Ghent - What to do - What to see - How to get there

The best things to do in Ghent

Visit Ghent online (English) and/or Gent Bezoeken/Toerisme (in Dutch)

Ghent, the capital of East Flanders is one of Belgium's oldest cities. Dotted wit canals, gabled houses and cobblestones, the bustling university town with around 230,000 inhabitants is also one of Belgium's prettiest cities. Review the Top-10 best things to do in Ghent such as:

• Discover the town by foot, in a horse-drawn carriage, by boat or bicycle starting from downtown Graslei
• Visit Ghent’s three medieval skyscraper skyline and buildings – the Belfry, Saint Nicholas’ Church and Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, and the 12th-century Gravensteen (‘Castle of the Counts’)
• Enjoy the vibrant nightlife, typical of this student-filled town; Belgian beers and other food specialties
• Visit the leading museums such as SMAK, the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art, and the fascinating world of psychiatry at the Dr Guislain Museum

Travel to Ghent - Het Pand

Arriving at Brussels airport:

The airport trains leave from within the airport building (floor -2) and takes you to one of the main stations in Brussels (subsequently Noord/Nord, Centraal/Central and Zuid/Midi), where you can switch to one of the many intercity trains (IC) to "Gent-Sint-Pieters", Ghent's main railway station (trains direction Brugge, Knokke, Blankenberge, or Oostende all stop in Ghent). Some trains run directly from the airport to "Gent-Sint-Pieters" (total travel time 60 to 70 min).

From Charleroi airport (Brussels South):

Every hour a shuttle coach leaves the airport to take you to the main Brussels railway station (Brussels South) where you connect to the direct trains to Ghent (see above).

From Lille-Lesquin airport:

Take he shuttle bus to Lille Flandres railway station where you will find train connections to Ghent via Kortrijk

By Train from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, London, Amsterdam, or Köln:

Eurostar and Thalys trains connect in Brussels to direct trains to Ghent (trains direction Brugge, Knokke, Blankenberge, or Oostende all stop in Ghent)

From Ghent-St. Pieters railway station:

Take tram 1 from the tunnel under the railway station (every 6 minutes), get off at the "'Korenmarkt" and cross the river "Leie" via the bridge "Sint-Michielshelling". Turn around the Sint Michaels church. "Het Pand" is situated next to the church (see map).

By car:

Entering Ghent from the E40 or the E17 highway, follow the parking-route to P7, "Sint Michiels Parking". This parking has an entry located in front of "Het Pand" (see map).