Ghent - Three Towers

From Korenmarkt, three medieval towers fall into a single sightline: the Sint-Niklaaskerk, the Belfort, and the Sint-Baafskatedraal. Each was built over a different century for a different institution; the alignment from the square is coincidental, though the view is well maintained. Ghent has around 260,000 residents and 70,000 students, sits forty kilometres from Brussels and fifty from Bruges, and sees considerably less tourist traffic than either.

Where to stay

1898 The Post occupies Ghent's former main post office on Goudenleeuwplein, a short walk from all three towers. The original woodwork, high ceilings, and period rooms are preserved; 38 rooms and suites sit around the central atrium, and The Cobbler cocktail bar occupies a floor with city views. Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Reylof is set in a Louis XIV residence five hundred metres from the old town, with 156 rooms, a spa in the former carriage house, and a restaurant in the main hall. Hotel Harmony, in a neoclassical townhouse beside the Patershol, places guests adjacent to the medieval quarter and within a five-minute walk of the Gravensteen.

What to eat

Vrijmoed holds two Michelin stars in the centre of the city. Chef Michaël Vrijmoed's contemporary menu changes seasonally; the room is small and reservations need to be made well ahead. Publiek holds one star and prices a five-course dinner at around €75, which makes it the most accessible Michelin-starred room in Ghent. In the Patershol, the cobblestone quarter behind the Gravensteen, Karel de Stoute has been the neighbourhood's anchor restaurant for decades, serving traditional Flemish-French cooking in low-ceilinged rooms on narrow lanes that have held restaurants since the medieval period.

Where to drink

Dulle Griet, at Vrijdagmarkt 50, lists more than 500 Belgian beers. Its house beer, served in a tall coachman's glass, requires a deposited shoe as collateral, hoisted to the ceiling in a basket until the glass is returned. Dok Brewing Company, in the former industrial Dok Noord area north of the old town, brews and pours its own range across thirty taps alongside a rotating guest selection. 't Waterhuis aan de Bierkant, near Sint-Michielsbrug, stocks over a hundred Belgian beers served in their proper glassware, with a terrace over the water looking toward the Graslei.

How to move

The historic centre is compact and covered easily on foot; the main sights, restaurants, and bars sit within fifteen minutes of each other. The Graslei and Korenlei, the medieval grain quays running either side of the Leie, form the natural axis of the old town. Ghent's central station connects to Brussels in under thirty minutes by train. The city has dedicated cycling lanes across the centre and the wider residential districts, and bike hire is straightforward.