Ghent

Ghent has the canals and guild houses of a postcard town but the energy of a university city, so the Graslei quays fill with locals and students on any warm evening, not just tour groups. Since its 2017 circulation plan pushed through traffic out of the center, the old core is easy to wander without dodging cars. Give one afternoon to Saint Bavo's Cathedral and the van Eyck brothers' Ghent Altarpiece, then let the rest of the weekend drift between bars, frites stands and the moated Gravensteen castle. It makes a far less crowded alternative to nearby Bruges.