The 2nd-largest city in Flanders after Antwerp, Ghent is a total gem of a city! Packed with history, culture, shopping, and a laid-back atmosphere, a day trip to Ghent gives you more than enough time to get a vibe for the city. Its location a mere half-hour from Brussels by train makes it totally seamless to visit, and its compact and walkable size is perfect for a day’s visit.
Often overlooked in favor of nearby Bruges, we recommend visiting both cities if you can. While they’re both pretty traditionally Flemish, they’re both absolutely charming and worth a visit. A lot of blogs have taken the tack of choosing one over the other, and we’re hesitant to take a stance on this– we had an absolutely lovely time in both cities and recommend them both wholeheartedly.
Ghent has a rich history, dating all the way back to Roman times, when the settlement of what was then called “Ganda” was founded where the Scheldt and Leie rivers meet. Ganda became an important trading center and a strategic location for the Roman army, but like nearby Bruges, the city didn’t truly flourish until the Middle Ages, when it became a wealthy city-state.
Starting in the 12th century, the Counts of Flanders granted Ghent the right to self-govern, as well as the ability to elect its own court representatives, making it wealthy and powerful.
In 1302, Ghent played a key role in the Flemish revolt against French rule in the early 1300s, particularly at the still-celebrated “Battle of the Golden Spurs”, where an army led by Ghent defeated a much larger French force. By the Renaissance era, Ghent began to look much like it does today, despite significant damage during World War I.
Today, Ghent is a center for innovation, technology, and education due to its university. It is a thriving and cosmopolitan place, where a rich cultural heritage and swoon-worthy historical landmarks meet a vibrant cultural and student scene popular with visitors.
Getting There
Ghent is technically doable as a day trip from Amsterdam, but it’s a bit tight if you’re relying on the train. Indeed, while a bit closer than Bruges, we’d still say that Ghent is an ideal day trip from nearby Brussels, as it’s less than half an hour away by train, with many departures each hour. Tip: if you visit on a weekend, make sure to purchase the discounted tickets available.
If you do choose to go from Amsterdam, you’ll need to take the train to any of the main train stations in Brussels, and then transfer to the local trains going to Ghent. Once you arrive in Bruges, note that it’s about a 30-minute walk from the station to the city center. In our experience, it’s considerably further to the city center than from most European central stations, but it’s a nice walk and there’s a tram available if you don’t feel like walking.
Recommended Reading
The Perfect Day Trip to Ghent
While small in size, Ghent has easily a day’s worth of things to do, though you can likely squeeze your visit into half a day if you absolutely need to. Here are our top tips for your visit.
1. Explore the medieval city center
In addition to enjoying its charming streets and picture-perfect canals, be sure to visit:
- Medieval era Gravensteen Castle (or the Castle of the Counts), arguably Ghent’s most iconic landmark. Dating back to the 12th century, it’s astonishingly well-preserved and the audio tour is well-worth it.
- St. Bavo’s Cathedral is perhaps best-known as the home of the Ghent Altarpiece, a masterpiece of the Flemish painting style. You can climb the cathedral tower for panoramic views of the city if you like.
- Beautiful Gothic St. Nicholas’ Church has gorgeous stained glass windows. Next door, the tall, medieval Belfry tower is also located in the city center, and also open for climbing.
- For some of the best views of the city center from the ground, check out St. Michael’s Bridge, which spans the Leie River.
- The Korenmarkt square is one of the most popular hangout spots in Ghent, surrounded by lovely historic buildings with loads of restaurants, cafés, and shops. The historic Vrijdagmarkt, as its name suggests, is home to a weekly market held on Fridays, and is also surrounded by beautiful period buildings.
- Ghent is also a great place to shop, whether you’re seeking big European name brands or more unique souvenirs, boutiques, or more.
2. Visit a few museums
Ghent has several great museum options for those inclined (or if you get a particularly rainy day), including:
- the Museum of Fine Arts
- the Design Museum
- the Ghent City Museum
- the House of Alijn (showcases the daily life of the Flemish people throughout history, really cool!)
3. Try some Belgian chocolates
It goes without saying that Belgium is world-famous for its delicious chocolates, and Ghent is home to many Belgian-style chocolatiers. There are some chocolate tours available, but you can also just pop into one of the many chocolate shops in the city. Just make sure that you confirm that the chocolatier is local to Bruges (and not imported from elsewhere) prior to buying. Some local chocolatiers to check out include:
- Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke has been around since 1953, and Chocoladehuis Van Belle since 1958. They offer a range of chocolates made with traditional methods, as well as more modern ones.
- Yuzu Chocolates has a somewhat Japanese twist, incorporating flavors like matcha, black sesame, and (of course) yuzu.
4. Sample Belgian beers
Hand-in-hand with local chocolate is world-renowned Belgian beer culture. Ghent has loads of places for experiencing it for yourself, including:
- Gruut Brewery, which uses herbs instead of hops to flavor their beers, which gives them a really different taste
- Dok Brewing Company for craft brews
- Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant is located in a historic building overlooking the Leie River, and is a really nice place for relaxing and people-watching
- Brasserie Lousberg brews nice Belgian-style beers on site
We hope you enjoyed this guide to a day trip to Ghent. For more “Benelux” content, don’t miss our day trip guides to nearby Bruges and Brussels, as well as our varied content on day trips from Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general, Why Not Walk’s home base 😉
You can save this guide for later on Pinterest by clicking on the photo below.
