|How to get to Ghent from Brussels

Regular trains run hourly from Brussels to Ghent and take just under an hour. Once you arrive in Ghent catch the number 1 tram towards the historical city centre. It takes roughly 16 minutes and costs just €2.50. Get off at Gent Korenmarkt Perron 5 and you are just a minutes walk from Saint Michael’s Bridge.

|Patershol

Ghent’s oldest neighbourhood is the medieval heart of the city and guarantees photo opportunities around ever corner, especially Kraanlei Street. The cobbled streets of Patershol are entirely pedestrianised so you can enjoy wandering the alleyways without cars.

Tip: Two particularly sweet streets are Zeugsteeg & Plotersgracht

|Gravensteen Castle

The Castle of the Counts is the only remaining castle and moat in the Flanders region of Belgium. The castle has been a source of horror to locals for generations, firstly as a place of torture, then as a prison and then as a cotton factory where workers lived in squalid conditions. Now though, you can enjoy the view from the turrets after climbing the impossibly narrow staircases and explore the once feared dungeons.

Tip: Tickets are €12 for adults

|Dulle Griet

You can’t leave Ghent without visiting this age old pub. Dulle Griet’s medieval atmosphere and choice of over 400 beers make it a place of pilgrimage for many beer lovers in Europe. Even if you’re not a big drinker you should visit the bar just for the decorations. The walls are covered in plaques, vintage beer adverts, flags, barrels and that’s not even counting the decorations hanging from the ceiling.

Tip: If you want to drink anything larger than a pint in this pub you must hand over one of your shoes to be locked in a cage above the bar.

|’T Dreupelkot

With more than 200 Jenever gins on the menu, 50 of which are home made, any true gin lover will need to prioritise this hidden cafe!

|’T Galgenhuis Bar

I hope you don’t have too many friends as there’s only room for 8 in Ghent’s smallest and most historical bar. This fantastic bar used to be a tripe shop (animal innards) and even a gallows!

|Confiserie Temmerman

Confiserie Temmerman sweetshop and the house next door are possible the most beautiful facades in Ghent. Pop in to Confiserie Temmerman and buy some traditional Belgian sweets or chocolate and browse the tea room at the back of the shop.

|Kranlei Canal

No matter the time of year, a walk along the canal on Korenlai Street is a must. The ancient shipyard houses lining the water on the other side (Graslei) are incredibly preserved and worth staring at for a while. In the warmer months, grab some street food and have a picnic on the edge of the canal.

|Saint Michael’s Bridge

Saint Michael’s Bridge is a great place to start your walk along the canal and makes for a postcard style photo. See if you can spot the lamppost with a miniature stature of Saint Michael banishing an evil dragon.

|Alms Houses

The alms houses or Houses of Alijn are where the poor and sick could live who had nowhere to go. Now the houses have been turned in to a cultural museum with everyday things from the past citizens of Ghent. The courtyard is particularly pretty, circled by the small white cottages, each with a red door.

Tip: Tickets are €8 for adults. If you don’t fancy visiting the museum, take photos of the interesting roofline from the street instead.

|Serpenstraat

This pretty backstreet in Ghent reminds me of Edinburgh (in summer), probably because I’ve never been there. Aside from that, it’s also home to a very good vegan cafe called MiE ViE and a fantastic Mexican restaurant called Bicho Malo.

|Grafitti Street

Tweebruggenstraat and Werregarenstraatje may be the two most well-known streets for artwork in Gent and were the first halls of fame in the city. Meaning the first place artists could paint freely. Surprisingly, the city has over 400 individual murals and personally I would rather search these out. Tweebruggenstraat and Werregarenstraatje were a little gritty for me and more graffiti than art.

Tip: If you have time, head to Ottergemsesteenweg to see the murals that have been painted on bricked up windows. The murals were commissioned to remind people this is a residential area and to respect the locals living there. Also check out the mural dedicated to the Ghent Altar and used as an advert for the film Monuments Men on Jan Van Stopenberghestraat.

Check out The Top 14 Comic Book Murals in Brussels

|Coffee & Books

A coffee shop and book swap cafe. Bring along a book you’ve read and exchange it for one on the shelves. The cafe is also a great space for co-working and makes a scrummy malteaser hot chocolate.

|Koninklijke Academie

The Fine Arts Academy in Ghent is a beautiful building in itself. The green glass facade is hard to miss and makes for a beautiful photo. The building is known as Huis van Oombergen and was once an 18th Century mansion.