BE · East Flanders · 51.05°N 3.73°E

ghent

A castle beside the tram tracks, canal quays and a famous painted altarpiece.

Best time
May, June and September have comfortable weather and manageable crowds. July's Gentse Feesten brings ten days of late nights and packed streets; November to February is cold and often damp.
How long
2 days
Getting there
Fly to Brussels with one stop, usually via Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, about 16–18 hours all in. Trains from Brussels Airport reach Gent-Sint-Pieters in about an hour, and a tram runs into the old centre. Belgium is 6 hours behind KL in summer and 7 in winter.
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BE · East Flandersghent51.05°N 3.73°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,A castle beside the tram tracks, canal quays and a famous painted altarpiece.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingGhentBE, East Flanders
KLghent
≈ 10,290 km from KL, as the crow flies
This photo of immovable heritage has been taken in the Flemish Region

Photo: Michielverbeek · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Ghent has medieval towers and a castle in the middle of town, but it feels like a lived-in university city. People sit along the quays, trams rattle through the old centre, and the best evening plan is a walk by the water.

Makan

  1. WaterzooiGhent's creamy stew of chicken or fish with vegetables.Map ↗
  2. CuberdonsCone-shaped purple sweets with a firm shell and a runny raspberry centre, sold from carts near the market.Map ↗
  3. Vegetarian foodGhent backed a weekly meat-free Thursday back in 2009, and vegetarian menus are everywhere.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Graslei and KorenleiOld guildhouses facing each other across the river, Ghent's postcard view.Map ↗
  2. GravensteenA proper stone castle with towers and battlements, right among the shops and tram lines.Map ↗
  3. Saint Bavo's CathedralHome of the Ghent Altarpiece by the van Eyck brothers, one of the most famous paintings in Europe.Map ↗
  4. PatersholA knot of cobbled lanes and old houses near the castle, full of small restaurants.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Sleepstraat, a short walk north of the castle, is Ghent's Turkish street and the easiest place for a halal meal.
  • The Ghent Altarpiece has its own ticket and visitor route inside the cathedral.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.