Venice Isn’t The Only European City With Canals In Place Of Streets

When you think of a city full of canals, your mind probably goes first to Venice, Italy. The ancient “floating” city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

But it turns out, Venice isn’t the only European city that’s built around waterways instead of roads. Giethoorn, located in the northeastern part of The Netherlands, is a city built around canals. The town has been dubbed the “Dutch Venice” or “Venice of the North.”

With no roads, the main mode of transport in Giethoorn is by boat. Tourists can rent canoes or motorized boats to get around. The village does have sidewalks and bike trails, so you can enjoy the picturesque waterways by foot or bike as well. This little village is so dependent on its waterways that many of the houses cannot be reached by road and the mailman delivers the mail by boat. Lonely Planet notes that due to the limited amount of land in Giethoorn, farmers used to move their cows around in boats filled with hay.

This peaceful and quaint village is located in the province of Overijssel, about an hour and a half from Amsterdam, and it’s loaded with lush vegetation and a series of lakes and canals. There are a number of canal-side restaurants and museums to be found in Giethoorn, and there are plenty of charming bridges, cottages and waterways to take in as you meander on foot or by boat.

Villagers seem to value their peace and quiet, as one of the most popular ways to get around is by “whisper boats,” which have noiseless engines. Between the soft sounds of nature, the adorable cottage-style homes, and serene water ways, this village seems straight out of a fairy tale.

Venice may be more popular, but this Dutch city is magical as it gets.