Ghent – A beautiful city full of history
Gavensteen castle Ghent
Ghent is a beautiful city that is steeped in history which was obvious the moment I saw it. Its got so many beautiful buildings from Castles. to churches to cathedrals. Ghent is a city in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital of the East Flanders province its the third largest city in Belgium after Brussels and Antwerp.
I unfortunately only had one day to tour this beautiful city by hope to go back one day to explore it further I therefore will not include any tips on places stay during your visit or places to eat. Although prices are similar to those of Brussels.
Table of Contents
This article may contain affiliate/compensated links for more information please read our disclaimer
Ghent Top Places to Visit
1. Gravensteen
Belgium has over 3000 castles and while visiting Ghent I had the opportunity to visit the Gravensteen the castle of the Counts. Tickets are 1300 Euros and include an Audio guide (price correct as of 30th December 2023). My visit lasted around two hours. I could easily have spent longer here but there was other things I wanted to see in the city before I headed back to Brussels. The castle has a impressive collection of torture items on display. For more information or to book tickets check out the visit Ghent website here
2 The Ghent Belfry
The Ghent Belfry is an absolute must on your visit to Ghent. It gives you stunning views across the city to the other beautiful buildings. The Belfry is one of three medieval towers that overlook Ghent’s Old city centre. The other two towers are the tower of Saint Nicholas Church and Saint Bavo Cathedral. The Ghent Belfry stands at height of 92 meters tall which makes it the tallest Belfry tower in Belgium.
The Belfry has a lift BUT is not wheelchair accessible as you need to climb stairs to access the lift level. When I visited the lift was out of order so i had to climb up and down, However it was well worth it for the stunning views across the beautiful city. For more information on the Belfry please the visit Ghent website here
3. St Bavo’s Cathedral
Next to the Belfry well just across the square is the Bavos Cathedral and this beautiful building is really worth taking the time to visit it has beautiful stained glass windows and is also home to the famous altar piece. Entry to the Cathedral is free. However there is a charge to view the Alter piece with AR type guide to explain it all to you. More information on this can be found here
If you like my Ghent city guide check out my Amsterdam one here.
4. St Nicholas Church
Another great place to visit on a trip Ghent is St Nicholas Church. As mentioned earlier Ghent has three towers known as the three towers of Ghent. These are the Belfry, St Bavos and St Nicholas. St Nicholas is not as Grand as St Bavos however its more than worth a visit. It is also free to enter.
5. St Michaels Bridge
St Michaels bridges is a great place to go to take a photo because you can get a great picture of all three of the Ghent Towers. Its only a short walk along the street.
Travelling to Ghent and Getting around the city
Trains – Getting to Ghent from Brussels was really easy there are regular services and it takes around 35 minutes.
Trams – Trams are frequent and easy way to get around the city. I took the number 1 Tram from the Train station all the way over to Gavensteen castle. It took around 15 minutes. If you have a Ghent city card you can travel for free otherwise buy your tickets from the Lijnwinkel (ticket shop) at the train station or ticket machine on the platform it is possible to buy a ticket on the train using a debit or credit card but each passengers needs a separate card single journeys are 2 euros 50 as of December 2023.
Booking.com
If you enjoyed my Ghent guide why not check out my other guides Belgium and Brussels
About Author
1 thought on “Ghent – A beautiful city full of history”