Belgium · City break

Ghent City Guide

Three towers in a row, an altarpiece that was stolen, carried off and taken apart, and a counts' castle that once housed a cotton mill. Ghent is a student city with a medieval harbour. A ready-made day route takes you in eight stops from the cathedral to the Patershol.

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Our walking tours of Ghent

Ready-made routes from the station guide you through Ghent, to the right spots from the very first step, with no planning needed.

Ghent Old Town

From the tram at Vogelmarkt to St Bavo's Cathedral and the Ghent Altarpiece, then to the belfry and the cloth hall. A gilded dragon turns on top of the belfry. Past the town hall with its two styles and into the graffiti alley of Werregarenstraat. By way of St Nicholas' Church to the old harbour of Graslei and Korenlei, where a guild facade from 1912 copies its original. On to the Gravensteen, the counts' castle that was once a cotton mill, then across the Vrijdagmarkt into the Patershol.

Sint-Baafskathedraal. Charles V was baptised in this church in 1500, when it was still called St John's. Its treasure is a masterpiece of Flemish painting, the Ghent Altarpiece with the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb". Hubert van Eyck began it and his brother Jan finished it in 1432. Since then it has been taken apart, sold, carried off to Paris by French soldiers in 1794 and seized in 1942 for Hitler's planned museum in Linz. The US Army found it in the Altaussee salt mine in 1945. One panel is still missing. The "Just Judges", bottom left, were stolen in 1934 and never found, so what you see is a copy by Jef Van der Veken. Look the Lamb in the face. Since the restoration of the lower panels it once again gazes back at you with almost human eyes.
Belfort en Lakenhalle. The middle of Ghent's three towers belonged not to the church but to the citizens. In a strongroom inside the belfry lay the charters of the city's liberties, and above them hung the bells that warned of fire and enemies. Building began in the early 14th century, and today the tower rises more than 90 m. On top turns a gilded dragon, today a copy. Legend has it the people of Ghent seized the first one in Bruges. In fact the city had it made itself in 1377. The adjoining cloth hall was begun in 1425, when the cloth trade was already past its peak. Only seven of the eleven planned bays were finished, and the other four were added in 1903 to the original plans. Since 1613 the fencers of the St Michael's Guild have trained in its upper halls, and they still do. On the small annex, the Mammelokker, a relief shows the Roman legend of a daughter who breastfed her father, condemned to starve, in his cell. The city jail lay behind it until 1902.
Stadhuis en Werregarenstraat. Walk round the corner of Botermarkt and Hoogpoort and you see two town halls in one. The wing on Hoogpoort is late Gothic, all pinnacles and niches, built 1519 to 1539 to designs by Rombout Keldermans and Dominicus de Waghemakere. The wing towards Poeljemarkt is Renaissance, with columns in three orders stacked one above the other, built 1595 to 1618. Two benches of aldermen once sat here, each with a house of its own. Inside, the Pacification of Ghent was proclaimed in 1576. Opposite on Hoogpoort begins the narrow Werregarenstraat. It was once a red-light alley with a coffin maker. In 1995 the American graffiti artist Crash was allowed by mayor Frank Beke to paint a piece on the wall, and people have sprayed here every day since. The alley is tolerated rather than officially permitted. Whatever you photograph today will soon be painted over. At the far end, on Onderstraat, the Hof van Rijhove is a stone house from the 13th century.
Sint-Niklaaskerk. Look up first. The 76 m tall tower does not stand over the entrance but right above the crossing of nave and transept, letting light into the church. That is typical of Scheldt Gothic, as is the limestone from Tournai. From the 13th century the building was paid for by grain. Ghent held the staple right, so corn from northern France first had to be stored and traded here, and the corn market lay right outside the door. Fittingly, the patron is St Nicholas, protector of boatmen, bakers and merchants. From the 16th century the church fell into decay. Restoration began in 1960 and went ahead in stages, starting with the tower and transept, and the nave only reopened in 2010. Before you move on, look at the Metselaarshuis on the corner of Sint-Niklaasstraat, the masons' guild house with small bronze figures on its gable. Remember that facade. You will see it again on the Graslei.
