Camping Gerstekot

There’s lots to draw travellers to this part of Flanders: history buffs might want to head to the stunning Castle Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde (30 minutes’ drive from the site) for tours of the castle and its carriage museum, while explorers and adventurers should chart a course for the Drowned Land of Saeftinghe nature reserve over the border in the Netherlands, or take a sky-high trip in a hot air balloon (lifting off from Sint-Niklaas). The big draw in these parts isn’t castles or other countries – it’s cities. The site is less than 10 minutes from Sint-Niklaas and half an hour from Antwerp and Ghent, so there’s plenty to entice anyone who’s craving a more urban feel to their hols. Take snaps of Sint-Niklaas’ Stadhuis en Belfort, in Antwerp’s Grote Markt, Cogels Osylei and Zurenborg neighbourhoods, and at Ghent’s Post Plaza, before hitting up museums, galleries, cathedrals and castles in all three. Only have time for a few stops? The Red Star Line museum in Antwerp is essential for anyone interested in the spread of Europeans, and Sint-Niklaas’ Mercatormuseum is an absolute must for map nerds.