During our recent jaunt to Ostende we decided to go off on the train for the day. In my previous review about the wonderful beer dark beer called Zatte Bie I mentioned that we drank it while in Ghent. This has prompted me to tell you all about our grand day out in this lovely city. We were only there for one day and did kind of just do a glorified bar crawl….but we did get the chance to explore in the process!
After getting over the shock of the train leaving on time we settled back for the 45 minute journey from Ostende ~ through some extremely pretty, but extremely FLAT scenery!
~~~USEFUL INFO.
Ghent is in an area of Belgium called East Flanders (Ostende is in the neighbouring region of West Flanders…Ned Flanders is a character in the Simpsons and shouldn’t be confused with any of these areas!). The main language of Ghent is Flemish, but you will hear French too and English is very widely spoken (occasionally you will hear German as well). The city is a great base for visiting the other Belgium tourist spots of Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp because none are more than an hour away by car ~ and the train network covers them all too!
Ghent used to be one of the largest cities in Europe and was famous for its cloth. It is still a popular place for visitors, but isn’t as busy as Bruges or Brussels, while still having all the features that make it an ideal place for a day trip. The city is located where the rivers Lys and Scheldt meet and is packed full of history.
~~~GETTING ABOUT.
Once you arrive at the train station you can either walk, take a taxi, get a bus, or take a tram into the centre. We got a tram from the tram stop just outside the station and got a 1 Euro ticket. Once endorsed on the machine inside the tram carriage this ticket is valid for one hours travel in the city centre (most trams also have tickets available from the driver and operate a little like a bus service). There was a tram from the station (and back again) roughly every fifteen minutes, so this seemed like the best way to save our legs.
We got off the tram at the flower market (which takes place on a Sunday) and had a lovely wander round looking at the brightly coloured stalls. The tram stops are clearly marked and there is a plan inside each carriage, rather like a tube map. Once we were in the centre on Ghent we used our feet and a good map to get around, but there are always other options, such as horse drawn carriages (which are worth finding just to see their “poo catchers”!) or a boat trip along the river.
~~~BARS.
I must be honest and say our main motivation for visiting Ghent was to check out the bars! We went with four friends ~ two of which had visited Ghent before and (roughly) knew their way around. There are lots of bars to choose from, but we went from recommendations and from consulting Tim Webb’s wonderful Good Beer Guide to Belgium & Holland (the Bible for Belgian Beer drinkers).
The bars we visited all had extensive beer menus and all had a bit of a history and a tale to tell. My favourite was the Galgenhuisje (the Little Gallows House) which is small, timber beamed and has beautiful old blue tiles on the walls. The Gallows House is also the place where the condemned were taken for a last drink before execution ~ you can’t beat it for atmosphere…if walls could talk it must have some stories to tell!
~~~FOOD.
We stopped at a bar called the Bridge for dinner and sat outside in the glorious sunshine. The menu ranged from sandwiches and snacks to main meals ~ I had roasted ham in a honey & mustard sauce and Alun had Flemish stew (to which one of our party complained that it didn’t have enough phlegm in it….groan!), both of which cost around 8 euros each. The portions were huge and even the snacks looked quite filling ~ judging by the stuffed mushrooms our friend had. Most of the bars did some sort of food menu; whether just some sandwiches, up to full meals. If you chose your bars wisely you get little snacks on the table with your drink too.
Apart from the bars there also were a good range of cafes, the odd fast food outlet and lots of chocolate to scoff. My best tip is either to eat at a bar (purely to sample some of the stunning beers on offer) or to get a snack from a Frites stand ~ the bratwursts and frites and mayo are a real speciality of the area and can make a lower budget option for lunch.
~~~BUILDINGS & SIGHTS.
Ghent is essentially a Medieval city and is packed full of lovely old buildings, including a magnificent castle and a lovely cathedral. The Castle, Gravensteen (the Castle of the Counts), is my favourite building and has turrets, a moat and the works! It is easy to find because it dominates the skyline and is very close to Ghent’s famous three towers ~ St. Bravo’s Cathedral (an impressive structure that combines Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architecture), Saint Nicholas’ Church (which I actually found to be prettier than the neighbouring Cathedral) and the Belfort (a bell tower that has wonderful views of the city via a glass lift). Buildings wise, you mustn’t miss the City Hall either.
Looking at the architecture and strolling along the river is the best free entertainment you can get! The streets are lovely, old and winding ~ a great place to explore and get lost (another reason why I suggest you get a good map). There is also a good spread of museums, but we had limited (drinking) time and limited ourselves to the free scenery! A quick scan of a few tourist websites can give you a guide to the best museums to visit ~ there is a Folk Museum, Fine Art Museum and Modern Art Museum, to name but a few.
~~~SHOPS.
The obligatory chocolate shops line the streets of most Belgian cities and Ghent is no exception. You can buy selection boxes in different sizes (generally a 4 Euro, 8 Euro, 11 Euro box and so on). These are ready boxed up so you can’t choose which chocolates you want. It is a bit cheaper to do it this way and you also get a nice surprise when you get home and open the box.
Ghent also has some very nice souvenir shops selling lace, etc. These range in price, but seem to stock similar gifts ~ top tip is to go to the shops off of the main tourist square, or visit the markets for the best value. As Ghent is a city you will also find some larger shops and supermarkets; especially when you get outside the old town.
~~~CONCLUSION.
Ghent is a fabulous city and I’m actually quite glad that it isn’t as popular as Bruges or Brussels. It is more pleasant to walk around than some of the busier, bustling cities and is a little cheaper as a result. Although not as pretty as Bruges (the canal network in Bruges is much more picturesque), Ghent combines historic architecture with a good range of facilities and a rather impressive array of quality bars!
I could see myself visiting Ghent again very soon ~ I would like to stay nearby and spend much more time exploring than the one day allowed. There was so much more to see that we didn’t get the chance to and we would like to get the opportunity to go INSIDE some of those magnificent buildings! I have read that hotels in central Ghent can be quite expensive, but the excellent transport system means that staying just outside and commuting in wouldn’t be an issue.
I thoroughly recommend a visit to this excellent city. It has atmosphere, good shopping, places to eat, good network of transport and is easily accessible by train from other Belgian cities. What more could you want for a day out?
