Things to do in Ghent
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Ghent
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall, with April and May the sweet spot. Mild, terraces reopen and visitor numbers moderate outside Easter.
Peak life and warmest weather, with Gent Jazz and Gentse Feesten in July and calmer August after the festival.
Culture season and second best window, with Flanders Festival in September and Film Fest Gent in October.
Quiet, cheap and atmospheric, with the December Christmas market. Late January and February are worst for weather and daylight, and the Light Festival does not return before 2029.
What's on
- Tour of Flanders early April
The Ronde brings cycling fever and crowds to Oudenaarde and the Flemish Ardennes.
- Gent Jazz Early to mid July, over about two weeks
Jazz, soul and pop headliners in a garden setting on the Bijloke grounds. Book headline nights early.
- Gentse Feesten 10 days from the Friday before Belgian National Day, 21 July
One of Europe's largest free cultural festivals takes over the whole centre. Hotels surge and sell out.
- Flanders Festival Ghent Mid to late September each year
Classical and world music with 1,500 artists across historic venues.
- September Heritage Day September
Normally closed buildings open to visitors.
- Film Fest Gent October
Major international film festival with the World Soundtrack Awards.
- Ghent Christmas Market December
Christmas market around Korenmarkt and St Bavo's Square, smaller and more local than German mega markets.
- Ghent Light Festival late January to early February, next expected winter 2027
Triennial night time art route of light installations across the centre.
Best things to do in Ghent
St Bavo's Cathedral
Home to the Ghent Altarpiece, the Van Eyck polyptych that is the main reason art travellers come to Ghent.
Gravensteen
A real 12th century stone castle in the city centre, made better by a dry and funny audio guide.
Graslei and Korenlei
Two facing quays of stepped gable guild houses reflected in the Leie, best at sunset and again after dark.
St Michael's Bridge
The bridge gives the classic three tower view of St Nicholas, the Belfry and St Bavo's in one line.
The Belfry
A 91 metre civic tower with the dragon, the Roland bell and a lift for most of the climb.
Patershol
Ghent's oldest quarter of cobbled lanes, now the restaurant quarter where locals actually eat.
Werregarenstraatje
The city's sanctioned street art alley, ever changing and worth a quick ten minute detour.
MSK Museum of Fine Arts
Belgium's oldest fine arts museum, strong on Flemish Primitives through to early modernism.
Where to stay in Ghent
Historic Centre, Korenmarkt, Graslei and Belfry triangle
first trip, all-round base
Step out into the postcard, with the main sights and trams at Korenmarkt on your doorstep.
Patershol and Prinsenhof
food lovers and quiet character
Five minutes north of Graslei, residential in feel with cobbles, restaurant lanes and the castle nearby.
Hoogstraat and Reylof quarter
luxury without the crowds
Just west of the centre on broader, calmer streets, still a seven minute walk to Graslei.
Arts Quarter, Sint-Pietersplein and Bijloke
museums, music and repeat visitors
Around MSK, S.M.A.K. and STAM, more student and local, slightly cheaper and a short tram to the quays.
Dampoort, Sint-Amandsberg and Gent-Sint-Pieters station area
budget and practicality
Leafier residential edges, noticeably cheaper, 15 to 25 minutes by walk or tram to the centre.
Think twice about
- Overpoortstraat student quarter
Loud on Thursday to Saturday term time nights, with very drunk students and litter by 03:00. Fun to visit, poor to sleep above.
- Immediate station forecourts, Gent-Sint-Pieters and Dampoort
Scruffier and more transient than the centre, with usual station area panhandling. Normal station awareness applies.
- Citadelpark after dark
Poorly lit in parts and local advice is not to cut through alone at night. Walk the lit perimeter streets instead.
Best restaurants in Ghent
Vrijmoed
Ghent's best restaurant, two stars for creative vegetable led modern Belgian cooking.
OAK
One star in a room of about two dozen seats, the intimate fine dining pick in Ghent.
Publiek
One star with a relaxed bistro feel and among the best value starred lunches in Flanders.
Pakhuis
Converted warehouse brasserie with an oyster bar, lively and reliable for a mixed group.
Meme Gusta
Grandmother style Flemish home cooking, above all pork cheek stew with frites, in generous portions.
