Bruges & Ghent: A Belgian Detour

Partway through the Paris leg of the trip, we broke off for a few days in Belgium — and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of the whole itinerary.

Bruges Main Street

Bruges is the kind of town that looks staged, except it isn’t. Canals thread through the entire city center, lined with stepped Gothic rooflines that look almost too perfect to be real. We took a boat tour along the canals, which ended up being the best way to see the city — low to the water, slipping under stone bridges, past swans that clearly own the place. On foot, we climbed the Belfry tower in the main square for a view over the city’s red rooftops, and spent the rest of the day just wandering the Markt (main square) and the smaller canal-side streets branching off it.

Canal Tour Bruges

Food-wise, Bruges delivered exactly what you’d hope: carbonnade flamande (Belgian beef stew, slow-cooked in beer) with a side of fries, and, obviously, waffles — fresh, warm, and eaten standing up on a street corner, which is really the only correct way to eat a Belgian waffle.

Traditional Meal in Belgium

From Bruges, a short train ride took us to Ghent for a day trip, and it might have been the more underrated stop of the two. The highlight was Gravensteen Castle — a genuine medieval fortress right in the middle of the city, complete with a small armory where you can try on real knight’s helmets (we did, immediately). The castle’s rooftop walkway gives you a full view over Ghent’s rooftops and canals, and it’s far less crowded than anything comparable in Bruges. We also wandered past St. Bavo’s Cathedral and along a stretch of the old city walls before heading back.

Gravensteen Castle

If you’re doing Belgium as a side trip from Paris, Bruges and Ghent pair well together — Bruges for the postcard canals and slower pace, Ghent for the castle and a slightly more local, less-touristed feel.

Highlights: Bruges canal boat tour · Belfry tower climb · Carbonnade flamande & waffles · Gravensteen Castle in Ghent