Few Hours in Ghent, Belgium

GETTING TO GHENT

Since I was in Brussels, which I have visited a lot of times, I had some free time to take the train to a nearby city. I visited Bruges before, so Ghent was my first option. I got a return train ticket for 10 Euros from Brussels to Ghent. After 40 minutes I was in Ghent. I got off at Gent-Sint-Pieters train station, which is the main station. Once you get out of the station you’ll see a lot of bicycles everywhere, parked! It reminded me of Amsterdam. I started walking, thinking that I was going to walk to the city centre but then I noticed that there’s nothing special to see on my way. So I decided to get the tram. Tram No.1 for 3 Euros (1 hour ticket) will take you to the city centre.

The journey from the station to the city centre is around 10 minutes. You have the option to walk (around 3Km) but there’s nothing to see on the way so prefer the tram instead and save you energy to walk around the city centre.

I went through a guide about Ghent and pinned my map what to see, deciding the walking route I was going to take.

I visited on Sunday and the city was pretty busy since it was sunny (although it was freezing).

BOOK YOUR HOTEL

THE BEST WAY TO SEE THE CITY IS BY FOOT

Walking around the city is really relaxing; you’ll walk through history, beautiful buildings, cathedrals and old houses via the along the Leie river. This is the best way to see the city’s most important spots and get a quick taste of Ghent.

GHENT: TO-DO AND SEE

1. St Nicholas’ Church is the first site you’ll see once you reach the city centre. What makes it stand out it’s the beautiful tower. It you wish to enter, the entrance is free.
2. Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen is Dutch) is a medieval castle right in the city centre. It provides nice views from the city from the top and there’s a museums inside. If you love history I suggest you enter. The admission for adults is €10 with a movie guide.
3. St Michael’s Bridge is, in my opinion, the best spot in the city from where you can see nice views from the city including St.Michael’s Church, the 3-tier row, the Castle, the Old Fish Market and of course watch the boats touring in the river. You can virtually enjoy this amazing view provided by poppr.
4. Boat Trips will take you through the beautiful architecture and sites of Ghent. Boat Trips in the city of Ghent cost 7 Euros for 40 minutes.
5. Werregarenstraat is a small graffiti street, known as Graffiti Alley, with some great illustrations. If I didn’t knew of this street before I honestly wouldn’t have found it.
6. Korenmarkt is the large square in Ghent which in English means Corn Market. It used to be a food market however today people enjoy their coffee around the square.
7. Belfry Tower is another perfect spot for amazing city views. You can take the elevator up and stop on any floor you prefer.

EXPRESS LUNCH

During my walk around, I found a Souplounge and stopped there for lunch. I had a soup with break and 2 apples for 5 euros. It’s a nice busy place with cheap fast soup. So if you’re around Ghent on a cold day and fancy a place to have something to warm you up try Souplounge (it’s located near the Castle).

Ghent Lunch at Souplounge

Ghent is a small beautiful city which is worth visiting. You can explore the city and visit the most important sited within one day without having to stay overnight. It’s very easy to walk around and you should definitely visit if you are in a nearby city e.g. Brussels.

If I get to ask my self: Bruges or Ghent, I would say Ghent! Why? It’s a lot more beautiful. 

Below you can enjoy some photos I captured using my mobile phone – hence the not so wow quality 🙂

Ghent City
Ghent City
Ghent City
Ghent City
ghent-food-markt
Ghent Graffiti Street
Ghent Graffiti Street
Ghent Landscape
Ghent River
Ghent River
Ghent River
Ghent River Bikes
Ghent St.Michael's Bridge
Ghent St. Nicolas
Ghent Tower
Ghent View
Ghent Korenmarkt