Mechelen

Mechelen lies on the Dyle, midway along the urban axis between Brussels and Antwerp, which is why it is known as the Dijlestad, the city on the Dyle. The municipality takes in the outlying villages of Walem, Heffen, Leest, Hombeek and Muizen along with the city proper. It spent centuries as a seat of church and court power and kept the architecture that came with it, but not the crowds its neighbours draw. The river runs through the centre, the streets are level, and the whole town can be crossed on foot in under half an hour.