo Nuovo University In Turin, Italy

One of the measures taken to help the attempts in controlling the spread of the virus is shutting down schools and universities. Many teachers are opting to teach classes virtually. Luckily, technology allows this to be quite simple to do.

Metro Car, Rome, Italy

Tight restrictions on going out and coming into close contact with other people means that most people are staying home. That leaves public transportation nearly completely empty, which especially in major cities, is quite rare to see.

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Another industry that has been hit quite hard apart from tourism is the hospitality industry. Restaurants and bars are experiencing a significant decrease in foot traffic, and in some areas, it has come to a complete halt.

St. Peter’s Square, Rome, Italy

St. Peter’s Square is usually alive with visitors, as it is one of Rome’s most popular tourist destinations. Here you can see that very few people are walking around the area, and it is certainly a stark difference from what the place normally looks like.

Empty Road To Linate Airport, Milan, Italy

Airports and airlines are experiencing some of the worst economic times the world has seen in years. In a true symbol of the state of things, the road to the Linate Airport in Milan is completely deserted.

Empty Cafe In Piazza, Venice, Italy

Cafes and restaurants in Italy are normally bustling with activity. Locals and visitors alike gather at the eateries to enjoy famously delicious Italian food and strong coffee. These days, many are staying away from public spaces, leaving many eateries totally empty.