Leuven is also home to one of the world's best-known breweries, that of Stella Artois. And there's plenty of beer to be had. By night, head to Oude Markt (Old Market Square), also known as the "longest bar counter in western Europe" with its array of bars, pubs, cafés and clubs. Foodies are spoilt with over 220 restaurants and 176 cafés: from the hip art-adorned eatery, De Blauwe Maan (Blue Moon) on trendy Mechelsestraat to ultra-romantic Mediterranean restaurant, Zarza on the main drag, Bondgenotenlaan. Also on this street is the charming Theater Hotel with its first-floor Sango Art Gallery featuring Zimbabwean art and sculptures.
For shopping, stay on Bondgenotenlaan for the usual suspects of H&M, Mexx and co, or cross over to the parallel, pedestrianised Diestsestraat. For trendy, unique one-offs and antiques, head to Mechelsestraat or enjoy Brusselsestraat's Saturday market of flowers, vegetables and crafts. At Christmas, pick up gorgeous gifts at the markets in the town squares, Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein and Herbet Hooeverplein.
Leaving Leuven was hard, but Ghent beckoned. Hearing it described as a "seaport" does little to inspire, but this gorgeous medieval university town is surely one of Flanders's real gems. You couldn't ever tire of walking around its pretty streets, enjoying the view from St Michael's Bridge, stopping off for a hot waffle or ambling along the River Leie. Wherever you stay, from a cosy B&B to the four-star Sofitel Gent Belfort, you're never far from the attractions which include the Town Hall and truly impressive St Bavo Cathedral, also home to the famous painting, Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Jan and Hubert Van Eyck. Climb the nearby Belfry Tower for fabulous views and visit Gravensteen, the "Castle of the Counts" for more views as you walk around the ramparts. Inside, the Museum of Torture is interesting but rather unpalatable so don't go immediately before or after meals.
For shops and eats, Ghent is a winner. Along Veldstraat, Langemunt and in Shopping Center Post Plaza and Gent Zuid, you'll find the latest trends but don't miss the side streets. A must-visit is the Friday Market (Vrijdagmarkt) when the usually-isolated statue of folk hero Jacob van Artevelde is surrounded by stall after stall selling everything from olives to men's shirts. Call in at the old Meat Market Hall (Vleeshuis) on Groentenmarkt for delicious local cuisine and afterwards, cross the square to the wonderfully atmospheric Vve Tierenteijn-Verlent where you can buy fresh Ghent mustard and other gastro gifts. You're never far from a chocolate shop in Belgium - in Ghent, try Luc Van Hoorebeke's chocolaterie behind the cathedral and let the chocoholic inside you run free.
Ghent's pièce de résistance is the River Leie, flanked by two streets, Graslei ("street of herbs and vegetables") and Koornlei ("street of wheat") and lined with some of the city's most picturesque houses like Spijker, the oldest house on Graslei; the Guildhouse of the Free Boatmen at no. 14; the Corn Measurers' House next door; and the Toll House at no. 11, Ghent's smallest house. Also along the river is the gastro heaven of Belga Queen, a trendy restaurant-club serving up scrumptious cuisine from fresh pan-fried scallops to roasted duck in raspberry beer sauce, or pop into De Witte Leeuw, a 17th-century tavern serving over 300 types of beer. For more authentic eateries, head to the Patershol district, just north of the castle and for bars and cafes, head to the market square, Vrijdagmarkt, or to Korenmarkt and Klein Turkije. It's also worth heading out to Vooruit, a lively area on the edge of the student quarter.
For fabulous beers and delicious food, Flanders really came up trumps. Munching on hot frites or sipping a Trappist beer in an atmospheric old square in one of its medieval towns packed with gorgeous architecture and lovely shops certainly quashed any impressions of Belgium as flat or dull. How about interesting, lively and thoroughly charming?
The author travelled courtesy of Tourism Flanders & Brussels via Eurostar, which operates up to ten high-speed passenger services daily from London Waterloo to Brussels in two hours and fifteen minutes (one hour less from Ashford in Kent). Fares start from £59 return and are valid to any Belgian station.
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