Ghent

Ghent is what Bruges would be if it had kept working for a living-just as beautiful, half as touristed.

Guildhouses crowd the Graslei waterfront, a grim medieval castle squats in the centre, and the Van Eyck brothers' altarpiece glows inside the cathedral. This was one of medieval Europe's great cities, and it wears that old swagger lightly now, full of students and street art.

The canals catch fire at dusk while bells ring from the belfry over a city that feels lived-in rather than staged.

Try the cone-shaped cuberdon sweets and a creamy waterzooi stew.