Canals come in all sorts and sizes， from waterways that connect oceans to small waterways within cities. These cities are often so deeply identified with Venice that people are tempted to compare them with this famous city. In fact， cities all over the world which are known for their canals and waterways have a tendency to be called “the Venice of” their part of the world. But these cities have a charm and history of their own and are definitely worth a visit.

運(yùn)河類型各異，規(guī)模不等，大到連通大洋，小到僅限一城。這些水城往往被認(rèn)為與威尼斯太過相似，人們禁不住將它們與威尼斯這座名城相比。事實(shí)上，世界各地凡因運(yùn)河和河道而揚(yáng)名的城市往往都被冠以“某某地的威尼斯”之名。不過，這些城市各有各的魅力和歷史，絕對(duì)值得一游。

Canals of Alappuzha

Alappuzha （also known as Alleppey）， “the Venice of the East”， is an ancient and beautiful place in India full of canals. Alappuzha is connected to the famous Kerala backwaters and visitors can rent a houseboat to explore the backwaters for one or several days. The famous Snake Boat Race， where teams of rowers compete for the Nehru Trophy can also be attended.

阿拉普扎運(yùn)河

印度的阿拉普扎（又稱阿勒比）被譽(yù)為“東方威尼斯”，是一個(gè)古老而又美麗的城市。阿拉普扎運(yùn)河遍布，直通著名的喀拉拉邦回水區(qū)。游客可以租一艘可居住的游船，來(lái)個(gè)回水區(qū)一日游或多日游，還可以參加當(dāng)?shù)刂纳叽荣?，該比賽中有一?duì)一隊(duì)的劃船手爭(zhēng)奪“尼赫魯獎(jiǎng)杯”。

Suzhou Canals

Often called “the Venice of China”， Suzhou is located in Eastern China on the lower Yangtze River. Founded in the 5th century BC， Suzhou is renowned for its charming waterways， its intricate gardens and historic stone bridges. Its also famous for its silk trade and for its proximity to the Grand Canal， one of the largest waterway trade routes in the world.

蘇州運(yùn)河

蘇州位于中國(guó)東部長(zhǎng)江下游地區(qū)，素有“中國(guó)威尼斯”之稱。蘇州城始建于公元前5世紀(jì)，以其美麗多姿的河道、精致典雅的園林和歷史悠久的石橋聞名于世。此外，蘇州絲綢貿(mào)易繁盛，又鄰近京杭大運(yùn)河（世界最大的水路商貿(mào)通道之一），這也是該城市有名的原因。

Bangkok Klongs

“Klong” is Thai for canal. Historically， people used klongs throughout Thailand for transportation and commerce， earning Bangkok the nickname， “the Venice of the East”. Today， most klongs have been filled in for use as streets. But you can still visit a tourist version of a traditional floating market on the Klong Damnoen Saduak in the Ratchaburi province or take a boat through central Bangkok on the Khlong Saen Saeb to avoid city traffic.

曼谷庫(kù)隆

泰語(yǔ)“庫(kù)隆”即指“運(yùn)河”。過去，泰國(guó)人在遍布全國(guó)的運(yùn)河上完成運(yùn)輸和商貿(mào)活動(dòng)，為曼谷贏得了“東方威尼斯”的別稱。今天，泰國(guó)大多數(shù)運(yùn)河已被填埋，用作街道。不過，你仍然可以泛舟泰國(guó)叻丕府的喃倫沙律運(yùn)河，造訪專供游人參觀的傳統(tǒng)水上市場(chǎng)，或者在塞薩運(yùn)河上乘船穿過曼谷中心城區(qū)，以避開城市車流。

Panama Canal

The man-made 77.1 km Panama Canal changed the course of shipping and travel by connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across a narrow strip of land in Panama. Completed in 1914， the canal enables ships to pass through a series of locks to get from one side to the other and eliminates the need for ships to take the much longer and dangerous route around the tip of South America. Today more than 14，000 ships pass the Panama Canal every year.

