Venice, Italy

World-famous for its picturesque dense canals, thousands of holidaymakers fly to Venice each year to experience the romantic β€˜city of canals’.With 150 city-based canals, there are few other canal networks out there that can match Venice’s, with 26 miles of waterways to explore.

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is one of the most colorfully distinctive cities in Europe. Thanks to its network of winding canals, 15th-century buildings, and ornate church steeples, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen’s charming old port area, Nyhavn, connects the oldest part of Copenhagen to the sea and was once a bustling hive of activity β€” all of it legal. Since it was many sailors’ 1st port of call into town, the area was a red-light district with many taverns & brothels available for men who had been at sea too long.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

As one of the most water-filled cities in the world, Amsterdam’s canals occupy a quarter of the city’s surface area. That’s a lot of water! Also known as β€˜the Venice of the North’, Amsterdam is a great place to explore when visiting canal cities in Europe.

Annecy, France

Annecy is called the β€œPearl of the French Alps.” Because of its location, squeezed between Lake Annecy and the Semnoz mountains, Annecy can’t grow much β€” so it has preserved its old town as it was centuries ago, threaded with more canals than roads.

Utrecht, Netherlands

You may have enjoyed the canals of Amsterdam, but Utrecht’s waterways are also lined with numerous shops, cafes, and restaurants.The unique wharves, which once accommodated medieval merchant ships, now provide patio and terrace space for people looking to enjoy a glass of wine

Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden’s capital, an elegant city whose architecture dates as far back as the 13th century, spans 14 islands and holds over 50 bridges. Gamla Stan, the old town by Stockholm Palace (home of Sweden’s royal family) and many other government buildings is built across a few small islands.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia’s second-largest city was founded on swampland. Peter the Great had the city drained into a series of canals modeled on Amsterdam’s iconic waterways, creating a city with 190 miles of rivers and canals. You can drift down the Moyka Canal and enjoy the stunning 18th-century mansions built along the banks, including several small palaces and the Pushkin Museum.