Ghent

Ghent is what Bruges would be if it were allowed to be a real city. It has medieval architecture, canals, a spectacular waterfront at the Graslei and Korenlei, and the Van Eyck Altarpiece — arguably the most important painting in northern European art history — in a side chapel of the Cathedral of St Bavo. It also has a university that keeps it young, a food and bar scene that functions for locals rather than tourists, and prices that are lower than Bruges because fewer people have bothered to discover it.