Ghent
The Medieval Merchant City Of Flanders, Home Of The Van Eyck Brothers' Ghent Altarpiece, With A UNESCO Listed Belfry And Beguinages, The Gravensteen Castle And A Large Student Population · Ghent, East Flanders Province
Ghent (Gent in Dutch) is the medieval merchant city of Flanders, grown rich from the 13th century on cloth woven from English wool and, for a time, one of the largest cities in northern Europe. Its wealth left the guild houses of the Graslei and Korenlei quays, the Gravensteen castle of the Counts of Flanders, a UNESCO-listed belfry and beguinages, and St Bavo's Cathedral, home of the Van Eyck brothers' Ghent Altarpiece of 1432, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, often called the first great oil painting of the Low Countries. People come for that painting, for the view of three towers from St Michael's Bridge, for canal boats on the Leie, for good museums and for a living city: a large student population, busy bars and a car-free centre full of bikes. It is usually less crowded than Bruges and livelier after dark. The honest caveat: the historic core is compact but not a museum piece, parts of it are ordinary modern streets, it rains often, and during the Gentse Feesten in July the city is packed and loud day and night.
The Graslei and Korenlei quays, St Bavo's Cathedral and the Gravensteen in central Ghent, Ghent, East Flanders Province, Belgium
The city never closes, and the quays, bridges and squares are free at any hour. St Bavo's Cathedral opens daily with shorter hours on Sundays and during services; the Ghent Altarpiece visitor centre inside it runs on timed tickets, usually daily - check the current schedule. The Gravensteen is generally open daily. Most city museums, including STAM, MSK, SMAK and the House of Alijn, close on Mondays, and several shut on some public holidays. Canal boats on the Leie run most of the year, fullest from spring to autumn. Getting there: SNCB/NMBS trains from Brussels take about 30-40 minutes, from Bruges about 25 minutes and from Antwerp about 50-60 minutes, mostly to Gent-Sint-Pieters, from where De Lijn trams reach the Korenmarkt in about 15 minutes; Gent-Dampoort is closer to the east side. The centre is closed to through traffic and sits in a Low Emission Zone, so drivers should use park-and-ride. Book the altarpiece slot and July hotels ahead.