Ghent is 25 minutes from Bruges by train, and it's worth a day. Where Bruges is polished and preserved, Ghent is rougher, livelier, more student-driven. It's a university city with a population that actually lives and works in the centre.

The Ghent Altarpiece (The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) by Jan van Eyck is in St Bavo's Cathedral. It's one of the most important paintings in Western art — and it's been stolen, dismembered, hidden from the Nazis, and reassembled multiple times. The dedicated visitor centre shows the restoration process in extraordinary detail. Book tickets online; they sell out.

The Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) is a 12th-century fortress in the middle of the city. You can walk the ramparts and look down on the rooftops. The views of the three towers of Ghent — St Bavo's, St Nicholas', and the Belfry — are iconic.

For food, Ghent is ahead of Bruges. It was the first city in the world to have a weekly 'veggie day.' The Groentenmarkt (vegetable market) has been running since the Middle Ages. Try Balls & Glory for creative Belgian comfort food, or Holy Food Market in a converted chapel.

The Patershol neighbourhood — cobbled streets and small restaurants behind the castle — is where locals eat. Wander until something looks good.

Trains run every 15 minutes from Bruges station. Return tickets are about €12.