Graslei en Korenlei. From the 11th to the 18th century this was Ghent's harbour. The row of houses on the Graslei is best read from the opposite bank, from the Korenlei. Number 10 is the Spijker, a Romanesque grain store from the late 12th century, in use until 1734. Next to it stand the tiny toll house of 1682 and the Gothic house of the Free Boatmen from 1531. Then comes number 8, the ornate late Gothic facade. It looks like 1526 and dates from 1912. For the 1913 World's Fair, Amand Janssens recreated here the facade of the masons' house on Cataloniëstraat. At the time the original was thought to be lost. In 1976 it was found again behind plaster, and it is the house you just saw by St Nicholas' Church. Since then Ghent has had two. Finish on St Michael's Bridge, built 1905 to 1909. From there St Nicholas' Church, the belfry and the cathedral line up one behind the other.
Gravensteen. Count Philip of Alsace had the castle built in 1180, modelled on the crusader castles of Syria, according to Flanders' heritage agency. A chronicler wrote that it was meant to break the pride of Ghent's rich citizens, who lived in houses like towers. After the counts came the mint, the court and the prison. Instruments of torture in the exhibition recall that the highest court of Flanders sat here for centuries. Then things got strange. From 1807 a cotton mill ran in the keep, fifty workers' families lived around it, and houses hid the walls almost completely. In the 19th century the ruin was ripe for demolition. State and city bought it back, and from 1894 architect Joseph de Waele rebuilt it in a Romantic spirit. The flat roofs and some of the windows are therefore more 1900 than Middle Ages. In 1949 students occupied the castle, supposedly in protest at higher beer prices. From the roof of the keep you look out over the whole old town.
Vrijdagmarkt. For centuries this big square was the city's stage, for markets, tournaments, executions and mass gatherings. On 26 January 1340 King Edward III of England had himself proclaimed King of France here, backed by the Ghent leader Jacob van Artevelde. That public claim is seen as the real start of the Hundred Years' War. Five years later, on 2 May 1345, the weavers fought the fullers over wages on the same square, and hundreds of fullers died. That same year weavers murdered Van Artevelde himself. Since 1863 he has stood in bronze in the middle of the square, a statue by Pieter De Vigne with the guild arms on the plinth. On the corner of Kammerstraat stands the Toreken, the Gothic guild house of the tanners with its slender tower. Instead of a weathercock, the mermaid Melusine sits on top with her mirror. There is still a market here on Friday mornings. Less than 100 m away lies Serpentstraat, a short cobbled lane with small shops and stepped gables, protected as a whole since 1980.
Patershol. Behind the Kraanlei lies a quarter of some 4.5 hectares whose street pattern still dates from the Middle Ages. The name recalls the friars who settled here at the end of the 13th century, and their Carmelite friary still stands. When the Council of Flanders moved into the Gravensteen, lawyers and judges followed, and the Patershol became a good address. Industry in the 19th century changed that. Large houses were split into tiny workers' flats, and cramped rows of dwellings filled the back yards. Until the 1970s the quarter was regarded as a ghetto, and the city planned to demolish it. Residents, art students and young architects fought back, and Harry Kümel used the quarter as a set for his film "Malpertuis". In 1981 the Patershol was listed as a protected townscape and then restored. Today small restaurants fill the old houses. Around 15 August the quarter holds its own festival, the Patersholfeesten.

Planning your visit

One day is enough for the old town. The route runs 2.7 km and starts at the Vogelmarkt tram stop, which tram T1 reaches from Gent-Sint-Pieters station. Eight stops lead from the cathedral to the Patershol. If time is short, choose between the Gravensteen and the belfry. Ghent is a university city, and in the evening the Overpoort belongs to the students. For a second day the train runs to Ypres and the Menin Gate, and there are five tips for the evening.

