Ghent<\/h2>\n
The city of the \u2018Mystic Lamb\u2019, Ghent straddles the rivers Scheldt and Leie and is small enough to walk around and enjoy for a weekend, but easily connected to other great Belgian cities for a longer trip. For lovers of art<\/a>, heritage and architecture, it\u2019s an inspiring place to explore. A 48-hour CityCard gives you access to all the sights, monuments and museums<\/a> in Ghent, as well as public transport and a boat trip.<\/p>\n Right in the centre of Ghent, this former post office has been beautifully restored. Bedrooms are dark-walled, with crisp white linen and great lighting, while the main building is a stunning architectural example. If you don\u2019t book a room, make sure you still visit their fantastic cocktail bar, The Cobbler.<\/p>\n Stay at 1898 The Post<\/a><\/p>\n Located in the heart of the late 18th-century Ghent Botanic Garden, this brand new museum has a historic collection of over 400,000 scientific and anthropological artefacts. Alongside the wonderfully displayed permanent collection, accumulated over 200 years, you\u2019ll find thought-provoking and changing exhibitions.<\/p>\n Visit Ghent University Museum<\/a><\/p>\n Use your CityCard and take a short journey by boat along Ghent\u2019s rivers, and see the city\u2019s secrets from the waterways. Or, if you\u2019re feeling extreme, upgrade your experience to a kayak.<\/p>\n Visit River Boat Trip<\/a><\/p>\n Probably less known if you\u2019re not a Belgian, but the Ghent Altarpiece (aka The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) is one of the most influential paintings ever made, completed in 1432 by the Van Eyck brothers. You can find it, now fully restored, in the magnificent St Bavo\u2019s Cathedral.<\/p>\n Visit The Ghent Altarpiece<\/a><\/p>\n The place for dinner. Created by a husband and wife team, Alison and Tom, you\u2019ll find world-class food, served with good humour and a relaxed atmosphere. You\u2019ll probably be surprised, but you won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n For an extra-special foody shopping experience, visit Hilde Devolder Chocolatier<\/a> for amazing flavours such as green tea and cherry blossom, and Tierenteyn Verlent<\/a>, the timelessly serene, famous mustard shop, full of beautiful stoneware jars.<\/p>\n Visit Cochon de Luxe<\/a><\/p>\n Have lunch at Groot Vleeshuis (big meat house), an old butcher\u2019s hall where they only sell produce from the East Flanders area. Buy a bottle of RoomeR, an elderflower liqueur made locally with secret herbs, and watch out for the Cuberdons \u2013 super-sugary jelly sweets shaped like noses!<\/p>\n Visit Groot Vleeshuis<\/a><\/p>\n A fabulous renaissance city, and a really popular destination in Belgium, Antwerp was home to baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens. Also famed for its diamonds, over half the world\u2019s diamonds still go through Antwerp\u2019s diamond exchange each year. Arrive by train, or at least visit the station \u2013 they call it \u2018Railway Cathedral\u2019, it\u2019s so magnificent. You\u2019ll find a mixture of the best architecture, from the Gothic beauty of the Cathedral of Our Lady to the modern lines of Antwerp Port House by Zaha Hadid.<\/p>\n This super-chic but simple hotel is built in a former convent. The rooms are calm and clean, the gardens and spa are serene and secluded, and the restaurant serves a seasonal menu in an atmospheric setting.<\/p>\n Stay at Hotel August<\/a><\/p>\n Visit the palazzo home and studios of Rubens, where you can enjoy the original gardens and view famous works from the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.<\/p>\n Visit The Rubens House<\/a><\/p>\n For something a bit shiny, visit the diamond museum. It\u2019s small and central, with changing displays and lots of silverware.<\/p>\n Visit DIVA<\/a><\/p>\n This printing museum, situated within a fabulous mansion, is a dedicated UNESCO World Heritage site. It contains the two oldest printing presses in the world, dating from around 1600, and an incredible Great Library. Exhibitions focus on the history of books and the art of printing.