This is what travel should feel like

Nikki Wynn

Dec 15, 2024 — 3 min read

Gent is a city that, like its beer, hit us with its smooth complexity and charm. It's a university town, that feels alive with youthful buzz. The coffee shops, cafes and seemingly every ornate corner was draped in wide eyed scholars. We heard accents and met students from all over the world.

And the bikes...well, let's just say it’s a city where bicycles rule the streets as much as the centuries-old buildings. The locals ride like they were born on a bike, and then there was us. The travelers struggling to avoid running into something (or someone) because we're gawking at the views. But in our defense, the these medieval towers and crow stepped gables are worthy of gawking at.

Then, of course, there’s the beer. You can’t walk five feet without passing a café offering a beer list that was at times three hundred bottles strong. Whatever your poison is, it’s here.

Plus, it’s just sooo easy to slip into the groove of it all. Which was as simple as snacking on mussels and fries (not French fries, mind you, but Belgian fries), and watching the world go by.

Over the past few weeks, it feels like we've seen and done a lot. While at the same time, we haven't even scratched the surface of Belgium. But, its been just enough to wet our whistle and whet our appetite. We'll be back for more.

Best Belgian Beers (we had this trip)

We kept a running list of every beer we tried and rated them on a scale of 1-10. While I won't list out every beer we tried, here are the ones worth seeking out. Because these made the top of our list with an 8, 9, or 10.