FLANDERS

The Flemish Region of Belgium (or Flanders) is a Dutch-speaking area in the country's north, and one of 3 Belgian regions. The national capital, Brussels, considered its own region, lies near Flanders’ southern edge. Antwerp is a port city and major diamond trade center with a reputation for fashion design. Its Royal Museum of Fine Arts has a large collection of paintings by Flemish masters.

Lively, self-confident Leuven is Flanders' oldest university town and home to the vast Stella Artois brewery. Its greatest attraction is a flamboyant 15th-century Stadhuis lavished with exterior statuary. Other architectural attractions are patchy due to heavy damage sustained in 20th-century wars, but the iconic university library has been rebuilt - twice. Muntstraat is a loveable medieval alley popular with locals and visitors alike and Oude Markt is a very lively square of wall-to-wall bars that hum till the early hours. Terrace cafes surround the stadhuis, and perpetually packed, casually stylish restaurants and bars spill tables onto cosy flag-decked Munstraat.

Belgium's religious capital, Mechelen features the St-Romboutskathedraal cathedral, with its 97m, 15th-century tower that soars above a particularly memorable central market square. There are other splendid churches on Keizerstraat where the courthouse and theatre were both once royal palaces in the days when the Low Countries were effectively run from Mechelen. Other top sights include the brilliant Speelgoedmuseum Toy Museum and the Schepenhuis gallery tower on IJzerenleen, a street of fine baroque facades leading towards the main station passing close to Vismarkt, the compact bar-cafe zone. Mechelen’s agricultural specialities include witloof (endives) and especially asperges (asparagus), prominent on restaurant menus mid-April to late June.

Second largest city and home to excellent shopping and Belgium's best fashion, Antwerp is a modern city offering a mix of its old school port city grittiness and its youthful, trendy vibe. It's long been a powerful magnet for everyone from fashion moguls and club queens to art lovers and diamond dealers. In the mid-16th century it was one of Europe’s most important cities and home to baroque superstar painter Pieter Paul Rubens – there are numerous places to admire his works across the city. Antwerp may seem far more sartorially laid-back than fashion heavyweights Paris or Milan, but it punches above its weight. In the space of just a few streets you'll find dozens of designer boutiques, along with a variety of streetwear, end-of-line discounters, upmarket vintage and designer consignment shops and more mainstream labels. Few places in the world have such a convenient and covetable concentration. The tourist office has a fashion-walk directory pamphlet or you can simply stroll Nationalestraat, Lombardenvest, Huidevettersstraat and Schuttershofstraat, not missing Kammenstraat for streetwear and up-and-coming designers.

Ghent is one of Europe’s greatest discoveries – small enough to feel cosy but big enough to stay vibrant. It has enough medieval frivolity to create a spectacle but retains a gritty industrial edge that keeps things ‘real’. Tourists remain surprisingly thin on the ground, yet with its fabulous canalside architecture, wealth of quirky bars and some of Belgium’s most fascinating museums, this is a city you really won’t want to miss. Most major sights are strolling distance from Korenmarkt, the westernmost of three interlinked squares that form the heart of Ghent's historic core.

Bruges is the oldest and most picturesque city of Old Flanders is a Gothic wonder with its charming cobblestone alleys and intimate city squares. Famous for its chocolate shops on every corner and world-class beer, you will wonder at the medieval rooftops, get lost amongst the canals, immerse yourself amongst in the world of Flemish masterpieces of art and architecture. For a perfect way to capture the magic of the city, take a half-hour canal trip! The real joy of Bruges is simply wandering alongside the canals, soaking up the atmosphere. To avoid the worst crowds, explore east of pretty Jan van Eyckplein. The heart of ancient Bruges, the old market square is lined with pavement cafes beneath step-gabled facades. The buildings aren't always quite as medieval as they look, but together they create a fabulous scene and even the neo-Gothic post office is architecturally magnificent. The scene is dominated by the Belfort, Belgium's most famous belfry, whose iconic octagonal tower is arguably better appreciated from afar than by climbing 366 claustrophobic steps to the top.

Only the hardest of hearts are unmoved by historic Ypres (Ieper in Dutch). In the Middle Ages it was an important cloth town ranking alongside Bruges and Ghent. In WWI some 300,000 Allied soldiers died in the ‘Salient’, a bow-shaped bulge that formed the front line around town. Ypres remained unoccupied by German forces, but was utterly flattened by bombardment. After the war, the beautiful medieval core was convincingly rebuilt and the restored Ypres Lakenhalle is today one of the most spectacular buildings in Belgium. Most tourism still revolves around WWI; the Salient is dotted with cemeteries, memorials, bunkers and war museums.

WALLONIA

Make some time for hilly Wallonia, Belgium’s French-speaking southern half. Wallonia's cities have plenty of charm, but the region's standout attractions are mostly rural – outdoor activities, fabulous caves and venerable castles.

With a characterful medieval centre climbing up a hill and a fine Grand Place, Mons (Bergen in Dutch) had a substantial facelift in 2015, when it was a European Capital of Culture. The legacy is a handful of entertaining modern museums that make Mons an excellent visit, with plenty to keep you busy for two or three days. One museum covers war in excellent fashion, while another celebrates the riotous Doudou festival, which stars St George, a dragon, St Waudru, devils and thousands of beery revellers.

Wallonia has some magnificent castles dotted right across it. If you're only going to visit one, though, make it Bouillon. Dreamily arrayed around a tight loop of the Semois River, Bouillon is protected by its gloriously medieval stronghold, gnarled and grim up on the hill. On a summer evening, limpid light and reflections in the water can make this one of Belgium’s prettiest towns. The Château de Bouillon, Belgium’s finest feudal castle, accessed by two stone bridges between crags, harks back to 988, but is especially associated with Crusader knight Godefroid (Godefroy) de Bouillon. The super-atmospheric castle still has everything you might wish for – dank dripping passageways tunnelling into the hillside, musty half-lit cell rooms, rough-hewn stairwells and many an eerie nook and cranny to discover.