Ghent (Gent) Overview

Once the heart of Flanders’ booming textile industry, modern Ghent (pop. 233,000) still celebrates the memory of its medieval greatness and its more recent industrial past with awe-inspiring buildings in the city’s main square. Ghent has yet to catch on as a major tourist destination, so enjoy making new discoveries and blending in with locals on your trip.

Transportation And Practical Information.  Trains run from St-Pietersstation (accessible by tram #1) to Antwerp (50min., 3per hr., €8.20), Bruges (25min., 3 per hr., €8), and Brussels (35min., 5 per hr., €7.40). The tourist office, Botermarkt 17A, in the crypt of the belfry, books rooms for no fee and leads walking tours. (☎09 266 5232; www.visitgent.be. Open daily Apr.-Oct. 9:30am-6:30pm; Nov.-Mar. 9:30am-4:30pm. Tours Nov.-Apr. daily 2:30pm; buy tickets by 2pm. €7.) The tourist office and most museums sell a pass for 15 museums and monuments in Ghent (€12.50). A great resource for young, budget-conscious backpackers,   Use-It, St-Pietersnieuwstr. 21, has quirky maps for self-guided tours, free Internet, and free toilets. Search their website of rooms in town. (☎09 324 3906; www.use-it.be. Open M-F 1-6pm.) Postal Code: 9000.

Accommodations And Food. If you must spend the night on a budget in Ghent, try De Draecke (HI) , St-Widostr. 11. From the station, take tram #1 (€1.20, €1.50 on board) to Gravensteen (15min.) Facing the castle, head left over the canal, then right on Gewad and right on St-Widostr. (☎09 233 7050; www.vjh.be. Breakfast and linens included. Internet €2 per 30min. Reception 7:30am-11pm. Dorms €20; doubles €50. €3 HI discount. AmEx/MC/V.) To get to Camping Blaarmeersen , Zuiderlaan 12, take bus #9 from St-Pietersstation toward Mariakerke and to Europabrug (Watersportbaan); cross the street and hop on bus #38 or 39 to Blaarmeersen. Take the first street on the left to its end. (☎09 266 8160. Laundry and restaurant. Open Mar. to mid-Oct. €4.50 per person, €4.50 per tent; low season €3.50/3.50.)

St-Pietersnieuwstraat, by the university, has cheap kebab and pita joints that stay open until around midnight. Magazijn , Penitentenstr. 24, has filling fare (€8.50-16) and vegetarian options. (☎09 234 0708. Kitchen open Tu-F noon-2pm and 6-11pm, Sa 6-11pm. Bar open late. Cash only.) For groceries, stop by the Contact GB at Hoogpoort 42. (☎09 225 0592. Open M-Sa 8:30am-6pm. MC/V.)

Sights. The Leie canal runs through the city and wraps around the Gravensteen (Castle of Counts), St-Veerlepl. 11, a partially restored medieval fortress. (☎09 225 9306. Open daily Apr.-Sept. 9am-6pm; Oct.-Mar. 9am-5pm. €6, under 26 €1.20.) Nearby is the historic Partershol quarter, with well-preserved 16th- to 18th-century houses. From Gravensteen, head down Geldmunt, make a right on Lange Steenst., and then turn right into the Old Town. From the Partershol, follow the river toward Groenten Markt and Korenmarkt. Stroll along the Graslei, lined with handsome guild houses, on the way to St-Michielshelling. Walk across St-Michielshelling bridge for the best view of Ghent’s skyline. From here, walk north on either of the two bridges, where you can take a 40min. boat tour (Mar.-Nov. 4 per hr., €5.50, students and over 60 €5, children €3). St-Michielshelling connects two majestic cathedrals. Facing the bridge with Graslei behind you, St-Niklaaskerk is on your right. Built with bluish-gray limestone drawn from quarries in nearby Tournai, the cathedral’s unique interior is a true testament to the rich merchants who worshipped here from the 13th to the 15th centuries. (☎09 225 3700. Open M 2:30-5pm, Tu-Su 10am-5pm. Free.) On the left, on Limburgstr., the elaborately decorated   St-Baafskathedraal holds Flemish brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, more commonly referred to as The Ghent Altarpiece, and Rubens’s St. Bavo’s Entrance into the Monastery of Ghent. (www.sintbaafskathedraal-gent.be. Cathedral and crypt open daily Apr.-Oct. 8:30am-6pm; Nov.-Mar. 8:30am-5pm. The Ghent Altarpiece exhibit open Apr.-Oct. M-Sa 9:30am-5pm, Su 1-5pm; Nov.-Mar. M-Sa 10:30am-4pm, Su 1-4pm. Cathedral and crypt free. The Ghent Altarpiece exhibit €3.) Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (SMAK), in Citadel Park, a 30min. walk from the tourist office, or a shorter ride on the #1 tram from Korenmarkt (dir.: Flanders Expo; €1.20, €1.50 on tram), regularly rotates its collection of cutting-edge modern art. (☎09 221 1703; www.smak.be. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm. €5, students €3.80; free 1st F of each month 6-10pm.)

Nightlife And Festivals.  Korenmarkt and Vrijdagmarkt are filled with restaurants and pubs. Use-It’s guide to nightlife can direct you to live music options. One popular haunt is the dimly lit Charlatan, Vlasmarkt 6, which features a nightly DJ. (☎09 224 2457; www.charlatan.be. Live bands Th and Su. Open Tu-Su 7pm-late.) To sit down and have a drink, try K27, in the Vrijdag Markt at the corner of Baudelost. (☎0497 42 69 05; www.k27.be. Beer €2-3. Mixed drinks €5. Open M-F noon-late, Sa 2pm-late.) For GLBT nightlife, consult Use-It’s Ghent Gay Map or head to the Foyer Casa Rosa, Kammerstr. 22/Belfortstr. 39, an info center and bar. (☎09 269 2812; www.casarosa.be. Bar open M-F 3pm-1am, Sa-Su 3pm-2am; info center open M 6-9pm, W 3-9pm, Sa 3-6pm.) The Gentse Feesten brings performers, carnival rides, and flowing jenever (flavored gin) to the city center. (Mid-July. ☎09 269 4600; www.gentsefeesten.be.) While Ghent’s museums are usually only closed on Mondays, most of the city shuts down for two weeks after the festival.