Ghent Cruises, Belgium

Canal-side architecture and a booming Flemish food offering are two of Ghent’s calling cards. Its student population outnumbers the tourists who visit each year, giving this Belgian city a cosier feel than Antwerp or Bruges. Foodies give Ghent a massive thumbs up thanks to its flourishing culinary scene. The Holy Food Market, for example, is a quirky food hall built into a 16th-century chapel where Mozart played some of his first concerts as a boy. Food kiosks serve everything from oysters to customised ice-creams. Head out into the city streets and you’ll have your pick of Medieval buildings to photograph – like the 12th-century Gravensteen castle and the Graslei, a row of pointed guildhalls beside the harbour.