Historic centre
First-timersAround the Graslei, the cathedral and the castle: everything walkable, mostly car-free, and the best of the city.
Ghent city guide
Things To Do In Ghent
Bruges with 70,000 students: the same medieval waterfront, a castle in the middle of town, a stolen-and-recovered Van Eyck altarpiece, and a city that is lived in rather than visited.
6
Hostels in the city
9.3
Average, from 8,790 reviews
70,000
Students in a city of 265,000
1432
The Ghent Altarpiece completed
€0
Entry to the Graffiti Street
The one people mean to visit and often skip
Ghent was the second largest city in northern Europe after Paris in the fourteenth century, grew rich on cloth, and has the guild houses along the Graslei waterfront to prove it.
Unlike Bruges it never became a museum. Seventy thousand students in a city of 265,000 keep it noisy, cheap and open late, and the historic centre is full of people who live there.
The Ghent Altarpiece in Saint Bavo's Cathedral is the single most stolen artwork in history — taken thirteen times, with one panel missing since 1934 and never recovered — and it is extraordinary in person.
Gravensteen, a moated twelfth-century castle, sits in the middle of the city, and the audio guide is famously a comedy routine.
Two days, and it is the Flemish city most people wish they had given longer.
Where to stay
A compact centre and a student belt around it.
Patershol
Food and eveningsA tangle of medieval lanes behind the castle, full of restaurants and small bars. The best area to eat.
Overpoort and the university
Student nightlifeSouth of the centre: the student bar street, cheapest food in the city and a fifteen-minute walk in.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 5 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Ghent
The Ghent Altarpiece, in Saint Bavo's Cathedral, is the thing to see. Van Eyck finished it in 1432, and it has been stolen thirteen times — by Napoleon, by the Nazis, and in 1934 by a thief who took one panel that has never been found. A recent restoration removed centuries of overpaint and revealed a startlingly human-faced lamb. Entry with the augmented reality tour is about €16.
Gravensteen is a moated castle in the middle of the city, and its audio guide is a deliberate comedy written and performed by a Flemish comedian, which is why people who dislike audio guides recommend this one.
The Graslei and Korenlei waterfront is the postcard, best in the evening when the guild houses are lit.
The Werregarenstraat, known as Graffiti Street, is a legal alley repainted constantly.
Free things
Free things to do in Ghent
The Graslei and Korenlei waterfront costs nothing and is the best thing in the city at dusk.
Graffiti Street is a legal alley that changes weekly and is free to walk through.
Saint Bavo's Cathedral is free to enter — only the altarpiece chapel charges — and the Belfry square, the castle exterior and the Patershol lanes are all free.
Citadelpark and the Blaarmeersen lake on the city's edge are free, and the lake has a beach in summer.
Museums are free on the last Sunday morning of the month, including the fine arts museum and the city museum.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Ghent
Ghent is the vegetarian capital of Belgium and has been running Veggie Thursday as city policy since 2009, so meat-free options here are good rather than grudging.
Waterzooi is the local dish — a creamy stew of chicken or fish — at €18 to €24, and stoverij, beef in beer, is the other.
Patershol is where to eat: a medieval quarter of narrow lanes packed with restaurants at every price.
Cuberdons, purple cone-shaped sweets known as Ghent noses, are sold from two competing carts on the Groentenmarkt whose rivalry is locally famous.
Beer is Belgian and the student population keeps it cheap: €3 to €5, less on Overpoort.
Nightlife
Going out in Ghent
Seventy thousand students make this the best night out in Flanders. Overpoort is the student street — a row of bars and clubs that runs until six in the morning in term time and costs very little.
The centre has better bars: Dulle Griet, which takes a shoe as deposit for its Kwak glass; 't Dreupelkot for jenever; and the Vlasmarkt for a mixed crowd.
A beer is €3 to €5, and the strong Belgian rules apply.
The Gentse Feesten in July is one of the largest free street festivals in Europe — ten days when the whole centre becomes a stage and the city barely sleeps.
Getting around
Getting around Ghent
The centre is compact and largely car-free, and walking covers it.
Sint-Pieters station is 25 minutes south on foot or a few minutes on tram 1, which runs straight to the centre for €2.50.
Trains reach Bruges in 25 minutes, Brussels in 35 and Antwerp in an hour, all for €7 to €12, with the Weekend Ticket halving fares on Saturdays and Sundays.
Bikes are everywhere and rental is €10 to €15 a day. Ghent has one of the most ambitious car-free centre plans in Europe, so driving in is deliberately difficult and parking is expensive.
Costs
What Ghent costs
Cheaper than Bruges and Brussels, held down by students. Dorms are €20 to €35, a beer €3 to €5, and a main €16 to €24.
A day is €50 to €80.
The altarpiece at about €16 is the one significant entry fee. Museums are free on the last Sunday morning of the month, and the waterfront, the graffiti alley and the Patershol lanes cost nothing.
