The Venices Of The World

There is only one Venice, Italy with its many canals and gondolas. You can cross the many quaint bridges and enjoy the cafes on the many squares. However, there are places that claim to be Venices because of their similarities to the original and you can have your choice of how far you want to travel to imagine you are in the city of canals.

Europe

Ireland

In Ireland, in Northern Europe, you can find the "Venice of Ireland." This is a small town called Monasterevin located in County Kildare on the N7 road connecting the city of Dublin with the city of Cork. An aqueduct was built in the town in 1826 carrying the Grand Canal over the River Barrow. Montasterevin also has a number of bridges like the real Venice.

France

Nantes the sixth-largest city in France located in the Brittany region has been given the nickname "Venice of the West." The city sits on the river delta of the Loire, the Erdre, and the Sevre Nantaise. The city was thus named because it has many canals. The Loire River is the longest river in France and flows through the heart of this city.

Sete is a major port city in southern France in the region of Languedoc bordering Spain and the Mediterranean Sea. The city has become knowns as "Venice of Languedoc." The Canal du Midi flows into the sea in Sete after taking a 240 km journey from Bordeaux. The town has many small waterways.

Netherlands

Amsterdam the capital of the Netherlands has been called the "Venice of the North." The city has more canals and bridges than the original Venice. It is known for its network of beautiful waterways. Its large number of canals form UNESCO World Heritage site.

Slovenia

Piran is what Venice would look like if it was a village. Even though it has no canals it does have Venetian-style buildings on Tartini Square among them the 15th-century red, Gothic "Venetian House" It is a resort area that sits on the Adriatic Coast. Here the 19th century Town Hall has a stone lion, the symbol of the former Republic of Venice.

Koper has the Da Ponte Fountain which is the reproduction of the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. The city was once the capital of Venetian Istria and is located almost directly opposite Venice across the Adriatic. Its cream-colored Praetorian Palace has a grand outdoor staircase that reminds one of the Doge's Palace. The Cathedral of the Assumption has a Venetian bell tower, a bell cast in Venice which is the work of Carpaccio, one of Venice's greatest Renaissance artists.

Italy

Grado is a city that is cantilevered over a lagoon with many islands. It is in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and is known as the "mother of Venice" having been founded during Roman times. Grado has a square known as Campo dei Patriarchi and as in Venice, a square is called a campo not a piazza. There are churches resembling those on Torcello Island in Venice, a Venetian-style bell tower, and long swathes of sand just like the Venice Lido.

Asia

China

Suzhou is a city with more than 6 million inhabitants in the suburbs of Shanghai. It is near the mouth of the might Yangtze River and has an extensive canal network giving it the nickname "Venice of China."

India

Alappuzha with more than 2 million inhabitants is one of the largest cities in India. With its canals, it became known as the "Venice of the East" around 100 years ago.

Thailand

Bangkok the capital of Thailand is located on the Chao Phraya River basin and has a network of canals. Popular with tourists there are "Boating Markets" on the canals.

Iraq

With the canals that flow through Basra the second-largest city in Iraq located near the Persian Gulf it has earned the nickname "Venice of the Middle East."

North America

The US

Florida

Ft. Lauderdale a city just north of Miami has earned the nickname of the "Venice of America." Its canals are used by residents to be able to park their yachts in front of their homes and get through the canals to the ocean.

Nevada

If traveling to the actual Venice in Italy takes too much money then the Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada is the place to go. The place has a Venice theme and you can take a gondola ride through the indoor-outdoor canal system.

Texas

San Antonio is the city in Texas where you can find a section known as the River Walk. This has a series of canals just off the San Antonio River. There are also a few bridges and at times the city is referred to as the "Venice of the Southwest."

California

There is actually a city called Venice in California which was built in 1905 to copy the canal system of the Italian city. Even though the canals fell into disrepair the canal area a few blocks from the beach was cleaned up and revitalized.

The Canary Islands

Puerto de Mogan is known as "Little Venice" or "Venice of the Canaries." It has canal-like channels that link the marina to the fishing harbor.

South America

Brazil

Recife a 500-year-old city on the eastern tip of the continent has been referred to as the "Brazilian Venice" because of the many rivers and bridges.