The legendary Italian city of Venice has made many other countries jealous, prompting some, most-often, rather irrational tourism websites to nickname different cities as "the Venice of…". The BuffPo has been sampling the best of them.
7. Pont-Audemer, France
In poll place on our list of Venetian pretenders, is Pont-Audemer, the 6th largest city in the Eure department of France, nicknamed the "Venice of Normandy" due to its meandering canals. From the many small bridges, there is, well, a faint resemblance, thanks to Normandy town's tall, colored houses and clear waters. This city truly deserves its nickname.
6. Ganvie, Benin
6. Ganvie, Benin
This lake city in Benin of 30 000 people is often called "Venice of Africa" because of its colorful houses raised up on wooden pillars as well as the daily use of boats to get around town… Years ago, during the slave trade years, the town was a hiding spot for many Beninese whose only other refuge was the nearby swamps…
5. Udaipur, India
Udaipur is made up of many lakes and (guess what) is nicknamed the "Venice of the East". Today a city of the Rajasthan state of India, it was once called "the most romantic spot on the continent of India", by a British administrator called James Tod. Today, Udaipur is well known for its historic forts and palaces, museums, galleries, natural locations and gardens.
4. Suzhou, China
The multimillion-dollar American franchise "Mission Impossible" brought the city of Suzhou to people's attention. Certainly, Suzhou is in many ways a stunning city, set right by the Chinese economic capital of Shanghai. It has it all, the gondolas, the many canals, the colorful facades - and all with a distinct Chinese twist.
3. Annecy, France
The largest city in Savoy is also the region's most beautiful, set on the Lake of Annecy. The so-called "Venice of the Alps" is a patchwork of picturesque, shuttered homes towering over azure canals. One can spend hours strolling around the cobbled old town… But better, there are 150 different canals including the biggest and most impressive one which is called… "The Grand Canal". Just like in Venice!
2. Saint Petersburg, Russia
The city of Catherine the Great calls itself "the Venice of the North", yet even a cursory look at the map of the town shows this to be a triumph of the imagination as most of the buildings are plonked on very ordinary roads. Nonetheless, there are about 63 rivers and canals flowing within Saint Petersburg, with a total length of over 300 kilometers, even if, river excursions only visit four of them. Okay, it is an experience a long way from the romantic wanderings of the Venetian gondoliers yet, to be fair, you can see from the tour boat many of the city's famous palaces, beautiful and unusual bridges, and several "postcard" panoramas. First and foremost, the Strelka, or "spit", of Vasilyevsky Island. So we say, visit Saint P and spit!
1. Bruges, Belgium
Without a doubt, the most famous claimant to the evidently much-sought-after title of the "Venice of the North" is the Flemish city of Bruges. The town was founded by the Vikings in the 9th century, is close to the North Sea and does indeed have numerous canals that are scattered through the city.
The inner city itself is only 430 hectares in size, with a population of just 20,000, and it is possible to walk around it all in a couple of hours. But to really get the elusive Venice effect, far better is to try the 40-minute cruise among the canals that takes in the Poortersloge (Merchants' Lodge) and the Old Tollhouse, that remind of Bruges' prosperous trading past. Today, though the only trade Bruges' canals carry is boatloads of placid tourists on their way to the chocolate museum and Rozenhoedkaai, the area where ships used to unload their salt shipments.
A little further on, and boats pass under the arched Bonifacius Bridge, a popular 20th-century stone arch crossing always busy with tourists taking photos, as well as the 18th-century Nepomucenus Bridge, watched over by a statue of John of Nepomuk. Who he? Why the patron saint of bridges… Or should we call him the Gondolier of the North?
5. Udaipur, India
Udaipur is made up of many lakes and (guess what) is nicknamed the "Venice of the East". Today a city of the Rajasthan state of India, it was once called "the most romantic spot on the continent of India", by a British administrator called James Tod. Today, Udaipur is well known for its historic forts and palaces, museums, galleries, natural locations and gardens.
4. Suzhou, China
The multimillion-dollar American franchise "Mission Impossible" brought the city of Suzhou to people's attention. Certainly, Suzhou is in many ways a stunning city, set right by the Chinese economic capital of Shanghai. It has it all, the gondolas, the many canals, the colorful facades - and all with a distinct Chinese twist.
3. Annecy, France
The largest city in Savoy is also the region's most beautiful, set on the Lake of Annecy. The so-called "Venice of the Alps" is a patchwork of picturesque, shuttered homes towering over azure canals. One can spend hours strolling around the cobbled old town… But better, there are 150 different canals including the biggest and most impressive one which is called… "The Grand Canal". Just like in Venice!
2. Saint Petersburg, Russia
The city of Catherine the Great calls itself "the Venice of the North", yet even a cursory look at the map of the town shows this to be a triumph of the imagination as most of the buildings are plonked on very ordinary roads. Nonetheless, there are about 63 rivers and canals flowing within Saint Petersburg, with a total length of over 300 kilometers, even if, river excursions only visit four of them. Okay, it is an experience a long way from the romantic wanderings of the Venetian gondoliers yet, to be fair, you can see from the tour boat many of the city's famous palaces, beautiful and unusual bridges, and several "postcard" panoramas. First and foremost, the Strelka, or "spit", of Vasilyevsky Island. So we say, visit Saint P and spit!
1. Bruges, Belgium
Without a doubt, the most famous claimant to the evidently much-sought-after title of the "Venice of the North" is the Flemish city of Bruges. The town was founded by the Vikings in the 9th century, is close to the North Sea and does indeed have numerous canals that are scattered through the city.
The inner city itself is only 430 hectares in size, with a population of just 20,000, and it is possible to walk around it all in a couple of hours. But to really get the elusive Venice effect, far better is to try the 40-minute cruise among the canals that takes in the Poortersloge (Merchants' Lodge) and the Old Tollhouse, that remind of Bruges' prosperous trading past. Today, though the only trade Bruges' canals carry is boatloads of placid tourists on their way to the chocolate museum and Rozenhoedkaai, the area where ships used to unload their salt shipments.
A little further on, and boats pass under the arched Bonifacius Bridge, a popular 20th-century stone arch crossing always busy with tourists taking photos, as well as the 18th-century Nepomucenus Bridge, watched over by a statue of John of Nepomuk. Who he? Why the patron saint of bridges… Or should we call him the Gondolier of the North?
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