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Ghent

Ranked #6,872 in Travel & Places, #186,538 overall

One of the top 10 hot cities to visit in 2011

Lonely Planet listed Ghent as one of its top 10 cities to visit in 2011. So it's high time to develop a lens on this city which is criminally neglected by tourists.

Ghent is located at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers, the many branches of which intersect the historic city. There have been settlements on its location since prehistoric and Roman times. Ghent's development as a city started in the 7th century after foundation of 2 monasteries. In the 14th century, Ghent was the second city in Europe north of the Alps (after Paris) with a population of around 60,000.

Ghent has a rich industrial tradition which continues until today. Powerful guilds ensured the wealth of the city but made it a target for various rulers. Ghent's past is tumultuous - the city has been intermittently independent or under French, Flemish, Burgundian or Habsburg rule.

Table of Contents

  1. Why visit Ghent?
  3. How to visit Ghent?
  4. Start here to plan your visit to Ghent
  5. Snapshots from Ghent
  6. Top places to visit
  7. What to eat & drink
  8. What have I missed?

Why visit Ghent?

Ghent rocks!

Image WikipediaGhent has a rich history as a city that has been historically rich. Since medieval times, it developed an incredible heritage which can be visited within a very compact area of less than a square kilometer. A visit of a day can cover most sites, unless you want to include the art museum for which more time is needed.

If you're making a trip-of-a-lifetime outside your country, Ghent is not an obvious choice. But if you have a traveling lifestyle and like visiting places off the beaten track, Ghent will have many surprises for you.

With its rich historic heritage and its location at the confluence of 2 rivers, the city also offers dazzling opportunities for photographers.

I do not think it possible to find a city throughout the Christian world that can be compared to Ghent, in terms of its size or power, its political systems and the character of its inhabitants.
(Desiderius Erasmus in a letter to Karel Utenhove, 1529)

How to visit Ghent?

Ghent is incredibly compact - its Old town is just 80 hectares. Ghent can be best visited by walking around its many squares and streets. It has its shares of sites to visit (listed below), but the best way to start is the website Visit Ghent. If you come by car, you can easily park on the Vrijdagmarkt and walk around from there.

Start here to plan your visit to Ghent

Snapshots from Ghent

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Top places to visit

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Gravensteen

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Sint-Baafskathedraal (Cathedral of St Bavon)


Gothic cathedral started in 1300. Contains the Van more...0 points

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Stadsmuseum in Bijloke Abbey


An overview of the turbulent history of one of Europe's more...0 points

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Vleeshuis


Guild house of the butchers, now a center for promoting more...0 points

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Graslei



The Graslei (and Korenlei) with some of Belgium's more...0 points

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Arts Museum (Museum voor Schone Kunsten)


A great museum, founded in the late 18th century. more...0 points

What to eat & drink

Picture by Su-Lin
  • Waterzooi, a tasty stew made originally from riverfish, but nowadays more often than not from chicken, which is a pity. You can try this dish in many places in Ghent, but beware, there are many ways to get it wrong, and only a few ways to get it right.
  • Stoverij, a meat stew which - frankly - should not be too different from stews in other places of the world. Unlike waterzooi, you must really try hard to get it wrong. This dish goes very well together with some of Belgium's trappist or abbey beers.
  • Breads: for example Gentse mokken (Gingerbread cookies with a strong flavour of anise) or kletskoppen (thin cooking using sugar candy).
  • Beers: the region of Ghent has its fair share of Belgian's 1,000 beer types. For example Judas, Pater Lieven, Ename, ...
  • Jenever: the region of Oost-Vlaanderen has a long tradition of spirits. Jenever is a strong alcoholic liquor (minimum 35%). A recent trend are fruit-flavoured jenevers which are diluted to about 20%.

What have I missed?

Thanks for sharing your experiences on Ghent as a cultural, historic and culinary destination.

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hdkeulenaer

As a self-assigned 'ambassador' for Belgium (and surroundings), please let me make some publicity for my country which is criminally neglected by tour... more »

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