The medieval wonders of Belgium: Brussels, Ghent and Bruges can all be reached by train from the UK. But which of these beauties comes out on top?

Annabelle Thorpe says it's "easy" to pack when visiting all three cities in a week. -office messages revealed
By Annabelle Thorpe For The Mail On Sunday
Posted: 09:20 BST, 17 Aug 2023 | Update: 09:21 BST, Aug 17, 2023

Ghent isn't the first place you think of for a cutting-edge VR experience. This beautiful city on the banks of the Lys and the Scheldt is far more famous for its elegant medieval buildings that rise above the flat Flanders countryside like a Flemish Oxford.
But its gargantuan St Bavo's Cathedral offers just that: a futuristic tour through the history of the city's most famous work of art, The Adoration of the Lamb mystique.
The whole thing feels positively Star Trek. Wearing a headgear, you stroll through the old cloisters and discover the history of the famous altarpiece. Via the headset, entire cityscapes unfold before your eyes, bishops loom in scarlet robes, as do the artists behind the paintings. It's hugely impressive - and a good metaphor for the city itself, which mixes the historic and the contemporary with a nice dose of quirkiness.
Ghent is the second stop on our three-city tour, between Brussels and Bruges. Journeys between each city take no more than an hour, so it's easy to pack in all three in less than a week, and our Eurostar 'Any Belgian Station' return ticket - which we takes you from the UK to Brussels, to another city and back – already covers two of our three trips within the country.
It rains when we arrive in Brussels on a wet, hazy evening – but we dive into Aux Armes de Bruxelles, a bustling brasserie serving a creamy seafood gratin topped with mussels and chunks of fish. A mix of tourists and locals happily packed together...

Travel Aug 18, 2023 0 47 Add to Reading List

The medieval wonders of Belgium: Brussels, Ghent and Bruges can all be reached by train from the UK. But which of these beauties comes out on top?

Annabelle Thorpe says it's "easy" to pack when visiting all three cities in a week. -office messages revealed

By Annabelle Thorpe For The Mail On Sunday

Posted: 09:20 BST, 17 Aug 2023 | Update: 09:21 BST, Aug 17, 2023

Ghent isn't the first place you think of for a cutting-edge VR experience. This beautiful city on the banks of the Lys and the Scheldt is far more famous for its elegant medieval buildings that rise above the flat Flanders countryside like a Flemish Oxford.

But its gargantuan St Bavo's Cathedral offers just that: a futuristic tour through the history of the city's most famous work of art, The Adoration of the Lamb mystique.

The whole thing feels positively Star Trek. Wearing a headgear, you stroll through the old cloisters and discover the history of the famous altarpiece. Via the headset, entire cityscapes unfold before your eyes, bishops loom in scarlet robes, as do the artists behind the paintings. It's hugely impressive - and a good metaphor for the city itself, which mixes the historic and the contemporary with a nice dose of quirkiness.

Ghent is the second stop on our three-city tour, between Brussels and Bruges. Journeys between each city take no more than an hour, so it's easy to pack in all three in less than a week, and our Eurostar 'Any Belgian Station' return ticket - which we takes you from the UK to Brussels, to another city and back – already covers two of our three trips within the country.

It rains when we arrive in Brussels on a wet, hazy evening – but we dive into Aux Armes de Bruxelles, a bustling brasserie serving a creamy seafood gratin topped with mussels and chunks of fish. A mix of tourists and locals happily packed together...