51.05° N · 3.72° E
The Castle of the Counts, the Van Eyck altarpiece, the Graslei quays and a university city with a life of its own. A little over half an hour by train from Brussels.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Castle · 1 h 30 · €15 · €3 for ages 12 to 19 · free under 12 · audio guide included
Masterpiece · 1 h · €12.50 the altarpiece · €16 with augmented reality · €8 under 12
Walk · 1 h · free · the quays of the medieval port and the view of the three towers
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Getaways from Ghent
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
April to June and September. In the second half of July the Ghent Festivities take place, ten days of music in the street. In December the castle dresses for winter and there is a Christmas market. Pakhuis and Du Progrès are closed on Sundays.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Ghent has no airport with flights from Spain: you fly to Brussels-Zaventem or to Charleroi, both with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other cities, and continue by train or bus. From Brussels, the train takes a little over half an hour; from Charleroi there is a direct bus. You do not need a car.
Ghent is easy without a car: the train from Brussels takes a little over half an hour, the tram drops you in the centre and everything important is ten minutes' walk away. The car, by contrast, is a problem: a low-emission zone and a centre divided into sectors.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Ghent has something Bruges does not have for children: a real castle, with a moat, battlements and a torture room. Add the boat and the belfry, and the day comes out perfectly. Under-12s do not pay at the castle or the belfry.
Ghent is a university city and it shows: there are young people everywhere, street art and atmosphere on the quays. Teenagers like it more than Bruges.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Hotel with 78 rooms in a Renaissance house from 1518 and a cotton mill from 1857, on the banks of the Lys and next to the Vrijdagmarkt.
Why we like it: Hostel in a 1909 building beside St Michael's Bridge, with the view of Ghent's three towers, a kitchen, a bar and kayaks to go out on the canals.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the seafood and oysters from the counter, or a Belgian dish with local produce
What to order: the Ghent-style chicken waterzooi or a Blanc-Bleu Belge beef steak with chips
What to order: the all-you-can-eat ribs and, for dessert, an Irish coffee
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
If you plan to enter the castle, the belfry and a museum or two, the CityCard Gent includes monuments and transport, and gives €10 off the Mystic Lamb.
The cathedral opens at 13:00 and many restaurants close: plan your lunch.
The lighting of the quays and the towers is part of the visit.
Closed sectors, a low-emission zone and paid car parks. Come by train.
Ghent has almost everything people go to Bruges to find, canals, guildhalls, a belfry, and it is also a real city: a university town, with trams, bicycles and bars full of people who live here. It is closer to Brussels than Bruges and receives far fewer groups. For a day trip, it is the one that disappoints least.
By train, a little over half an hour to Gent-Sint-Pieters, with very frequent trains from the three Brussels stations. From there, take a tram to the Korenmarkt or walk for 25 minutes. If you arrive via Charleroi, there is a direct Flibco bus.
By car it is about 55 km on the E40, but the centre is a low-emission zone and is cut off by sectors. Register your car and park in an underground car park. For a day, the train wins.
Arrive at 10:00 and start at St Bavo's Square: the Mystic Lamb altarpiece by the Van Eycks in the cathedral and, opposite, the belfry. Walk down to the Graslei and St Michael's Bridge, the view of the three towers, and have lunch at the Korenmarkt. In the afternoon, the Castle of the Counts, the boat trip and a stroll around the Patershol and the Vrijdagmarkt. If you stay for dinner, go back to the quays when the lights come on.
One important detail: the altarpiece is being restored and some of the panels can only be seen in photographs until 2027. It is still worth the visit, but go knowing that.
The city's dish is waterzooi, a creamy stew of chicken or fish with vegetables. It is served at Du Progrès, on the Korenmarkt, along with Belgian beef steaks and stew with Ghent mustard; closed on Sundays and Mondays. Pakhuis, in an iron and glass warehouse next to the Korenmarkt, is the big brasserie, with oysters and seafood, Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, the Patershol and the area around the Vrijdagmarkt have more places open.
Ghent is a good base for seeing Flanders: Bruges is half an hour away and Antwerp an hour. The Ghent River Hotel, in a house from 1518 and a cotton mill beside the Lys, has family rooms and river views. The Hostel Uppelink, next to St Michael's Bridge, is the budget option, with kayaks to set out on the canals.
If you have just one day and have never been to Flanders, the answer depends on you. Bruges is prettier from end to end and more touristy; Bruges fills up at midday. Ghent is bigger, more varied and livelier, has a castle and the Van Eyck altarpiece, and is closer to Brussels. With two days, do both and sleep in Ghent.
Questions
A little over half an hour by train, with very frequent departures.
The Mystic Lamb, the belfry, the Graslei, the Castle of the Counts and the boat trip.
Bruges is more uniform and touristy; Ghent, livelier and closer to Brussels. With two days, both.
Waterzooi, a creamy chicken stew, and Ghent mustard in the stew.
Ten days in the second half of July, with music and theatre in the street.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/belgium/ghent
