Dish-Dash-Dosh

Ghent Guide

Beer, belfries & waterzooi

Ghent

Ghent Research — Things to Do

Researched: 8 February 2026

Your Dates

  • Day 9 – Sun 31 May: Arrive evening from Oostend
  • Day 10 – Mon 1 June: Full day in Ghent
  • Day 11 – Tue 2 June: Full day in Ghent
  • Day 12 – Wed 3 June: Morning in Ghent, then depart for Eurotunnel

Accommodation: Urban Gardens Blaarmeersen (3 nights) — confirmed & paid

⚠️ Book Ahead

These need advance booking:

What Why How
Ghent Altarpiece MANDATORY online booking — cannot buy at cathedral sintbaafskathedraal.be
Canal Boat Tour Popular, can sell out (especially mornings) GetYourGuide or turn up early
Dinner reservations Top spots book up TheFork app or restaurant websites

No booking needed: Gravensteen Castle, Belfry, museums, street art, walking

☘ Tip

Unlike Bruges, most Ghent attractions don’t require advance booking. The Altarpiece is the exception — you must book online.

Ghent CityCard — Worth It? YES

48-hour card: €42 | 72-hour card: €48

You’re there 2+ full days, so the 48-hour card makes sense.

Includes free entry to:

  • Gravensteen Castle (€13 standalone)
  • Ghent Belfry (€11)
  • STAM City Museum
  • Museum of Fine Arts (MSK)
  • House of Alijn
  • S.M.A.K. contemporary art
  • Canal boat tour (€10)
  • All trams/buses
  • One day bike rental

Plus: €10 off Ghent Altarpiece (pay €2.50 instead of €12.50)

Verdict: Even for 1 day it pays off. For 2 days it’s a no-brainer.

Buy at: Tourist office at Sint-Veerleplein 5 or any participating museum

Must-Do (Matching Your Interests)

🖼️ Ghent Altarpiece ✓ Cultural highlight

The most stolen artwork in history — Van Eyck’s 15th-century masterpiece, freshly restored with vibrant colours.

  • Location: St. Bavo’s Cathedral
  • Cost: €12.50 (€2.50 with CityCard)
  • Duration: 45 mins – 1 hour
  • BOOKING: Mandatory online — sintbaafskathedraal.be
  • Audio guide included with ticket

Even if you’re not an art enthusiast, this is culturally unmissable.

🚣 Canal Boat Tour ✓ Scenic views

  • Duration: 40-50 minutes
  • Cost: ~€10 (free with CityCard)
  • Departure: Graslei quayside
  • Booking: Not required but recommended for morning slots
  • Tip: First departure of the day has best light and fewer crowds

The tour reveals medieval facades and hidden corners from water level — excellent orientation to the city.

🍺 Belgian Beer Tasting ✓ On your list

Dulle Griet — THE beer destination

  • 500+ beers, one of Belgium’s largest menus
  • From funky lambics to Trappist classics
  • Traditional pub atmosphere
  • No booking needed
  • Quirk: Order the house beer (Kwak) and leave your shoe as a deposit for the distinctive glass!

Alternative: Gruut Brewery — Ghent’s only city-centre brewery, uses herbs instead of hops

🏰 Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) ✓ Historic

12th-century fortress with towers, battlements, and panoramic views.

  • Cost: €13 (free with CityCard)
  • Duration: 1.5–2 hours
  • Audio guide: Excellent (narrated by local comedian Wouter Deprez — genuinely funny)
  • Highlights: Torture chambers, royal quarters, rooftop views
  • Booking: Not required

One of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe.

⛪ St. Bavo’s Cathedral & Three Towers ✓ Spiritual/Cultural

The “Three Towers” define Ghent’s skyline:

  1. St. Bavo’s Cathedral — Gothic masterpiece, home of the Altarpiece
  2. Ghent Belfry — UNESCO World Heritage, dragon on top (city symbol)
  3. St. Nicholas Church — oldest tower, Tournai blue-stone

Belfry: €11 (free with CityCard), climb for city views

Key Sights

Graslei & Korenlei

Two picturesque quays facing each other across the River Lys — the postcard image of Ghent.

  • Best at sunset for golden light on guild houses
  • Perfect for aperitifs by the water
  • Starting point for canal boats
  • Free to wander

Street Art Alley (Werregarenstraat)

Legal graffiti since 1995 — ever-changing outdoor gallery.

  • Location: Off Hoogpoort, between city centre and Patershol
  • Cost: Free
  • Duration: 15-30 mins
  • Takes you naturally toward the Patershol neighbourhood

Patershol

Medieval neighbourhood of narrow cobbled streets — most atmospheric area for wandering and eating.

  • Many excellent restaurants tucked into old buildings
  • Much quieter than main tourist areas
  • Near Gravensteen

Het Groot Vleeshuis (Great Meat Hall)

15th-century wood-beamed butcher’s hall, now a shop and restaurant for East Flemish specialities.

  • Try: Ganda ham, local mustard, jenever (local gin)
  • Good for foodie souvenirs
  • Free to enter (purchases extra)

STAM City Museum

Tells Ghent’s history through multimedia — unique feature is a gigantic aerial photograph covering the floor.

  • Cost: Free with CityCard
  • Duration: 1–1.5 hours
  • Good for a rainy morning

Nature & Walks

You’ve got time for a slower pace — consider a nature break:

Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen

  • 10 mins by bike from campsite
  • Marshland with bird-watching huts
  • Meadow birds, ducks, raptors
  • Peaceful walking trails

Blaarmeersen (at your campsite!)