De Superette
Former bakery turned wood fired restaurant bakery, famous for sourdough, pizza and sharing plates.
Joost Arijs
Bakery and chocolate shops where locals still queue in the morning for croissants.
Lokaal
Vegetarian sharing menus from locally harvested vegetables, plus a cult vegan burger.
Best bars in Ghent
The Cobbler
The luxury cocktail bar at 1898 The Post, a destination in itself.
Outdoor things to do in Ghent
Blaarmeersen Sports and Recreation Park
A 100 hectare lake park with a swimming beach, kayaks, pedalos and Ghent families in summer.
Leie cycle route to Sint-Martens-Latem
Flat riverside towpaths through painter's villages to Sint-Martens-Latem, the definitive Ghent ride.
Kayak and canoe on the Leie
Seeing Ghent from water level under your own power, through quieter arms and out to the greener Leie.
Royal Latem Golf Club
One of Belgium's oldest clubs, a tight and strategic parkland course 15 minutes from the centre.
Golf Puyenbroeck
The public access alternative local golfers name for a less formal and lower fee round.
Bruges
The other Flanders city, more perfectly preserved and more visited, just 25 minutes by train.
Damme
A tiny former port turned book town, reached by a flat 7 km canal ride from Bruges.
Oudenaarde
Home to the Tour of Flanders centre and gateway to the cobbled climbs of the Flemish Ardennes.
Best hotels in Ghent
1898 The Post
Ghent's signature luxury stay in the old post office on Graslei, with The Cobbler bar downstairs.
Ghent Marriott Hotel
Full service hotel on Korenlei itself with river views, rated by guests for location over character.
NH Collection Gent
Solid upper mid centre hotel, frequently rated well on booking sites for a first trip base.
Hotel Harmony
Family run luxury boutique by the Lieve canal with a small pool, often named Ghent's best small hotel.
B&B The Verhaegen
A rococo mansion bed and breakfast with a walled garden, an experience as much as a room.
Hotel Gravensteen
Simpler hotel directly facing the castle, excellent value for the view.
Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Reylof
Ghent's other luxury flagship, a townhouse with spa and garden praised for space, calm and service.
Yalo Urban Boutique Hotel
Younger design led hotel with a popular rooftop and bar scene, for travellers who want a pulse.
Is Ghent expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €240 a person |
| Splurge | €480 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- St Bavo's Cathedral: weeks ahead
- Gravensteen: a few days ahead
- Ghent canal boat trip: a few days ahead
- Chocolade Ambassade: a few days ahead
- Kayak and canoe on the Leie: a few days ahead
- Royal Latem Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Vrijmoed: weeks ahead
- OAK: weeks ahead
- Book the Ghent Altarpiece timed slot days ahead in season and weeks ahead for July weekends.
- Book Vrijmoed, OAK and Publiek weeks ahead for weekend dinner, and chocolate workshops 3 to 7 days ahead.
- Book Gentse Feesten week hotels and Gent Jazz headline nights months ahead, and Royal Latem tee times in advance only.
Is Ghent safe?
- Pickpocketing risk is at Gentse Feesten, on crowded trams and around stations. Use a zipped bag in festival crowds.
- Bicycle theft and bicycle collisions are the real everyday hazards. Look both ways for bikes even on pedestrian streets.
- Emergency number is 112 across Belgium. Tap water is drinkable.
Ghent travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Korenmarkt terrace restaurants with photo menus and touts charge for the view. Have a drink there and eat two streets away.
- A Brussels based Ghent and Bruges in one day coach tour is a photo stop, not a visit. Pick one city and sleep there.
- Generic chocolate and waffle shops on the main tourist drag sell factory pralines at boutique prices.
- Dulle Griet at 21:00 on a Saturday can mean a 90 minute wait. Go early, on a weekday, or to Waterhuis instead.
Getting around Ghent: public transport and more
- Walk first, then tram, then bike. The historic centre is largely car free and most main sights are walkable.
- Tram 1 or 3 runs from Gent-Sint-Pieters station to Korenmarkt in about 10 minutes. Buy De Lijn tickets in the app before boarding.
- Do not drive into the centre. The circulation plan routes cars away and fines for restricted zones are a classic visitor trap.
Who Ghent suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Ghent your trip
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