Ghent

Ghent [1] is a city in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium.

Understand

Ghent - or Gent as it is said by the natives - is a city with a population of a quarter of a million. As such, the inhabitants praise the city for its interesting crossover between open cosmopolitanism and the quiet atmosphere of a provincial town. Ghent is thriving as many young people choose to live here instead of in the narrow minded countryside or the crowded and disintegrating city centers of Brussels and Antwerp - the two larger cities of Flanders.

Ghent is a city of history. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the richest and most powerful cities in Europe, second only to Paris (the Italian penisula excluded). This can be seen clearly when viewing the imposing architecture of churches and the houses of rich traders. The whole of the city center is restored in this fashion, and still breathes the atmosphere of a thriving late-medieval city state. As the city council made the center free of cars, it is now a very welcoming and open area, which does not fail to keep impress even the people who live there.

Ghent is also a university city. As such, its streets are filled with young people. But, unlike Leuven, another university town in Flanders, youth is not the only category of people living there. There is an interesting mixture of foreigners who came to live there, or artists, in between the native people of Ghent. Interestingly, other than smaller provincial cities or the bigger city of Antwerp, this mixture makes the people more tolerant and open-minded. And this atmosphere seeps into every aspect of city life. Many people of Ghent truly see the place like home, and are very proud to live there, seeing it as a place that will always welcome them back home.

Get in

Ghent is only a 30-minute train ride away from Brussels and is on the line from Brussels to Bruges and the coast. If you're planning to visit Bruges and Brussels, definitely stop over in Ghent as well. There are also direct trains to Brussels Airport, Antwerp, Lille and Paris.

Get around

The transit system is Ghent is excellent and always on time. A single ticket costs about 1 euro, which is valid for an hour's travel on all trams and buses. The trams are the quickest and most comfortable way to travel, especially from the railway station to the city centre.

See

Unless you know what you are doing or have a good book, get the tour. There are a couple of walking tours which are great.

Great places are the three towers of Ghent: the cathedral of St. Bavo (with the famous medieval altarpiece painting 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb'), the church of St. Nicholas and the Belfort (Belfry). The Graslei and Korenmarkt are fine places to walk and relax along the river while you admire 13th century trading houses. Also the Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) and Vrijdagsmarkt (Friday Market) are must-sees. Around the medieval core of the city, there is also lots of impressive 18th and 19th century architecture. Especially the 'socialist' Jugendstill/Art Nouveau buildings from around 1900 like Vooruit are unique in their kind.

Do

The Gentse Feesten (Festivities of Ghent)[2] 10 days of free festivals all around the historical centre of Ghent.

Eat

Ghent provides an excellent and affordable sample of Flemish cuisine, which is one of Europe's finest as it combines French delicacy with German sturdiness. Try some local specialties like mussels, spare ribs or 'stoverij' (a kind of tender meat cooked for three hours in dark beer with a brown gravy) with French fries - or, should I say, Belgian fries. The restaurants on Korenmarkt are a good deal, reasonably priced; the real upmarket restaurants are to be found in the 14th century quarter called 'Patershol', near the Castle. There is also a big Turkish community in Ghent, centred around Sleepstraat a bit further north, which is home to numerous Turkish pizza places. They are amazingly cheap for the delicious food you get and sometimes even better than in Turkey.

Drink

For authentic pubs, go to St. Veerleplein (the square in front of the Castle), the pubs around St. Jacob's church (especially during weekends), or the student area around Blandijnberg (Mount Blandin), especially in the proximity of the School of Arts and Philosophy, recognisable from afar by the 70 metres tall art deco Library Tower.

• Bierhuis aan de waterkant (The Beerhouse on the Waterside) near the Castle boasts about 400 different kinds of Belgian beer, but is fairly touristy.
• Overpoortstraat, where during the week (especially Wednesday and Thursday nights) all the students go crazy. Avoid the pubs on the Korenmarkt, as they are very random, at best boring and sometimes really tacky.

Sleep

Budget

• Youth Hostel De Draecke
• Hotel Trianon I St-Denijslaan 203

Splurge

• Gravensteen Jan Breydelstraat 35.

Communication

Telephone

If you want to call to North America, find the "Club Plus" card. Do not be talked into any other card. They are usually found at the nightshops (Nacht Winkels). You can get more than 200 minutes to North America for 5 Euros from a payphone. This is great since payphones cost quite a lot if you just insert money.

Internet

In recent years, the number of Internet Cafes has grown very rapidly; it is always very easy to find one within walking distance. The going price ranges from 1.5 euro to 3 euro per hour.

Get out

• There is a cargo line to Gothenburg, Sweden.
• World War I Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial[3]: 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Ghent in Waregem, along the Lille-Gent AutoRoute E-17. Open daily except for December 25 and January 1; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The final resting place for 368 American military dead lost during the liberation of Belgium. The chapel is inscribed with the names of 43 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. Free.