After visiting my sister-in-law in Antwerp, I requested a stop in Lierre on the way back. It was an easy half-hour drive from Antwerp through beautiful countryside, but I understand that the city is also easily-reachable via train, so it's easily combined with visits to Antwerp and/or Brussels. 

Lierre is, on the old, a lovely, quiet little town with a main square maybe not as flashy as Brussels or Antwerp, but still very charming. The belfry on the Stadhuis is also WH as one of the 23 belfry-towers. There is a famous prisoner's gate and a small astronomical tower worth seeing as well, all close together. I also recommend getting some vlaaike, a baked delicacy specific to Liere that tasted a little like a tiny pumpkin pie. 

The original main entrance to the beguinage is straight through the prisoner's gate, though there are a few other tiny side entrances to be found on the other sides. There was quite a bit of restoration work do, so it was all definitely a bit "dustier" than it otherwise is, but I still found the compact streets to be a lovely little walk, and admired the red-brick style architecture. I hope to be able to visit the others soon too, but definitely don't sleep on Lierre!