Going out & nightlife

Rooftop bars

Bar Bassie im Wintercircus. The Wintercircus was built as a circus in 1894, burned out in 1920 and from 1923 seated 3,400 spectators. The last show ran in 1944, after which it became the Mahy family's Fiat garage and vintage car store, standing empty from 1998. Since its conversion, Bar Bassie has sat right at the top. From the roof terrace you look out over the city's rooftops, and from inside down into the old ring.

Nightlife quarters

Overpoort. Overpoortstraat, south of the old town, is the night-time strip of Ghent's students, who like to call it "Toverpoort", the magic gate. Dozens of cafés, restaurants and clubs line up here, surrounded by student halls and university buildings. Since its 2022 rebuild it has been a shared street where pedestrians may use the whole carriageway, with wide pavements and terraces outside the cafés.

Food & restaurants

Pakhuis. Since 1991 this brasserie has cooked in an old warehouse down a side street near the Korenmarkt. Architect Antoine Pinto converted the storage space of some 600 m² so that you can still feel the warehouse. The menu offers Belgian brasserie cooking and seafood, and there is an oyster market of its own each year.

Bars & clubs

Hot Club Gent. A small jazz club sits in a narrow alley near the Groentenmarkt. David De Rudder founded it in 2005 with the musician Waso De Cauter as the Hot Club de Gand, named after the Paris Hot Club de France where Django Reinhardt once played. After the founder died in 2015, Waso De Cauter and Peter Kinna carried on in the same spot. The concert is often followed by an open jam session for experienced musicians.

Stage & concerts

Ha Concerts. The concert hall on the Kouter occupies the old commodity exchange. Its oldest part is the main guardhouse of 1738 to 1739, and around 1900 Charles van Rysselberghe joined it to the ballroom next door. After years standing empty, the building was converted by 2002 into a mid-sized concert hall, with the former ballroom now serving as the foyer. The programme ranges from neoclassical piano through dream pop to evenings devoted to Leonard Cohen.

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Practical information for Ghent

Public transport

Operator. Trams and buses in Ghent are run by De Lijn, the Flemish transport company. Since 14 September 2026 three tram lines have been running. T1 links Flanders Expo via Sint-Pietersstation and the Kouter with Gent Zuid and the Gentbrugge depot, twelve times an hour between Flanders Expo and Zuid. T2 runs eight times an hour from Van Beverenplein via Rabot, Korenmarkt and Zuid to Melle Leeuw. T4 runs six times an hour, eight times at peak times, from Sint-Pietersstation via Rabot and Muide to Lange Steenstraat. T3 is suspended until May 2027 because of construction work, and in its place the shuttle bus P3 runs between Sint-Pietersstation and Zwijnaarde Bibliotheek. There is also a dense bus network to the municipalities around Ghent.

Network. Three tram lines (T1, T2, T4) and De Lijn buses, with T3 replaced by shuttle bus P3 until May 2027. The hubs are the stops Sint-Pietersstation and Gent Zuid.

Modes of transport. Tram · Bus

Operating hours. Many bus and tram lines in the Ghent region run until after midnight on weekday evenings and on Saturdays, and until 11.30pm on Sundays. De Lijn does not publish fixed first and last times for the whole network. The exact departures for each line and stop are in the route planner and the De Lijn app. Because of construction work, a modified tram network has been in place since 14 September 2026, and De Lijn shows the latest situation on its Tramnet Gent page.

Night service. For the Ghent region De Lijn lists more than 20 bus and tram lines that run late in the evening, including to Deinze (78), Destelbergen (33 and 34), Eeklo (50), Evergem (56), Gavere (41), Lochristi and Wachtebeke (76), Merelbeke and Melle (33, 40, 41 and T2), Nazareth and De Pinte (71 and 76), Sint-Martens-Latem (78), Wetteren (34) and Zelzate (55). All buses and trams into the city go to Sint-Pietersstation or to Gent Zuid, where you change to tram T1. On weekday evenings and on Saturdays many of these lines run until after midnight, and on Sundays until 11.30pm.

