Top Reasons to Visit

Top Reasons to Visit

Avoid the Crowds. The medieval center of Gent is barely less gorgeous than Brugge, but while tourists swarm over the latter like bees around a honeypot, this is somewhere you won't have to queue all day to see.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry. When it comes to dining, Gent boasts some of Belgium's best regional specialties. Favorites include waterzooi (creamy chicken broth) and paling in't groen (eel in green sauce). Wash them down with a glass of the local beer, Karmeliet Tripel, which is pretty good, too.

A Brew with a View. Gent's canal-side Graslei is one of the country's prettiest locations, and is lined with cafés and restaurants. In fine weather its terraces provide the perfect place to sit and watch the world literally float past.