Things to do in Bruges, Ghent & the Coast

In Bruges, climb the 366 steps of the 13th-century Belfry on the Markt past the medieval treasury and the carillon, then visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood on the Burg and the Church of Our Lady, whose 115.5-metre brick tower shapes the skyline and whose museum section holds Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child. St John's Hospital, one of Europe's oldest preserved hospital buildings, displays masterpieces by Hans Memling including the St Ursula Shrine, the UNESCO-listed Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde lies a short stroll from the Minnewater, half-hour canal boat trips glide between Jan van Eyck Square and the Beguinage, and the Choco-Story Chocolate Museum traces 5,500 years of cocoa history with a demonstration and tasting. In Ghent, walk the battlements of the Gravensteen, climb the dragon-topped Belfry of Ghent and see Hubert and Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece in St Bavo's Cathedral with an augmented-reality tour, then take a boat trip past the medieval quays. On the coast, Zwin Nature Park in Knokke-Heist is a haven for storks and birdwatchers, Ostend has the three-masted Mercator Tall Ship and the James Ensor House, and in winter Winter Glow Bruges and the Ghent Winter Festivities bring Christmas markets and ice rinks, with a giant Ferris wheel on Ghent's Korenmarkt.

Good to knowThe Belfry of Bruges gets busy, so book online in advance, but individual canal boat tickets in Bruges can only be bought on the spot, so expect a short wait at busy times. On Sundays the Church of Our Lady opens only in the afternoon and St Bavo's Cathedral only from 13:00, and while the Ghent Altarpiece's final restoration phase continues, seven panels are shown as high-quality photographs. Zwin Nature Park's opening days change with the season (Wednesday to Sunday outside school holidays), the Mercator is usually closed on Mondays, and the James Ensor House uses time slots, so book online.