Antwerp

Antwerp struts-a port and diamond city that also happens to dress better than anywhere else in Belgium.

Its central station is a cathedral to train travel, all marble and gold, while a real cathedral nearby holds Rubens' looming altarpieces. Fashion radicals trained here, so the boutiques are sharp and the people sharper, with a confidence that edges into swagger.

The Scheldt rolls past warehouses turned galleries, and the medieval Grote Markt anchors it all in older money.

Eat the city's almond-paste 'little hands' biscuits and drink a De Koninck, served in its round little glass.