Buying tickets. You can no longer pay the driver on buses and trams. Tickets are available in the De Lijn app, in the online shop, by SMS to the short number 4884 (plus a fee of €0.25 from the mobile operator), at around 200 ticket machines in Flanders and in the Lijnwinkels. In Ghent there are Lijnwinkels at Sint-Pietersstation and at Korenmarkt. The machines at the stops take cards only. The 10-rittenkaart is also available in supermarkets, newsagents and stations. You must buy or activate a ticket from the app, website or SMS before boarding, while a paper card is scanned immediately on boarding and at every change.

App and payment. On all De Lijn buses and trams you pay contactless at the white terminal. Belgian and foreign Maestro, Mastercard, VPAY and Visa cards are accepted, as are Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay. A journey costs €3, with no extra charges. Changing is free for 60 minutes, and for that you hold the same payment method against the terminal again in the new vehicle. For a group you hold the same card against the same terminal once per person within two minutes, for a maximum of five people. All the day's journeys are charged overnight. The De Lijn app plans routes, sells tickets and alerts you shortly before your destination stop.

Which ticket. A ticket costs €3 and is valid for 60 minutes on all buses and trams, and with a card or contactless you may finish the journey in progress after that. The heen en terug ticket for two journeys costs €6, the 10-rittenkaart €22 (€2.20 per journey) and the 50-rittenkaart €95 (€1.90 per journey). The Dagticket is valid for 24 hours and costs €9 from age 12, the price of three single fares, and €4.50 for children aged 6 to 11. The 3-dagenticket is valid for 72 hours and costs €18, the price of six single fares, and €9 for children. To buy the Dagticket by SMS, text DLD to 4884. Children under 6 travel free with a paying companion aged 12 or over. The CityCard Gent from Visit Gent (48 hours €49, 72 hours €55) includes all De Lijn buses and trams within the city of Ghent.

Fare zones. De Lijn has no fare zones in Flanders. A €3 ticket is valid for 60 minutes on all buses and trams, however far you travel, whether within Ghent or on the lines to Merelbeke, Evergem or Deinze. The CityCard Gent, however, is only valid within the city of Ghent.

Tip. If you travel as a pair, you don't need two cards. Hold the same bank card against the white terminal twice within two minutes, and again twice when changing within 60 minutes.

Getting there

Main station

Location. Gent-Sint-Pieters is at Koningin Maria Hendrikaplein 1, within walking distance of the city centre. It is about 20 minutes on foot to the centre. Tram T1 runs twelve times an hour from the station via the Kouter to Gent Zuid, and the T4 six to eight times an hour via Rabot and Muide to Lange Steenstraat. If you arrive by train at Gent-Dampoort, you are around one kilometre from the city centre. From there buses 10, 11, 12a and 12b run to Korenmarkt and buses 33, 70, 71, 76, 77 and 78 to Gent Zuid.

Long-distance trains. Gent-Sint-Pieters is the main station of Ghent and has connections from all Belgian cities. There are 86 trains a day to Brussels, 24 of them at peak times, all without a change and taking 36 minutes on average. On weekdays the first train to Brussel-Centraal leaves at 4.40am, at weekends at 5.24am, and the last every day at 11.48pm. On the way back the last train leaves Brussel-Centraal at 12.23am. You can reach Brussels Airport without a change in 55 minutes. The Antwerp, Ghent, Kortrijk, Lille Flandres line crosses the border. Coming by high-speed train, change at Brussel-Zuid, Antwerp or Lille for a train to Ghent. The station has lifts and escalators to the platforms, ticket offices, ticket machines, free Wi-Fi, paid toilets, a taxi rank and free assistance for travellers with reduced mobility. Luggage lockers cost from €5 (handbag) to €14.50 (suitcase) per day.

Opening hours. The main building of Gent-Sint-Pieters is open daily from 4am to 1.30am. The ticket offices are staffed on weekdays from 6.15am to 8pm and at weekends and on public holidays from 7.15am to 8pm, and there are also ticket machines. Gent-Dampoort, the city's second main station, is open on weekdays from 4.20am to 10pm and at weekends and on public holidays from 5.45am to 10pm, and its ticket offices are staffed on weekdays from 7am to 5.45pm and at weekends from 8am to 3.15pm. Both stations have luggage lockers.

