This is why Ghent is a must visit in Belgium.I really, really liked Bruges, but Ghent?! I am totally, completely in love with the city. In all honesty, it seems most people either love one or the other. The difference is like saying you prefer 5 fluffy pancakes topped with 20 cut-up strawberries, slathered in pancake syrup over 3 fluffy pancakes with 10 strawberries and pancake syrup. Well…duh!!! More is better, isn’t it? :-), Ghent for me, is the former.
Why Ghent is a must-visit in Belgium:
Visit Ghent or Brugge?: That is the question
Visit Ghent:
Both places are medieval towns in the Flemish region of Belgium. Brugge is famous for Lace, and Ghent produces Wool. Both have a UNESCO site, with Ghent’s being the Bellfry. Ghent, however, is still a port town. The people of Ghent were also badass rebels against the regime of King Charles V in the 1500s.
As punishment, he used to humiliate them by having them walk around in white tees with a rope around their necks. That is why people from Ghent are called rope or noose bearers. Both are awesome places, but we both prefer Ghent if one has to pick. It is still more authentic.
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How to get to Ghent center from the train station:
After the roughly half-hour train ride from Brussels Central Station, the train arrives at the Ghent train station called St. Peter’s. To get to the city center, you need to take the Flanders Expo tram number 1. Easy to find, just follow everyone. A one-way ticket cost us €15 or something like that. If you come back within 24 hours, the round-trip ticket is discounted quite a bit but this wasn’t applicable to us because we were spending a few nights in Ghent.
Where to stay in Gent:
We stayed smack dab in the center at the Ibis St. Baafs Kathedraal hotel. Everything was within walking distance of the hotel so we really loved it and can recommend this hotel as one of the best hotels in Ghent. The stop on the tram is Korenmarkt, and from there, it is just about a 2-minute walk to the hotel. Our room overlooked a lovely square with a sidewalk cafe and we had a great view of the Cathedral. The St. Bavo’s Cathedral right across from the hotel was being refurbished, so we did not get to see the inside of it.
What to see in Ghent :
- Gravensteen Castle
- The Bellfry
- Grafitti Alley
- St. Bavo’s Cathedral
- Korenmarkt
- Gent City Hall
- St Nicholas Church
Gravensteen Castle It is so hard to put into words, so hopefully the pictures will make you consider adding this to your bucket list, or at least consider it. I feel torn, you want people to visit, yet you dream of it staying just the way it is. We are already trying to see when we can visit this absolutely gorgeous place again.
Het Belfot Van Gent (Ghent Belfry):
Grafitti Alley:
There is a whole, long alleyway that is devoted to graffiti and it is an unusual thing to see in Ghent. There are a lot of talented people out there, and we loved checking out the street art. I think it’s cool that the city did this. That way, the rest of the center is pretty much left intact. It changes constantly too.
What we loved about Ghent:
Small businesses thrive here. Of course, there are the usual suspects, like Zara and H&M, etc. There are also wonderful, individually-owned stores that seemed to be doing well. It is so refreshing to see individuality. Handmade jewelry, bags, etc. being sold by the shop owners..nice! Small businesses are becoming like dinosaurs, unfortunately. It’s a shame to travel so far away and see nothing but the same ten or so stores worldwide.
The humongous, car-free center. How nice not having to dodge cars. The trams, yes.. :-). You get so caught up looking everywhere, that you don’t hear the tram. I think they are electric too, so really quiet. Definitely, something to watch for when you are there.
The people. Ghent is a University town, so there is a youngish vibe to the city, which is not always a bad thing :-). There were also fewer tourists than in Bruges, so you got to interact more with the local people. Everyone was nice and friendly. Most people spoke 3 languages, which l always find very impressive and we had no trouble communicating in English.
The canals. The view from St. Michael’s bridge is one of the most beautiful. It felt good to sit at one of the many cafes and just people-watch.
There are plenty of canals in Ghent, much like in Brugges offering lots of places for those perfect Instagram shots. Just wandering around and checking out the amazing architecture of the city brings me joy. The fact that it is less crowded than Brugge lets you fully take in the beauty.
