Flight time
1h 15m
Best season
April–October & December
Budget
Mid-range
Best for
Medieval canals, Van Eyck, craft beer, authenticity
Overview
Why Ghent for a city break?
Bruges gets the crowds; Ghent gets the locals. Belgium's second medieval canal city is larger, livelier and more genuinely inhabited than its famous neighbour — a university town of 260,000 people where the medieval architecture is extraordinary, the craft beer scene rivals any city in Europe, and Jan van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (the Ghent Altarpiece) — the painting that effectively invented Western art as we know it — sits in St Bavo's Cathedral, finally fully restored to its original form. Ghent has a creative energy and a local pride that Bruges, for all its beauty, has largely surrendered to tourism.
From London it's just over an hour by air, or 2.5 hours by Eurostar to Brussels then 30 minutes by train — the Eurostar option is genuinely competitive and deposits you in the heart of the city. Ghent is best in summer when the Sint-Veerleplein square fills with outdoor bars, the canals reflect the floodlit towers, and the Ghent Festival (Gentse Feesten, 10 days in July) transforms the city into the finest free street party in Europe. But it rewards visits in any season; the Christmas market along the Graslei quay is excellent.
Where to stay & explore
Ghent's best neighbourhoods
Patershol
The medieval quarter of cobbled lanes behind the Castle of the Counts — the most atmospheric neighbourhood in Ghent, with the finest concentration of restaurants in the city.
Graslei & Korenlei
The medieval guild house quays on either side of the Leie river — the most photographed image of Ghent, extraordinary at dusk when the facades are reflected in the water.
Sint-Annaplein & the Zebrastraat
Ghent's most creative neighbourhood — independent boutiques, the SMAK contemporary art museum, the best organic food shops and a young, local energy unlike the historic centre.
Things to do
What to see in Ghent
1
The Ghent Altarpiece (St Bavo's Cathedral)
Jan and Hubert van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (1432) is the most important painting in the history of Western art — the work that established oil painting as the dominant medium, that influenced Flemish Primitives for centuries and that was stolen more times than any other artwork (stolen by Napoleon, recovered at Vienna, stolen by the Nazis, recovered from a salt mine). The altarpiece is displayed in a purpose-built viewing pavilion within St Bavo's Cathedral, fully restored to its original polyptych form since 2020. Book timed entry online.
2
Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts)
The finest medieval castle in Belgium — the Castle of the Counts of Flanders, built in 1180, rising above the Patershol neighbourhood with its moat and battlements intact. The interior houses a museum of medieval torture instruments (disturbing and fascinating in equal measure); the battlements give extraordinary views over the Ghent skyline. Book online.
3
STAM (Ghent City Museum)
The finest city history museum in Belgium — the story of Ghent from prehistoric times to the present, including the city's extraordinary role in the Industrial Revolution (Ghent was the first city on the European continent to industrialise, in the 1780s), the remarkable tradition of political dissent (Ghent's weavers were the most organised industrial workers in Europe), and the story of the Ghent Altarpiece. The building — a medieval abbey converted by the architect Marie-José Van Hee — is excellent.
4
Ghent at night from the Kraanlei
The Graslei and Korenlei quays floodlit at night — the medieval guild house facades of the Toll House (1682), the Spijker (grain warehouse, 1200), the Free Boatmen's House (1531) and the Small Custom House (1682) reflected in the Leie river — are the most beautiful image in Ghent. Walk the Kraanlei opposite for the finest view. The canal boat tours that run from the Graslei in the evening give the guild house panorama from the water.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Ghent
Vrijmoed
One Michelin star / modern Belgian
The finest restaurant in Ghent — chef Michael Vrijmoed's modern Belgian tasting menu uses local ingredients with Japanese-influenced precision. The vegetable-focused dishes are particularly extraordinary. Book months ahead.
Gruut City Brewery
Brewery restaurant / canal side
The only brewery in Ghent that uses gruut (a medieval herbal mixture used before hops became standard) to flavour its beers — an extraordinary piece of Belgian brewing history actively practised. The brewery tour and tasting are excellent; the canal-side terrace in summer is one of the finest places to drink beer in Belgium.
Mosquito Coast
World food / student favourite
The most beloved casual restaurant in Ghent — a student café of extraordinary eclecticism serving world food of surprising quality (Ethiopian injera, Japanese ramen, Mexican quesadillas, Belgian waterzooi) at prices that reflect the university town context. Always busy; the terrace on warm evenings is the most social spot in the city.
Itinerary
3 days in Ghent — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
The Altarpiece, Gravensteen, Graslei at dusk
Eurostar to Brussels then 30-minute train to Ghent Sint-Pieters (total around 2.5 hours from London). Walk into the city centre — the three towers visible from the train (Gravensteen, St Bavo's, the Belfry and St Nicholas's Church, all in a line) give the most extraordinary medieval skyline in Belgium. St Bavo's Cathedral first — the Ghent Altarpiece in its viewing pavilion (timed entry booked online). The Belfry alongside (climb it for the city panorama). Gravensteen Castle in the afternoon. Graslei quay at dusk — the guild house facades reflecting in the water. Canal boat tour from the Graslei as the floodlights come on. Dinner in Patershol: the lanes around the castle have the finest restaurant concentration in Ghent.
Day 2
STAM, Gruut Brewery, Gentse Feesten (if July)
STAM Museum in the morning — the Industrial Revolution story, the weaver rebellions, the altarpiece theft history. Walk back through the Design Museum Gent (applied arts from the 17th century to the present, in a baroque merchant's house) and the Vrijdagmarkt square (the traditional market square where Flemish rebellions were historically staged and celebrated). Gruut Brewery for a tour and tasting in the afternoon — the gruut beers are genuinely unlike any other Belgian beer. Mosquito Coast for dinner. If it's July: the Gentse Feesten street festival turns the entire city into a free outdoor party of music, theatre and street food — the finest free festival in Europe.
Day 3
SMAK, the Zebrastraat, one last Belgian beer
SMAK (Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst) — Ghent's contemporary art museum — has one of the finest collections of post-war Belgian and international contemporary art in the country. The building, converted from a former casino, is excellent. The Zebrastraat creative complex (a former textile factory) is next door. Walk back through Sint-Annaplein for the independent boutiques and organic cafés of Ghent's most local neighbourhood. Final lunch on the Vrijdagmarkt. One last Belgian beer — a Gruut Wit or a Westmalle on draught at one of the Graslei canal-side bars — before the train back to Brussels and the Eurostar.
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