The Best Historic Sites

Belfort en Lakenhalle (Belfry and Cloth Hall): At the heart of Ghent, this superb Gothic monument with a soaring bell tower dates from 1425.

Stadhuis (Town Hall): A complex mix of architectural styles defines the exterior of a civic building that was centuries in the making. Inside, in the magnificent Pacificatiezaal (Pacification Room), a treaty was signed in 1567 that aimed -- unsuccessfully, as it turned out -- to bring an end to religious strife in the Low Countries.