Wandering around at night: We walked around a lot while we were there, and even got lost a few times. We never felt unsafe as we wound our way back to the center. Tip: Don’t use a cathedral as a marker :-). We spent 4 days here, but we could have easily spent another few days. We liked it that much.
The food in Ghent
You definitely have your whole range of food here, from Chinese (fantastic), to Spare ribs (delicious) to sushi (wow!). Never mind the crepes, Belgian fries, and waffles sold by the vendors. I did not have any fries in Ghent, so l can’t say if they were good or not, the other two definitely were. We also found it slightly cheaper than Bruges.
We did find it odd that McDonald’s did not serve breakfast food. We found this out one early morning. We started out at a cafe and sat down before discovering they only had dessert food, like cakes and pudding, and a lonely, scrawny croissant available.
I am not sure how you are expected to eat a Big Mac for breakfast, it was only 9.30 am :-(. Luckily, there is a cafe next to it, called Exki, a small chain of fast-food cafes across Europe. Go in there, and you can have your fill of fresh-baked goodies at a reasonable price. If you are a vegetarian, or vegan, you will love Ghent for its Veggie Thursdays campaign and the abundance of vegan restaurants.
The Graffiti Alley. There is a whole, long alleyway that is devoted to graffiti. There are a lot of talented people out there, and we loved checking out the street art. I think it’s cool that the city did this. That way, the rest of the center is pretty much left intact. It changes constantly too.
Inspired? Pin this for later:
Plenty of beer, plenty of gorgeous places, plenty of food, plenty of chocolate, and plenty of people. What more do you want? Get thee to Ghent!!! Don’t tell too many people though :-). If your trip includes Brussels, make sure to check out the Brussels highlights.
Have l managed to convince you to visit Ghent? Have you been to Bruges or Ghent? Which do you prefer?
Very nice, I have to say I’m impressed. I only knew of Ghent from my time in the shipping business, I know the Port of Ghent (and I don’t know where that is in relation to the historic center) is one of Europe’s busiest.
I’d definitely go! 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
Hi there! Are you guys in Croatia yet? I didn’t realize their port was that busy! We really truly loved this place, and we are definitely going to get back there as soon as possible. I am one of those people perfectly happy with repeat visits :-).I think you guys would love it! Imagine, we didn’t even get to the port!!!
Sigh… one day I will do a roadtrip through Belgium! There is just so much to see there. I loved Belgium and can’t wait to explore more. Thanks for the inspiration!
I do hope you get to do that road trip soon. There is a lot to see. I hope to get back soon as well :-).
I’ve never been to Ghent, but your photos are stunning – especially your canal photos! I really like the market square too. Ghent looks like the kind of place where I could just sit, eat crepes, and people watch all day! Definitely adding it to my list of places to visit when I return to Belgium.
Thanks Dana. We spent the whole time saying “isn’t that just beautiful?”..LOL! I don’t know if you remember that John Lennon song that goes “I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round etc.” That was the song of the visit in my mind.It’s just that sort of place that you can sit, relax and just chill.. A must visit in my book 🙂
I can understand why you liked Ghent better than the other two cities you visited – it’s absolutely spectacular and breathtaking. I am strangely not that much attracted by medieval architecture, but everything in Ghent looks amazing, like a fairy tale. I had no idea.
Your words describe it perfectly. It is like a fairy tale setting. I knew l would like it, but l did not expect to love it that much. I would definitely love to visit it again soon 😉
Really nice post! I’ve heard as well that it definitely worth a visit. I hope to go there soon!!
Thank you :-). It really is a beautiful place, and l hope you get to visit soon. Sure you are going to love it too!
I’d take Ghent over Bruges any day, it’s such a gorgeous and relaxed city. Most people I’ve spoken to who have visited both agree.
I love the way you put that. I’ll take it any day as well.You almost don’t want more people to visit so it stays the same :-). Thanks for visiting and commenting.