Airports

BRU

Into the city. Brussels Airport-Zaventem station is directly under the departures and arrivals hall on level -1. You travel to Gent-Sint-Pieters without a change in 55 minutes. All other connections go via Brussels. Six direct trains an hour run there from early morning until around midnight. A Brussels Airport Supplement (formerly the Diabolo supplement) of €6.90 is added to journeys to and from the airport, and most tickets already include it. At off-peak times and at weekends the fare is 40% cheaper than the standard fare, while the supplement stays the same. Tickets are available online, in the NMBS app and at machines on level -1 or in the baggage reclaim hall. In the station you open the barriers with the QR code on the ticket. Up to four children under 12 travel free with an adult and pay no supplement.

CRL

Into the city. From Charleroi airport the Flibco shuttle bus runs non-stop to Ghent and on to Bruges. In Ghent it stops at Sint-Pietersstation, Voskenslaan 3, platform 22/23. The journey takes about 1 hour 40 minutes on average, longer at rush hour. Online a ticket costs from €19.90, including three pieces of hold luggage and one item of hand luggage. Departures depend on flight times. If you miss the bus, you may take the next one at no extra charge, subject to availability, and rebooking and cancelling are possible up to six hours before departure. By public transport, TEC bus line A1 runs from 4.30am to 11.30pm, four times an hour, in around 20 minutes to Charleroi-Central station, and from there you continue by train via Brussels to Ghent. A combined ticket for bus and train is sold by NMBS.

Local quirks

Low emission zone inside the R40 ring road. The city centre inside the R40 ring road is a low emission zone (LEZ), and cameras check every car on entry. Register a foreign-registered car free of charge, ideally in advance and at the latest by the day after your first entry. Only cars with Dutch number plates do not need to be registered, but the entry rules apply to them too. Processing can take up to 14 days, and the registration is then valid in all Flemish low emission zones. In 2026, diesel cars must meet at least Euro 5 and petrol cars at least Euro 2. For older cars there is the LEZ-dagpas at €45, available up to twelve times a year and valid until 6am the next day. Entering without permission costs €185, charged no more than once a day.
No driving a car across the old town. The Circulatieplan has applied since 3 April 2017. The city centre inside the R40 ring road is divided into six sectors, which cars can reach only from the ring road. If you want to go from one sector to the next, you drive back onto the ring road. There are also five car-free areas, which you may enter only with a free permit, applied for at least five working days beforehand. Hotels in these areas can register their guests' number plates for access, but you still may not park there. No car gets through the barriers at Bargiebrug, Hippoliet Lippensplein and Ottogracht, not even with a permit.
Tram network under reconstruction until 2027. Tram T3 has not been running since 14 September 2026 and will not until the construction work on Sint-Pietersaalststraat ends in May 2027. It is replaced by shuttle bus P3 between Sint-Pietersstation and Zwijnaarde Bibliotheek, six times an hour and ten times at peak times. From the station, T1 runs via the Kouter to Gent Zuid, and Korenmarkt is served by T2 between Rabot and Zuid. Older directions that use T3 from the station are therefore no longer correct. Construction work on the new Petercelle tram axis runs until 2029.

Good to know

Currency: EUR €
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · E
Time zone: Europe/Brussels
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, generally 30 km/h in the Brussels-Capital Region, outside towns 70 km/h in Flanders and Brussels, 90 km/h in Wallonia, motorway 120 km/h

Since 2021, almost all of Brussels has been a 30 km/h zone, only a few major arteries allow more. Outside built-up areas, the limit is higher in Wallonia at 90 km/h than in Flanders and Brussels at 70 km/h, which surprises travelers passing through who expect one uniform national rule.

Tipping. Service is included. Rounding up is enough.

Tolls. No tolls for cars. The Liefkenshoek tunnel near Antwerp charges a fee.

Access restrictions. Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent have low emission zones. Foreign vehicles must register online in advance, otherwise even a clean car risks a fine.