巴拿馬運(yùn)河

巴拿馬運(yùn)河是一條人工開鑿的運(yùn)河，全長(zhǎng)77.1千米。巴拿馬運(yùn)河橫穿狹窄的巴拿馬地峽，連通大西洋和太平洋，改變了水上航運(yùn)路線和人們的旅行路線。巴拿馬運(yùn)河于1914年竣工，它使船舶可通過一系列閘門從一個(gè)大洋駛?cè)肓硪粋€(gè)大洋，不必再耗費(fèi)更長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間冒險(xiǎn)繞到南美洲的南端。目前，每年航行經(jīng)過巴拿馬運(yùn)河的船舶有1.4萬(wàn)多艘。

Canals of Hoi An

This fishing-village-turned-tourist-hotspot is situated on the coast of the South China Sea in Vietnam. Hoi An has been an international port from the 16th century although the serious shipping business has long since moved to the city of Da Nang. The heart of the city is still the Old Town， full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shophouses. It is sometimes called “the Venice of Vietnam” because of the narrow canals that cut through part of the town.

會(huì)安運(yùn)河

越南的會(huì)安市位于中國(guó)南海之濱，原本只是一個(gè)漁村，后來(lái)成為一處旅游勝地。從16世紀(jì)起，會(huì)安就一直是越南的國(guó)際港口，雖然重要的航運(yùn)活動(dòng)早已轉(zhuǎn)移到越南另一城市峴港。會(huì)安的中心地帶仍然是古鎮(zhèn)區(qū)，這里小巷盤曲錯(cuò)雜，中式商鋪林立。因?yàn)椴糠殖菂^(qū)有條條狹窄的運(yùn)河流過，會(huì)安有時(shí)被稱為“越南的威尼斯”。

Canals of Bruges

Bruges is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and Belgiums most popular destination. Because of its canals Bruges is often called “the Venice of the North”. In the Middle Ages the “Reie” river was turned into a network of canals that enabled traders to bring their products to the large water halls at the Markt. Nowadays a boat ride on these famous canals provides a great way to see some of Bruges most beautiful sites.

布魯日運(yùn)河

布魯日是歐洲保存最完好的中世紀(jì)古城，也是比利時(shí)最熱門的旅游去處。布魯日因其運(yùn)河眾多，歷來(lái)有“北方威尼斯”之稱。中世紀(jì)時(shí)期，流經(jīng)布魯日的雷耶河已經(jīng)發(fā)展成為一套運(yùn)河體系，商人可以通過運(yùn)河將產(chǎn)品運(yùn)送到市集廣場(chǎng)的大型水上倉(cāng)庫(kù)。如今，想要飽覽布魯日最美的幾處景點(diǎn)，絕佳的方式就是乘船沿著那些著名的運(yùn)河參觀。

Canals of Amsterdam

Another “the Venice of the North”， Amsterdam began building its famous canals in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age. The three main canals， Herengracht， Prinsengracht， and Keizersgracht， form concentric belts around the city. Today there are over 100 km of canals and 1500 bridges. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings.

阿姆斯特丹運(yùn)河

阿姆斯特丹亦有“北方威尼斯”之稱。阿姆斯特丹的運(yùn)河聞名遐邇，開鑿時(shí)間始于17世紀(jì)荷蘭黃金時(shí)代。紳士運(yùn)河、王子運(yùn)河和國(guó)王運(yùn)河是阿姆斯特丹的三條主要運(yùn)河，它們呈同心圓環(huán)狀圍繞著這座城市。阿姆斯特丹現(xiàn)有運(yùn)河總長(zhǎng)一百多公里，橋梁1500余座，三大運(yùn)河沿岸建有1550座宏偉建筑。

Canals of Venice

Referred to as “the City of Water”， Venice is the crown jewel of water cities. Romantic gondolas and Italian architecture along the Grand Canal helped it earn this status. Stitched together with over 150 canals that have become central to its character， Venice has decayed since its heyday and has more tourists than residents， but the romantic charm remains. Hop on a vaporetto if a gondola is too slow—but dont try to hail a cab unless its a water taxi—because there still arent any cars in Venice.

威尼斯運(yùn)河

常被稱作“水上之都”的威尼斯是水城之冠，這一美譽(yù)得益于富有風(fēng)情的貢多拉和威尼斯大運(yùn)河兩岸的意式建筑。威尼斯的150多條運(yùn)河相互交織，構(gòu)成這座城市的主要特征。威尼斯曾經(jīng)盛極一時(shí)，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)衰敗，游客比居民都要多，但其浪漫風(fēng)韻猶存。要是覺得貢多拉速度太慢，可以改乘汽艇，不過別試著叫出租車（除非是水上巴士），因?yàn)橥崴怪两袢匀粵]有一輛汽車。