One day in Ghent

Do you have only one day to spend in Ghent, Belgium? Then you'll have to choose what to visit and what not. I've written out this one day itinerary that lets you make the most out of your day trip in Ghent!

Is going to Ghent for one day worth it?

You can easily spend a few days in Ghent. This is a city packed with history, activities and impressive sights. Boat tours, bicycle routes, and museums will keep you entertained for multiple days.

But maybe you're staying in Brussels or Bruges, and you only have one spare day to visit Ghent? Then you should not hesitate!

9:00 - Arriving in Ghent

Wether you're coming from Bruges, Antwerp or Brussels, the train is always the way to go! Fast, convenient and affordable. The only difficulty is the transfer to the historical center.

WALK: The main train station (Gent-Sint-Pieters) is a 30 minute walk from the station.
BIKE: Alternative, you can look into a bike. There are several bike sharing systems active: Blue Bike, Dott or Bolt. By bike, it's only 10min (and quite a lovely ride!)
TRAM: You used to be able to take a direct tram, but they will be working on the tram line for the next four years. So if time is a scarcity for you, then you might consider a taxi.
TAXI: The taxi stand is under the station (just follow the arrows), or you can call an Uber. They can drop you off right in the middle of the city, so this is by far the fastest way to transfer to the city center.

10:00 - A morning in Ghent

Personally I'm convinced that before you visit sights, you should have a better understanding of the city itself. Why is the city here, why does it have all these old buildings? There's several options for you:

Take a boat tour on the canals.

There are four companies active on the canals and rivers of Ghent. All of them offer similar tours through the medieval part of the city. The boat guides will give you an overview of the main highlights and give you a brief introduction to the city's history in about 40 - 50min. These boat tours are cool, but the quality is highly dependant on your specific boat guide. But in either way, I do recommend these boat tours because it's just so much fun to float through the scenery.

You can simply walk up to any of the ticket booths to book a boat. Most companies have their first boat at around 10:30. It's usually not necessary to buy a ticket online.

Take a group walking tour

If you really want a better understanding of the city's history, a walking tour is the way to go. The guides have more time to dive deeper into the history. There are several tour companies active, also a couple of tip-based walking tours. Also here the quality greatly depends on the individual guides.

Book a private guide

A private guide often offers a higher quality tour of Ghent. You can browse the internet for a guide with good reviews, and you can also communicate your expectations beforehand. Maybe you're interested in history, art or architecture? Maybe you're really interested in beer & local cuisine? Or you'd like to know everything about the war history of Ghent? A private guide should be able to adapt the tour to your wishes. If you're interested in a private tour guide, don't hesitate to contact me via email or via the booking form.

12:00 - Lunch in Ghent

So you've walked around for a bit, or you did the boat tour. You're getting hungry. Time to get some local food in your belly! If time is of the essence, here are some places that offer fast but authentic food:

Get fries at a "frituur". A frituur is true Belgian heritage. A snack bar specialized in fries. In the city center you have a couple of good ones: Frituur Hooiaard or Frituur Filip are my recommendations. If you want more vegetarian options, go to Frituur Tartaar.
Eat a sandwich. But make it a local one. A true Ghent speciality is called the Martino. It's a white baguette with spiced minced meat, musterd, tabasco, ansjovy, and capers. In the city center, you can get it at Bakkerij Aernoudt.
Sit down in a restaurant. If you're tired and want to sit down, I have some restaurants on my recommendations page.

13:00 - Visit the Gravensteen

Time to visit some stuff! In my opinion there's two monuments that you can't miss. The first one is the Gravensteen.

The Castle of the Counts (or Gravensteen) is a medieval fortress right in the heart of Ghent. An impressive sight, and beautifully renovated in the beginning of the 20th century. You can visit the castle on your own with the audio guide. The audio guide is included in the ticket price, and you SHOULD take it! The audio guide is written and narrated by a Belgian comedian, who mixes history with fun stories about the castle and its inhabitants. He will guide you through the castle, all the way to the tower top from where you have an amazing view on the skyline. A visit to the castle should take about 1,5h.

The amount of daily visitors to the castle is limited. So I do encourage you to book a timeslot in advance. Especially during busy weekends it is often sold out.

15:00 - Visit the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

For the second MUST SEE, you should head down to the Cathedral, a 10 minute walk from the castle. The cathedral by itself is worth a visit, but the true treasure is a famous painting called the Ghent Altarpiece (a.k.a. the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) by the Van Eyck brothers. This painting is a true masterpiece by Van Eyck, one of the most influential artists of the late middle ages. It's a huge painting: more than 5m wide, 4m high, and 12 different panels make up the altarpierce. But there's more!

If you visit the painting, there's also the option to take an Augmented Reality tour through the 12th century crypts of the Cathedral. With AR animations you learn more about the cathedral, the painting and how it was made.

In the cathedral you enter the golden door on the left side, to enter the visitor center. You should buy tickets in advance via the website.

16:30 - Climb the Belfry, or stroll around the city

So the must see's have been crossed of your list. Now you have to decide how much energy you have left.

If you'd like to visit another monument, I recommend the Belfry. This UNESCO world heritage site is my favourite building in Ghent. You can take an elevator that brings you halfway to the top, you get to see how the carillon works, and your climb is rewarded with a great view on the city's skyline.

Alternatively, you could go shopping in the area around the Veldstraat or Lange Munt, the two main shopping streets. Or you can go taste some chocolate at one of our renowned chocolatiers. You can find my favorites on the recommendations page.

18:00 - Finish with a drink

So your time in Ghent is coming to an end. So maybe it's time to sit down by the water, and have a little aperitif. There's some beautiful terraces along the river.

Have one of the 170 beers on the menu at the Waterhouse at the Beerside
Sit by the water at Barazza and enjoy a cocktail or specialty beer

Order some cheese and olives to combine with your Belgian beer, to finish your day here in Ghent.

About Arn

Hey! My name is Arn and I'm a professional tour guide in Ghent, Belgium. Are you visiting Ghent and would you like to really understand the city? Together, we can discover the story of Ghent.

Get in touch with me if you'd like me to show you around!

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