The sun beat down on Ghent. It was the hottest day I could remember ever spending in Belgium, and it was a relief to be on the water. I paddled the canoe through the confluence of the Lys and ...

Belgium was the first country in mainland Europe where the Industrial Revolution took hold. Housed inside a former cotton mill, this museum traces Ghent’s rise to textile powerhouse. The star of ...

Ghent’s heritage is reason enough to travel here. There’s the formidable Castle of the Counts, the 15th-century Great Butchers’ Hall, the UNESCO-listed belfry lording over it all.