Ghent is one of those cities that suffers the fate of having a prettier sibling. Bruges is often first choice when considering a Belgian city to visit and it’s certainly very Insta-worthy. But while Ghent also has plenty of picturesque canals and stunning medieval towers, it’s also a lively student city with a great food and drink scene, incredible art and is much less touristy.
Here are seven reasons why I’d recommend a short break to Ghent.
1. It’s quick and easy to get to from the UK
Ghent is less than a two-hour drive from the Eurotunnel or ferry port at Calais, even less from the port at Dunkirk. My friends and I travelled on the Dover-Calais ferry when we went to Ghent as we’ve had delays on a couple of LeShuttle trips. But we’re trying LeShuttle again later this year as when it’s working well, it is a quicker way to cross the Channel. Either way, our first stop is always the nearest Carrefour hypermarket to stock up on wine. It’s much cheaper in France, so we picked up two dozen bottles of Provence and Languedoc rose and some Picpoul for an average price of £4.25 a bottle.
Once we got to Ghent we found it easy to drive into the city and parked in a secure underground car park recommended by the owner of our Airbnb apartment. It was a great apartment for three friends, with a twin room, a single room, and plenty of space to hang out. Everywhere in Ghent was easy to walk to from the apartment so we didn’t need the car again until we left. And we even had a great view of some of Ghent’s famous towers.
2. There are endless waterways lined with gorgeous buildings
If you’re looking for Insta-worthy photos then Ghent has plenty of opportunities. The canals wind their way around the city and are lined with some gorgeous buildings. We picked up a map at the tourist office near the castle and it had a range of walking tours to follow. We did the basic one that took us over pretty bridges and passed lots of lovely buildings. We also spent quite a bit of time trying to find Ghent’s own Manneke Pis statue. It goes one better than its famous Brussels counterpart as it’s flanked by two girls also relieving themselves. We were at the right spot on the map but couldn’t find it for ages. My advice is to look up!
We also did a canal boat trip which is a relaxing way to see the city and gave us a closer look at some of the buildings that aren’t so easy to get to on foot. At the end of one branch of the canal is Rabot, a recently restored building with twin towers that were built to help shore up Ghent’s defences.
3. The castle and towers evoke medieval times
Ghent’s medieval architecture is very atmospheric, nowhere more so than the imposing Castle of the Counts also known as Gravesteen Castle. To explore that and Ghent’s other sights we bought the CityCard Ghent at the tourist office. As well as free entry to lots of places, it included the boat trip and a discount to see the cathedral’s main attraction (more of that later!). I wouldn’t recommend the audio tour at the castle unless you like cheesy commentary, but you can explore inside on your own. It was used for torturing prisoners so be prepared for some interesting implements of torture! At the top of the castle, there’s a great view of Ghent’s medieval towers.
Ghent’s skyline is known for its three towers. The Belfry is the tallest and the middle tower in the row, between St Bavo’s Cathedral and St Nicholas’ Church. Built in the 14th century it is the tallest belfry in Belgium and is topped by a gilded fiery dragon that’s regarded as the mascot of Ghent. Over the years the dragon has been replaced with different versions, so there’s one you can get a closer look at inside the tower. There are also some fab views from the top, with the church on one side and the cathedral on the other.
4. Ghent’s cathedral has an excellent augmented reality tour
Ghent’s most impressive sight is the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb altarpiece in St Bavo’s Cathedral. It was painted in the 15th century by the van Eyck brothers and is considered a significant European masterpiece. It’s a polyptych which means it’s made up of four or more panels but Mystic Lamb has many more than that and thanks to a restoration in 2012, it is visually stunning. The cathedral has also taken the experience of seeing it up a notch by developing an augmented-reality tour. It takes place in the cathedral’s crypt and gives you a great overview of the altarpiece and its history in an engaging and interesting way. And it’s fun too, which isn’t something I usually say about a cathedral tour!
5. Cool street art has created an outdoor exhibition to explore
One thing I don’t think you’ll find in picture-postcard Bruges is cool and edgy street art. In Ghent, there are over 200 artworks which are all listed on the ‘Sorry, Not Sorry’ street art map. There are two routes to follow with helpful photos of key pieces to look out for. Some are on the sides of buildings or electricity cabinets while Werregarenstraat (aka Graffiti Street) is a narrow alleyway covered with paintings.
If you prefer an indoor setting there are various art galleries and museums included with CityCard Ghent. We decided to pop into the House of Alijn, a restored almshouse that used to be a hospice for children. It’s a beautiful building that is now a museum dedicated to everyday life and documents how life has changed over the 20th century. There were lots of old items that made us feel quite nostalgic!
6. Ghent’s food and drink scene is varied and plentiful
Being a student city, Ghent has a huge range of places to eat and drink with both local and international cuisine on offer. On our first evening, we opted for quirky Astro Boy which serves Japanese food and it was really good. You can’t book but we walked a few minutes to Minor Swing for a drink while we waited for a table and got a text when it was ready. Later we had cocktails at Jiggers on Oudburg, a street with lots of eateries.
Other places I’d recommend are Souplounge which is perfect for a warming lunch and ‘t Oud Clooster a former monastery where we had dinner. The sole was delicious, they had excellent rose wine from the Languedoc that wasn’t expensive and fab desserts. We had tiramisu and a duo of Belgian chocolate mousse and two of us shared the latter which was more than enough as it was quite rich.
Of course, we had to try some Belgian waffles and found some great ones in House of Waffles which is close to the boat tour landing. We also spent a lovely couple of hours in The Cobbler, a bar at the top of 1898 The Post, a hotel in Ghent’s old post office. It has great views, wine and cocktails. Then later that night we wanted to try Waterzooi, a famous Belgian fish stew that we’d enjoyed in Bruges and Restaurant Neptune didn’t disappoint.
7. It’s a great value mini-break
The final reason I’d recommend Ghent is that it was a great value weekend break from the UK. In mid-March the cost of our Airbnb and return ferry was only £128 each for three nights. We also popped into Dunkirk on the way back to Calais so got to have some proper French Moule-frites by the beach before heading back across the Channel. Not a bad way to end a great weekend in Ghent!
For more weekend break ideas why not visit the Europe and UK sections of my blog?