<\/p>\n Visit Plantin-Moretus<\/a><\/p>\n For several decades, Kloosterstraat has been the go-to street for antiques<\/a> and vintage<\/a>. You\u2019ll find dozens of shops filled with fine art, antiques, vintage clothes, books, vinyl and furniture. There are also great food stores, cafes and, of course, chocolate. Leopoldstraat is another hot-spot for antiques. On Sundays, visit Sint-Jansvliet Antique Market, and in the summer, head to BrocAntwerpen flea market<\/a>.<\/p>\n Antwerp\u2019s fashion museum has a collection of over 35,000 pieces from the past three centuries, and the most important collection of contemporary Belgian fashion in the world. Enjoy its immersive thematic exhibitions, plus an extensive library and a cafe in collaboration with Graanmarkt 13.<\/p>\n Visit MoMu<\/a><\/p>\n Eat at this award-winning restaurant and then shop for modern pieces in their concept store. There\u2019s even a super-sleek apartment if you want to book a stay. Apparently, it\u2019s the place to be seen in Antwerp.<\/p>\n Visit Graanmarkt 13<\/a><\/p>\n Leuven is a compact and historical city, famous for its university and less than half an hour\u2019s drive from Brussels. The streets are full of mostly small and artisanal shops, and on Fridays there\u2019s a general market with food and flowers, with Saturday set aside for the antiques market. Leuven\u2019s Oude Markt has the longest \u2018bar counter\u2019 in Europe, full of pubs and bars and terraces. If you can, try to fit in a visit to Animaux Sp\u00e9ciaux, a shop full of plants, taxidermy<\/a> and other wonders!<\/p>\n Visit Leuven<\/a><\/p>\n Close to the botanical gardens and perfectly located in the historical centre of Leuven, Martin\u2019s Klooster is a converted monastery with a modern extension. Some of the rooms are in the old wing, so if you\u2019d like to experience them it\u2019s worth asking specifically when you book.<\/p>\n Stay at Martin\u2019s Klooster Hotel<\/a><\/p>\n Take a calming walk around the oldest botanical garden in Belgium. Created in 1738 by the university for its students of medicine, the garden is home to around 800 plant species, and also plays host to regular exhibitions.<\/p>\n Visit Hortus Botanicus Lovaniensis<\/a><\/p>\n This Norbertine Abbey is outside Leuven, but close enough for a quick cycle on a hired bike. Today, a small community of canons still live here under the fine stucco ceilings. Many buildings have already been restored, with some still underway. Also located at Park Abbey is PARCUM, a museum of religious arts, and The House of Polyphony, the home of early polyphonic music.<\/p>\n Visit Park Abbey<\/a><\/p>\n Slightly scary, but also fascinating, this medical teaching facility from the 1700s was built to investigate the human body. It has some nice rococo features to distract you, too!<\/p>\n Visit Anatomical Amphitheatre<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s a regular street market of all sorts of antiques and vintage bits and bobs. The market<\/a> weaves its way around the church and through several streets. Combine a trip to Leuven with a day-trip to Tongeren \u2013 on a Sunday if possible. Aside from being of interest as the oldest town in Belgium, every Sunday the streets of Tongeren host a huge antiques and flea market, with hundreds of stalls and a lively atmosphere. If that\u2019s not enough (or you can\u2019t make it on Sunday) there are lots of antiques shops<\/a> in the area, too.<\/p>\nWhere to stay in Ghent<\/h3>\n
1898 The Post<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nWhat to do in Ghent<\/h3>\n
Ghent University Museum (GUM)<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nRiver boat trip<\/h4>\n
The Ghent Altarpiece<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Where to eat in Ghent<\/h3>\n
Cochon de Luxe<\/h4>\n
Groot Vleeshuis<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Antwerp<\/h2>\n
Where to stay in Antwerp<\/h3>\n
Hotel August<\/h4>\n
What to do in Antwerp<\/h3>\n
The Rubens House<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nDIVA<\/h4>\n
Plantin-Moretus<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Antwerp antiques district<\/h4>\n
MoMu<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Where to eat in Antwerp<\/h3>\n
Graanmarkt 13<\/h4>\n
Leuven<\/h2>\n
Where to stay<\/h3>\n
Martin\u2019s Klooster Hotel<\/h4>\n
What to do<\/h3>\n
Hortus Botanicus Lovaniensis<\/h4>\n
Park Abbey<\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Anatomical Amphitheatre<\/h4>\n
Antiques shopping<\/h4>\n
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