Bruges is lovely and everyone knows it, which is rather the problem. By mid-morning its lanes are a slow river of day-trippers following a raised umbrella. Half an hour away by train sits Ghent, just as old and just as handsome, but with a working university, a proper nightlife and far fewer people pointing cameras at the same gable. Belgians who want a weekend away tend to choose it.
What makes it different
Ghent earns its living rather than performing for visitors. The medieval guild houses along the Graslei waterfront are stunning, but they sit beside cafes full of students and locals, not just souvenir shops. The castle of the Counts squats in the middle of town like something from a fairy tale, and you can climb it without booking weeks ahead.
How to spend a weekend
- Walk the Graslei and Korenlei at dusk, when the old facades light up and reflect in the water.
- Climb the Belfry for the rooftop view, then visit Saint Bavo's Cathedral to see the Ghent Altarpiece, one of the great early Flemish paintings.
- Settle into a brown cafe and work through a beer list that runs to dozens, ideally with a plate of local grey shrimp croquettes.
Getting there
The Eurostar to Brussels, then a quick domestic train, puts you in Ghent in well under half a day from London with no airport faff at all. The centre is small and flat, so you walk everywhere, and the trams cover the rest for a couple of euros.
Go for two nights. Ghent is compact enough to feel manageable but lively enough that you will not run out of things to do, and because it is not on every coach itinerary, the restaurants and bars feel like they belong to the city rather than to tourism. You leave with the smug sense of having found the better option, because you have.