Eating around Overpoort rather than the centre cuts a meal in half.
Safety
Staying safe in Ghent
Ghent is a safe, comfortable city, and the student population means the centre is busy and lit late.
Bike theft is the main crime — lock properly if you hire one, and use the frame as well as the wheel.
The canals have unrailed edges in places and the cobbles get slippery in rain.
Overpoort on a term-time weekend is a lot of very drunk students, which is more chaotic than dangerous but worth knowing if that is not your scene.
Cyclists have priority and move fast through a centre that is designed around them. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Ghent
Everything in Flanders is under an hour.
Bruges
The famous one. Go early or late, and you will likely prefer Ghent.
Antwerp
Fashion, Rubens, diamonds, and the finest railway station in Europe.
Brussels
The capital, Art Nouveau and the best beer bars in the country.
Ypres
The First World War Salient, the cemeteries, and the Last Post under the Menin Gate at eight every evening.
Ostend
The North Sea coast, a long beach and the coastal tram running 68km.
What's on
What is on while you are there
One of the largest free street festivals in Europe takes over the city for ten days.
Staff pick
7–18 October
Film Fest Gent
Film Fest Gent in Ghent, Belgium, is a renowned celebration of cinema that brings together film lovers, creators, and industry experts. The festival features…
Staff pick
10 December
Carmen
Created by the French composer Georges Bizet in 1875, Carmen is an opera of four acts. When it was first performed in Paris during…
Staff pick
23 Dec – 3 Jan
101 Dalmatians The Musical
101 Dalmatians The Musical brings the beloved Disney classic to the stage with lively music, humor, and a heartwarming story of adventure and family.…
2–4 October
Kazel Expo
Kazel Expo is a cultural event held at Flanders Expo offering a variety of experiences over several days. You can plan your visit easily…
30 Sep – 5 Oct
Bart De Pauw
Bart De Pauw returns to the stage with a show that brings his television world to life through humor and spontaneous ideas. You will…
8 October
Skeler
Skeler is an Australian producer known for blending cloud rap, downtempo, melodic trap, and trance into a distinctive sound. His Night Drive mix series…
8 October
The Music of: From Studio Ghibli to One Piece
Experience a concert dedicated to the iconic music of Japanese animation, including Studio Ghibli, One Piece, and Attack on Titan. The Grand Symphonique orchestra…
10 October
Fabel Fest Vlaanderen
Fabel Fest Vlaanderen invites fans of Dutch-language fantasy, science fiction, and horror of all ages to a day filled with engaging activities. The event…
Hostels
Where to stay in Ghent
A good scene at student prices, mostly in and around the historic centre. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
May, June and September. July has the Gentse Feesten, which is its own reason and its own chaos.
Jan
Cold and grey, but the students are back and the bars are full
Feb
Same. Cheap beds and the Light Festival in some years
Mar
Improving. Terraces start appearing
Apr
Good. Blossom and lengthening evenings
May
Excellent. Warm, busy and everything open
Jun
The best month. Long evenings on the Graslei
Jul
Gentse Feesten fills the city for ten days. Book far ahead
Aug
Quiet after the festival, and students away
Sep
Superb. Term restarts and the city comes back
Oct
Good value, and the canals are atmospheric in mist
Nov
Grey and wet. Museums weather
Dec
Christmas market and the Winter Festival in the centre
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Belgian rain is spread across the year rather than concentrated, so the student calendar matters more than the weather: July and August empty the place out apart from the Feesten.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
The altarpiece at about €16 is the main entry cost. Gentse Feesten week runs far above these figures for accommodation.
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- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Ghent travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Ghent or Bruges?
Ghent has the same medieval waterfront with 70,000 students, better nightlife, lower prices and far fewer coaches. Bruges is prettier and much busier. They are 25 minutes apart — see both, and consider sleeping in Ghent.
What is the Ghent Altarpiece?
Van Eyck's 1432 polyptych in Saint Bavo's Cathedral, the most frequently stolen artwork in history — taken thirteen times, with one panel gone since 1934 and never found. A recent restoration stripped centuries of overpaint. Entry is about €16 with the AR tour.
How long do you need?
Two days. One covers the altarpiece, the castle and the waterfront; the second is for Patershol, the museums and an evening that runs late.
When is Gentse Feesten?
Ten days in mid-July, and it is one of the largest free street festivals in Europe with around two million visitors. Accommodation books months ahead and prices rise sharply — plan for it or around it.
Is Ghent good for vegetarians?
The best city in Belgium for it. Veggie Thursday has been city policy since 2009 and meat-free menus here are properly thought through rather than an afterthought.
Is it cheap?
Cheaper than Bruges and Brussels. Dorms €20 to €35, a beer €3 to €5, and a day around €50 to €80. Museums are free on the last Sunday morning of the month.
Is the castle audio guide really funny?
Yes — it is written and performed by a Flemish comedian as a deliberate comedy, and it is the reason people who normally skip audio guides recommend this one.
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