Ghent
Discover Ghent
Ghent (Dutch: Gent, French: Gand) is a city in East Flanders in Belgium. Ghent is a city with a population of 265,000 in 2020, with rich history. During the Middle Ages, Ghent was one of the richest and most powerful cities in Europe. The impact of this rich past can be clearly seen when viewing the imposing architecture of churches and the houses of rich traders. The city centre is restored, and breathes the atmosphere of a thriving late-medieval city state. It is free of cars, so it is a very welcoming and open area. Ghent was once considered the second largest city north of the Alps, after Paris. It has a relatively high proportion of young people, and a significant seasonal student population. Unlike Leuven, another university town in Flanders, youth is not the only category of people living there. There is an interesting mixture of foreigners who came to live there, professionals working for major international firms, and artists among the people of Ghent. This mixture makes the people more tolerant and open-minded. This atmosphere seeps into every aspect of city life, making the city different from the smaller provincial cities or the bigger city of Antwerp.
Taste of Ghent...
Ghent provides an excellent and affordable sample of Flemish cuisine, which in the eyes of the locals is one of Europe's finest as it combines French delicacy with northern European sturdiness. Try some local specialties like mussels, spare ribs or 'stoverij' (a kind of tender meat cooked for three hours in dark beer with a brown gravy) with Belgian fries. Another dish from Ghent is the "Gentse waterzooi" (litt. "boiled water from Ghent"), which was the food for the poor originally, a stew of cheap fish (usually turbot) and vegetables. Now it is often made with chicken as well. Belgian waffles are available from a number of street stalls around the town. The restaurants on Korenmarkt and Vrijdagmarkt are a good deal, reasonably priced; the menus and 'menus of the day' at the Brasserie Borluut provide terrific value and this includes Gentse waterzooi. The real upmarket restaurants are to be found in the 14th-century quarter called 'Patershol', near the Castle. There is also a big Turkish community in Ghent, centred around Sleepstraat a bit further north, which is home to numerous Turkish restaurants. Information on vegetarian restaurants and shops is available from the campaign group ProVeg (previously EVA). Paper copies of their Guide to Veggie Ghent map is stocked by the Tourist Information Office on Veerle Plein. For authentic pubs, go to St. Veerleplein (the square in front of the Castle), the pubs around St.
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Ghent.
Ghent provides an excellent and affordable sample of Flemish cuisine, which in the eyes of the locals is one of Europe's finest as it combines French delicacy with northern European sturdiness. Try some local specialties like mussels, spare ribs or 'stoverij' (a kind of tender meat cooked for three hours in dark beer with a brown gravy) with Belgian fries. Another dish from Ghent is the "Gentse waterzooi" (litt. "boiled water from Ghent"), which was the food for the poor originally, a stew of cheap fish (usually turbot) and vegetables. Now it is often made with chicken as well. Belgian waffles are available from a number of street stalls around the town. The restaurants on Korenmarkt and Vrijdagmarkt are a good deal, reasonably priced; the menus and 'menus of the day' at the Brasserie Borluut provide terrific value and this includes Gentse waterzooi. The real upmarket restaurants are to be found in the 14th-century quarter called 'Patershol', near the Castle.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsGhent is a 30-minute train ride away from Brussels and is on the line from Brussels to Bruges and the coast. If you're planning to visit Bruges and Brussels, definitely stop over in Ghent as well. There are also direct trains to Brussels Airport (BRU), Antwerp, and Lille. The main station is 51.03553.71071 Gent-Sint-Pieters. . It is the main station, to go to the centre, take tram 1 (until 51.054543.721982 Korenmarkt. ). Journey time is ten minutes. 51.0563.74073 Gent-Dampoort. is closer to the center (about 15 minutes walk), but only trains coming from the direction of Antwerp stop there. Trip planning and ticket purchase can be done on the SNCB website or the SNCB app. The dense highway network in Belgium allows you to access Ghent easily by car. Two main highways E40 (Liège-Brussels-Ghent-Bruges-Ostend) and E17 (Antwerp-Ghent-Kortrijk-Lille) cross at Ghent. Brussels and Antwerp are 40 min away, Bruges 30 min. During rush hour you can easily double these times....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The centre of Ghent is quite small, so you can walk around on foot. However, the main station (Gent Sint-Pieters) is not in the city centre, but takes a walk of about half an hour. The best option is to take the tram, which takes you directly to the centre in 10 to 15 minutes. A bicycle is the recommended way to get around in Ghent. However, there are many roads with cobblestones that make cycling a shaking experience. Also make sure you stay clear of the tram rails. Nevertheless, you will see you are not alone on your bike: many inhabitants use bikes to get around. Even the former mayor uses his bicycle all day. There are many bike stands around to make it easy to lock your bike (important!) Many one-way roads are made two-way for bikes. The transport system is Ghent is excellent and usually on time. The transportation company is De Lijn.
Where to Stay
As of June 2022, Ghent has 4G with Base / Telenet and Orange, and 5G with Proximus / Scarlet. Wifi is widely available in public places. The Belgian train system is very efficient and the country not that large, so getting between major cities by rail is easy – in the day. A day trip to even multiple cities is easily doable. From Ghent, multiple railway lines radiates to major destinations in Flanders:
Money & Budget
Ghent provides an excellent and affordable sample of Flemish cuisine, which in the eyes of the locals is one of Europe's finest as it combines French delicacy with northern European sturdiness. Try some local specialties like mussels, spare ribs or 'stoverij' (a kind of tender meat cooked for three hours in dark beer with a brown gravy) with Belgian fries. Another dish from Ghent is the "Gentse waterzooi" (litt. "boiled water from Ghent"), which was the food for the poor originally, a stew of cheap fish (usually turbot) and vegetables. Now it is often made with chicken as well. Belgian waffles are available from a number of street stalls around the town.