.jpg?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=80&format=jpg&auto=webp#)
.jpeg)
Fancy a Belgian city break without the crowds of Ghent or Bruges? Mechelen might be the answer
The majestic Flemish city is dotted with renaissance palaces, great bars and eye-catching contemporary art – yet it’s firmly off the tourist trailArriving in Belgium on the Eurostar, it is always tempting to continue on to a popular weekend destination like Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp. But this time I hop on a local train at the Brussels Gare du Midi for the 30-minute journey to Mechelen, a surprisingly grand and opulent city that in the 16th century was capital of most of the Low Countries – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.Despite boasting an eclectic mix of medieval churches and renaissance palaces, eye-catching contemporary art and culture venues, great bars, restaurants and the obligatory Belgian brewery, it remains delightfully uncrowded, unspoilt and firmly off the tourist trail. Continue reading...
The majestic Flemish city is dotted with renaissance palaces, great bars and eye-catching contemporary art – yet it’s firmly off the tourist trail
Arriving in Belgium on the Eurostar, it is always tempting to continue on to a popular weekend destination like Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp. But this time I hop on a local train at the Brussels Gare du Midi for the 30-minute journey to Mechelen, a surprisingly grand and opulent city that in the 16th century was capital of most of the Low Countries – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Despite boasting an eclectic mix of medieval churches and renaissance palaces, eye-catching contemporary art and culture venues, great bars, restaurants and the obligatory Belgian brewery, it remains delightfully uncrowded, unspoilt and firmly off the tourist trail. Continue reading...
