Ghent

A winding web of canals filters its way through a vine-clad mix of old Flemish homes and medieval castles, where every gothic adornment, grimacing gargoyle or embellished frontispiece tells the story of a rich and prosperous past; a time when the well-to-do merchants that lived on these bends on the Leie River led one of the largest industrial booms on the Continent and proudly hailed Ghent as one of the largest cities in Europe. The towering Belfry, St Bavos Cathedral, looming Het Gravensteen and wealth of other historical sites aside, Ghent is also a pulsing and energetic town that’s really living in the now. It’s got a resident population of more than 60,000 students, and as any Ghent tourist guide will tell you, one of the most happening hipster and boho scenes in all of Belgium (just look for Overpoortstraat, with its overload of student clubs and dive bars). What’s more, it’s also one of the most proudly Flemish towns around, serving bubbling stoverij in the shadow of stepped Flanders roofs, and offering some of the headiest Belgian ales, best experienced against the lovely backdrop of Ghent by light.