Brussels to Ghent

Michael Portillo’s Belgian rail journey continues in the Dutch speaking region of Flanders.

In Antwerp, he discovers the city's historic multibillion-pound diamond industry and drops in at the workshop of an expert. Just outside the city, Michael boards the Dendermonde to Puurs Heritage Railway, run by volunteers, and gets a chance to drive one of its 1950s diesel engines. Heading to Belgium’s third city, Ghent, Michael visits the magnificent cathedral and marvels at a 15th-century Van Eyck masterpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, the most stolen painting in the world.