In Europe there are a lot of small towns with canals and bridges that remind the beautiful Venice because of the similarity of its landscapes. Some of these cities are well known as Amsterdam, Bruges or Hamburg, but there are also other less popular such as Annecy, in France, Wroclaw in Poland, Giethoorn in Holland, Ampuriabrava in Spain or Aveiro in Portugal.
Annecy is the capital of Haute-Savoie, and it is considered by tourists as the “Venice of the Alps”. In this city you can enjoy the most beautiful canals, bridges, banks full of flowers and historic buildings that seem to be extracted from a postcard. The most suitable street to visit during your visit is Santa Clara, with arcades and very nice houses and at the top the Castle Museum of the ancient Dukes Genevois-Nemours. Lake Annecy is the second largest in France and where you can visit the Bridge of Loves.
In a much more rural environment, in Holland, it is Giethoorn, known as the “Venice of the North”. It is located an hour and a half by car from Amsterdam and is a town full of lakes and reedbeds, as well as thatched roof farms and 180 wooden bridges. In this town the comedy “Fanfare alla” was filmed, which shot the place to fame and made tourists include it in their destinations.
While in Poland, after the ravages of World War II, Wroclaw, the “Polish Venice” was restored and although it is little known it is a very beautiful city, with canals, bridges, squares and a large number of buildings of tourist interest. You can visit the Market Square, one of the largest in Europe, and enjoy the historic buildings such as the Town Hall and the popular The Salt and The Flowers markets.
In Portugal, just 55 kilometers from Coimbra, Aveiro is located, which has numerous canals and bridges. The city is crossed by the canals in areas surrounding the “Beira Mar” neighborhood where traditional houses and salt stores are a place worthy of admiration. In Aveiro the traditional is mixed with the modern thanks to the university life of the place and its warm climate is suitable to enjoy beaches at any time of the year.
For its part, the “Spanish Venice” is located in Ampuribrava, Gerona. Located in the Gulf of Roses and surrounded by Las Marismas del Ampurdán National Park. It is the most important residential marina in Europe and consists of 24 km of navigable channels. The main economic activity in the area is tourism and it is divided into three areas: the historic area called Villa Condal, the natural reserve, constituted by the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà National Park and the most modern tourist area, made up of a marina residential called Ampuriabrava.
Any of the cities you choose will make your visit an unforgettable, romantic experience and one that you will treasure up in your memories with the most beautiful images of these European places.
ALFA