I have to admit I hadn't been harbouring any burning desire to visit Belgium.

Venice maybe, St Petersburg yes, but Belgium, home to Hercule Poirot and the EU did not overwhelm me with travel desire.

But when you have no preconceptions or expectations, places can really blow you away and Bruges is the prime example.

Want to get away for the weekend, then this is the place to go. For a start it's breathtakingly beautiful. The Venice of The North is an apt title as the entire city is built around a lavish and complicated canal system and is seriously picturesque.

The houses and architecture range from the medieval Flemish to some innovative modern architecture, but it's all stunning. And because many of the properties are seen from the water, you get a much better idea of the city as a whole.

Cathedrals and churches ring Bruges, from whose lofty heights you can get an amazing view, and wander to the outskirts and you'll find rows of windmills signalling that the real world is only a few metres away.

Because Bruges really is a magic kingdom where you can forget about everyday life and concentrate on the good things - chocolate, good food, and a slower pace of life.

The fact that it's old-fashioned is a bonus. The night life here is fairly subdued, so while you can eat like a king and have a quick drink on your way home, you still get a good night's sleep, unlike returning from a weekend in say Barcelona or Amsterdam when you virtually crawl on to the plane.

Put it this way, it's not an obvious stag/hen location and as a result there's no pressure in Bruges to party 24 hours a day, so you return feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Plus it's very easy to get to.

The Eurostar delivers you to Brussels from Waterloo in the time it would take you to get to Liverpool, and one quick train change and you're in the heart of the city.

How it managed to escape being obliterated in either world war is a miracle, being in the middle of Flanders, but for some reason both sides spared it.

Perhaps, much like its Italian counterpart cities, they couldn't bear to destroy anything so utterly captivating.

We arrived on a Friday evening, with enough time for a shower and a gawp at the beautiful shops on the way to our hotel, before heading out for dinner.

Bruges reminded me a little of Copenhagen - beautifully put together with a real attention to detail and everything done properly.

There is no litter, all the streets are cobbled, the buildings beautiful and the shops and merchandise refined. Even the tourist sites are relatively tasteful.

We were staying in the Azalea Hotel, a wonderfully discreet little place that couldn't have been more central if we'd tried. With only 25 rooms it maintained a personal touch without overwhelming you with its corporate size.

Restaurant Le Bon Vivant had been chosen on the first night. And it was perfect. Wooden tables, chequered table cloths, locals mixing with the tourists and some really good food. They even smoke their own salmon!

We talked late into the night before heading back to our hotel ready for a full day of sightseeing.

Breakfast is a real treat in Belgium; being Flemish, they follow the Dutch line of meat and cheese with freshly baked bread, great coffee and pastries.

First up was the market which was so colourful and varied it takes over a large part of the city at weekends.

One entire square was full of clothes, accessories, lingerie, hosiery and handbag stalls. Another housed food, from weird and wonderful vegetables to live livestock in cages. Fancy a rabbit? Take your pick.

Fresh bread and cheeses, meat and sausages were allocated further down, perfect for presents. And wandering around this colourful vista kept us busy for most of the morning (give or take the odd coffee break and fresh waffle stop...).

Then it was off to the 83-metre-high Belfry tower, and what felt like millions of steps later, the view finally took what was left of my breath away.

But don't go up at 12.55pm because while you are panting away trying to recover your composure, the bells start ringing and 'CLANG!' they're loud.

Indeed, my other half's head was still reverberating the next day.

A quieter trip is the guide boat tour around the canals which is an absolute must.

You see the city as it was intended to be seen and get a much rounder picture of Bruges. It also takes you away from the madding crowd and into the beautiful residential streets.

Afterwards we visited the flea market nestled at the side of a canal, which was full of great gifts, before checking out the shops, particularly the chocolate stores, and heading back to our hotel.

We went more up-market on our last night in Bruges at the Restaurant de Koetse.

Do book restaurants in advance where possible because this was full when we arrived and there wasn't a spare seat to be had.

The Belgians take their fine dining terribly seriously (think of Obelix and Asterix) and it's not to be rushed. While there was a noticeable absence of pubs and bars, every restaurant was rammed to the rafters. So take your time and enjoy the local delicacies of mussels, snails, rabbit and venison.

On Sunday morning, our woolly heads persuaded us against hiring bikes and cycling to the windmills so instead we set off on foot.

It was a beautiful day and it was a charming walk. One lovely thing about Bruges is that by the end of a weekend you really get to know the place because it's big enough to keep you entertained but not too big too lose you.

Going home was depressing but not devastating because Bruges really is near enough to visit again. So give it a go.