Ghent walking tour & city guide

The Graslei, the Korenlei and the three towers

The Graslei and the Korenlei face each other across the Leie river, lined with guild houses that once handled the city's grain trade. On sunny evenings the quays fill with people sitting by the water, and boats leave from here for canal tours.

From Saint Michael's Bridge you can see the city's famous row of towers: Saint Nicholas' Church, the Belfry and Saint Bavo's Cathedral. The cathedral holds the Ghent Altarpiece, the 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' by the van Eyck brothers, finished in 1432 and one of the most important paintings in Europe.

The Gravensteen and Patershol

The Gravensteen, the 'Castle of the Counts', is a stone fortress with moat and battlements built in 1180, right in the city center. Its rooms tell the story of Flemish counts and hold a collection of weapons and instruments of torture.

Behind the castle, the old Patershol quarter is a maze of narrow cobbled lanes with restaurants, while the Vrijdagmarkt square, with its statue of the local hero Jacob van Artevelde, has held a market since the Middle Ages.

Practical tips

Ghent is a car-free city center, ideal for walking and cycling. The Ghent Festivities in July turn the old town into a ten-day street party. Trains from Brussels take about 30 minutes, and Bruges is 25 minutes away.