Three to four hours by Eurostar from London or four and a half hours by ferry and car if you drive.
Sure, the Eurostar goes to Brussels and Bruges but everyone goes to Brussels and Bruges. These days, Ghent is where it’s all kicking off.
It’s a university town, which means that there are plenty of places a hip, young, trendy person like yourself would like to hang out – by which I mean cheap bars, live music venues and restaurants full of other cool young people.
Drinking and socialising aside, Ghent looks like a storybook town, the architecture is ridiculously beautiful and it’s worth getting lost down the narrow cobbled streets for at least one day to see what you find.
Make sure you explore the outrageously imposing Gravensteen Castle (with 24 turrets it’s clear someone was compensating for something), the STAM Ghent City Museum, the Design Museum and the House of Alijn.
Nearby, in Ostend, there’s an unexpectedly brilliant beach that seems very out of place for Belgium and is marvellous if you’re there in the hot summer months.
Cologne, Germany
