Known as Gent in Dutch and Gand in French, Ghent is like a grittier Bruges without the crush of tourists. Nonetheless it sports photogenic canals, medieval towers, great cafes and some of Belgium's most inspired museums. Always a lively student city, Ghent goes crazy in mid-July during the 10-day Gentse Feesten (www.gentsefeesten.be), featuring street theatre, jazz and techno music.
Most major sights are strolling distance from Korenmarkt, the westernmost of three interlinked squares that form the heart of Ghent's historic core.
St-BaafskathedraalCATHEDRAL
St-Baafs cathedral's towering interior has some fine stained glass and an unusual combination of brick vaulting with stone tracery. A €0.20 leaflet guides you round the cathedral’s numerous art treasures, including a big original Rubens opposite the stairway that leads down into the partly muralled crypts. However, most visitors come to see just one magnificent work – the Van Eycks’ 1432 ‘Flemish Primitive’ masterpiece, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (adult/child/audio guide €4/1.50/1).
BelfortHISTORIC BUILDING
Ghent’s soaring, Unesco-listed, 14th-century belfry is topped by a large dragon. That’s a weathervane not a fire breather and it’s become something of a city mascot. You’ll meet two previous dragon incarnations on the climb to the top (mostly by lift) but other than some bell-making exhibits the real attraction is the view. Enter through the Lakenhalle, Ghent's cloth hall that was left half-built in 1445 and only completed in 1903.
WerregarensteegAREA
Graffiti is positively encouraged as an art form in this tiny central alley.
GrasbrugVIEWPOINT
To admire Ghent’s towers and gables at their most photogenic, stand just west of the little Grasbrug bridge at dusk. It’s a truly gorgeous scene, though the appealing waterfront facades of Graslei aren’t as old as they look – these ‘medieval’ warehouses and townhouses were largely rebuilt to make Ghent look good for the 1913 World's Fair. Canal trips depart from either end of the Grasbrug and nearby Vleeshuisbrug bridges.
GravensteenCASTLE
The counts of Flanders’ quintessential 12th-century stone castle comes complete with moat, turrets and arrow slits. It’s all the more remarkable considering that during the 19th century the site was converted into a cotton mill. Meticulously restored since, the interior sports the odd suit of armour, a guillotine and torture devices. The relative lack of furnishings is compensated for by a hand-held 45-minute movie guide, which sets a tongue-in-cheek historical costumed drama in the rooms, prison pit and battlements.
PatersholNEIGHBOURHOOD
Dotted with half-hidden restaurants, enchanting Patershol is a web of twisting cobbled lanes whose old-world houses were once home to leather tradesmen and to the Carmelite Fathers (Paters), hence the name. An aimless wander here is one of the city's great pleasures.
BUS
Some longer distance buses depart from Gent-Zuid bus station , others from various points around Gent-St-Pieters train station.
TRAIN
Gent-Dampoort One kilometre west of the old city, this is the handiest station but only some trains stop here, including three hourly runs to Antwerp (€9.40, fast/slow 42/64 minutes) and an hourly Bruges service (€6.50, 36 minutes).
Gent-St-Pieters Located 2.5km south of the city centre, this is the main station for Brussels (€8.90, 35 minutes, twice hourly). From here there are five hourly hops to Bruges (fast/slow 24/42 minutes).
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