  • Lake, beaches, pastures
  • Walking/cycling paths
  • Bar Du Soleil with terrace
  • Perfect for evening wind-down

Food & Drink

Traditional Dishes to Try

  • Gentse Waterzooi — THE Ghent dish: creamy stew of chicken or fish with leek, carrot, onion. Must try!
  • Stoofvlees/Stoverij — Flemish beef stew braised in beer
  • Shrimp croquettes — crispy North Sea shrimp
  • Frites — double-fried, served with mayo
  • Waffles — try at Max café (where Belgian waffle was invented)
  • Cuberdons — Ghent’s unique purple nose-shaped candies

Restaurant Recommendations

Best for Waterzooi:

  • Café René — Best stew in the city, excellent vol-au-vent and shrimp croquettes
  • Pakhuis — Renovated warehouse with glass ceiling, refined Belgian classics

Traditional Flemish:

  • Mémé Gusta — Flemish comfort food, generous portions, linked to star chef Kobe Desramaults
  • OOOST — Good traditional food at reasonable prices (Goudenleeuwplein)
  • Keizershof — Near Dulle Griet, excellent croquettes and steak
  • 't Vosken — Classic Belgian (Sint-Baafsplein)

Mussels:

  • Brasserie Bridge — Sint-Baafsplein, recommended for moules-frites

Fine Dining (splurge options):

  • Roots — Best affordable fine dining, seasonal farm-to-table, strong on seafood and vegetarian
  • OAK Restaurant — Michelin star, dinner from €99, lunch €42 for 3 courses (good value)

Classic Ghent Experiences:

  • Max — Where the Belgian waffle was invented. Art déco interior, hundred-year-old waffle irons, traditionally served with powdered sugar
  • Het Groot Vleeshuis — East Flemish specialities, Ganda ham, local mustard

Beer Spots

  • Dulle Griet — 500+ beers, must-visit
  • Gruut Brewery — Only city-centre brewery, unique herb-based beers
  • Café Vlissinghe — No, wait, that’s Bruges! In Ghent try 't Dreupelkot for jenever (local gin)

Suggested Itinerary

Day 9 — Sunday 31 May (Evening Arrival)

  • Arrive from Oostend, check into Urban Gardens campsite (from 13:00)
  • Evening stroll to Graslei & Korenlei — stunning at dusk
  • Dinner in Patershol or at Pakhuis
  • Early night after festival weekend

Day 10 — Monday 1 June (Full Day)

Morning:

  • Breakfast at campsite or cycle into town
  • Canal boat tour (~10:00, book ahead or go early)
  • Gravensteen Castle (1.5–2 hrs, don’t skip the audio guide!)

Lunch:

  • Mémé Gusta or OOOST for proper Flemish lunch

Afternoon:

  • St. Bavo’s Cathedral + Ghent Altarpiece (pre-booked slot)
  • Ghent Belfry climb (views over three towers)
  • St. Nicholas Church (quick visit)
  • Wander Graslei/Korenlei in afternoon light

Late Afternoon:

  • Beer tasting at Dulle Griet (don’t forget to leave your shoe for the Kwak!)

Evening:

  • Dinner at Café René (waterzooi!) or Keizershof
  • Evening walk through lit-up historic centre

Day 11 — Tuesday 2 June (Full Day)

Morning:

  • Leisurely start — coffee and waffle at Max (try the original!)
  • Street Art Alley (Werregarenstraat)
  • Wander Patershol neighbourhood

Late Morning Option A — Culture:

  • STAM City Museum (1–1.5 hrs)
  • Museum of Fine Arts if interested (MSK)

Late Morning Option B — Nature:

  • Cycle to Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen nature reserve
  • Bird-watching, peaceful walk

Lunch:

  • Het Groot Vleeshuis for local specialities, or
  • Light lunch at campsite’s Bar Du Soleil

Afternoon:

  • Any missed sights
  • Chocolate shopping
  • House of Alijn (quirky everyday life museum)
  • Relax at Blaarmeersen lake

Evening:

  • Farewell dinner — splurge at Roots or Pakhuis
  • Final stroll, maybe a nightcap at Dulle Griet

Day 12 — Wednesday 3 June (Morning Only)

Morning before checkout (11:00):

  • Last canal-side coffee
  • Pick up any final souvenirs (cuberdons, chocolate, jenever)
  • Depart for Eurotunnel (Calais 1h 45m)

Practical Info

Getting Around

  • Historic centre is very walkable (~2km radius)
  • Bike: Free day rental with CityCard — Ghent is flat and cycle-friendly
  • Tram: Line 1 from campsite to centre (free with CityCard)

Your Campsite

Urban Gardens Blaarmeersen

  • 48 dedicated motorhome spaces
  • 10 mins cycle / 20 min walk to centre
  • Bar Du Soleil with terrace
  • Bike rental available
  • Pizza food truck on site

Weather

East Flanders can shift quickly:

  • Pack compact rain jacket
  • Waterproof shoes for cobblestones
  • Layers for cooler evenings

Money

  • Cards accepted almost everywhere
  • Small cash handy for markets/street food

Booking Checklist

  • Ghent Altarpiece timed entry — Mon 1 June afternoon (MANDATORY)
  • CityCard — buy on arrival Sun evening or Mon morning
  • Canal boat tour — Mon morning (book or arrive early)
  • Dinner reservations (Café René, Roots, Pakhuis — your choice)

Sources

Last updated: 8 February 2026