Gent:home of the Counts of Flanders

Guidebooks will tell you that Gent, a major centre of commerce, weaving and dyeing in the middle ages before falling into decay, got halfway around to reinventing itself as a medieval city centre a la Bruges, but never finished the job. The result is someplace a little grungier, a little edgier and way more vibrant and hip.

And it has something neither Bruges nor Brussels can boast - a centuries old castle (albeit one rebuilt over the past 200 years, and not always faithful to the original).

For 500 years, from the 10th-14th centuries, Gent was the home of the Counts of Flanders. Like so many duchies in this part of the world, this noble house was eventually subsumed into one of the great houses of Europe (the Hapsburgs, in this case) and the Gravensteen (Count's castle) fell into ruin. Repaired by volunteers full of romantic ideals, it's impressive nonetheless, the weaponry is chilling (check the 2 metre long sword, and the war hammers, below) and the views from the roof are cracking...