Amsterdam is a city of water. The capital city of the Netherlands has 165 canals, stretching more than 60 miles, and it often feels like there are more grachten than streets. Amsterdam is also flush with lakes, harbours and islands, not to mention the Amstel, the river that gives the city its name. There’s water everywhere, and the best part? You can swim in almost all of it.
A city looks and feels different when you’re in its water. Parisians have been flocking to the Seine this summer to get in their river for the first time in 100 years, thanks to focused efforts to clean it up. Sewage overspills are still an issue in Paris, though – this is a problem every major city has to solve before people can safely swim.
