In its November issue, National Geographic paid a tribute to the Belgian "quietly cool" city of Ghent, in the East Flanders province, in its magazine travel guide.
While Ghent is not as widely-known as Bruges or Antwerp, Ghent has a lot to offer visitors, according to National Geographic: "the canal-threaded Belgian city offers everything from design museums and food markets to quirky bars brewing a range of brilliant beers."
The guide praises the city's "medieval heart crammed with buildings repurposed into restaurants, bars and boutiques," its "winding, canal-side paths" and "decidedly relaxed pace of life."
National Geographic also points out that the city is easily accessed by train from the United Kingdom.
The website also gives readers some more tips on what to visit when in Ghent: the 300 ft belfry, the Huis van Alijn, the Frites Atelier when you are hungry, and the Graslei wharf at the canal, of course.
But also: the Mokabon waffles near the Korenmarkt, the local delicacies you can buy in the Great Butcher’s Hall, the special beers of the Gentse Gruut Brewery, and a small detour through the Werregarenstraat, an alleyway so popular with street artists it is now better known as Graffiti Street.
"The most surprising thing about Ghent is that it isn’t already hugely popular with visitors," the travel guide said. "It has it all."
