Ghent, Belgium is one of the most visited tourist cities in Belgium and for a good reason. It’s easily connected by train to several other popular tourist cities in Belgium. From Ghent, it takes you 25 minutes to reach Bruges (my favorite city in Belgium), 40 minutes to Brussels (the Belgian city with the most connections), and 60 minutes from Antwerp (another fabulous city in Belgium). While you could make a base here in Ghent, I made a base in Brussels and visited for one day Ghent on a day trip.
One Day in Ghent
Here’s eight things you should see and do on your visit to Ghent.
Sint-Michielsbrug (St. Michael’s Bridge)
If you only visit one spot in Ghent, make it here. St. Michael’s Bridge is the most photogenic area of the city and if you want some shots with classic architecture, this is where you’ll fine it. From the bridge, you can’t pick a bad direction. There’s 360 degrees of amazing views and great photo opportunities. Or put down your camera and just enjoy the beauty around you. With only one day in Ghent, make sure you stop for this amazing view.
Korenmarkt Square
This is historic Ghent and is one of the main squares. In many other Belgium cities, you’ll see find a “Grote Markt”, or “Great Market”, meaning it was the big market square. When Ghent was in its heyday, it was too big and instead of having one “Great Market”, it had several smaller squares. Korenmarkt Square, which translates to “Grain Market” or “Corn Market”, was one of them.
On this square, and other squares like it, you’ll find beautiful buildings and architecture and you’ll just want to spin around in all directions to take it all in.
St. Nicholas’ Church
Just off Korenmarkt, you’ll find St. Nicholas’ Church was built in the 1300s and has a moderately interesting interior. It’s worth popping in for a quick visit. Although I will say there’s another church on this list that I found much more interesting.
Stadshal (City Market Hall)
This is worth just visiting because of how different it looks from the rest of the Ghent architecture. But it’s more than just a building to look at. It’s a market hall and if there’s a market on, stop by (unfortunately there wasn’t one when I was here). Or if you’re hungry, there’s a cafe on the lower level.
Graffitistraat
This was something I almost missed on my short, one day visit to Ghent, but since I was following a self-guided walking tour, I ended up here. Graffitistraat literally translates to Graffiti Street and it’s a small alley that is absolutely covered by graffiti and street art. It can be worth a quick detour to get here.
Sint-Baafsplein (St. Bavo’s Square)
Outside of St. Bavo’s Cathedral, you’ll find St. Bavo’s Square. Yes, you could just look at St. Bavo’s Cathedral, but there’s more than just that on this square. Take in the views of St. Bavo’s Cathedral, but also look out for the Dutch Theater, which is another ornately decorated building. If you have a chocolate craving, check out Chocolate Van Hoorebeke, which sits just between the cathedral and the theater.
Sint-Baafskathedraal (St. Bavo’s Cathedral)
This Cathedral may be more impressive than St. Nicholas’ Church, if only for it’s stunning alter piece. To get up close to the altarpiece, you’ll have to pay extra, but otherwise the church is free to explore.
Vrijdagmarkt Square
This is one other square that you can check out in Ghent. The name “Vrijdagmarkt” translates to “Friday Market” and while you may find a market here on Fridays, you’re more likely to find one on Sundays as that’s the biggest market day in Ghent.
Even if there’s not a market, Vrijdagmarkt Square is still worth a visit for being a lovely square that shows off some beautiful architecture in this city.
Bonus
I have two bonus items for you. They are valid totally valid options that you can consider for your one day in Ghent, but for one reason or another, I didn’t make it to these.
The Belfry
For the cost of 15 euro, you can climb to the top of the Belfry. The Belfry was created for the 1913 World’s Fair and offers visitors great views over the city of Ghent from its tower.
Canal Boat Tour
To see Ghent from a different perspective, jump on a canal boat for a guided tour of the city. I skipped this as I had just done a canal boat tour in Bruges earlier that morning. However, once I arrived in Ghent, I learned that the canal boats here are slightly cheaper and offer a longer tour than the canal boats in Bruges. So that’s definitely something to consider.
Getting to Ghent
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, Ghent is well connected with other major tourist cities in Belgium, making it ideal to visit on a day trip.
Antwerp – 1 hour by train
Brussels – 40 minutes by train
Bruges – 25 minutes by train
When booking your train tickets, you’ll want to book the tickets for “Gent-Sint-Pieters”.
How Long Do You Need in Ghent
You can see everything on this list in just a few hours, making it ideal for those who only have one day to dedicate to Ghent. If you’re here on a Sunday though, you may want to budget a little more time to explore some of the markets.
I combined my trip to Ghent with a trip to Bruges and spent one day in both cities.
This is roughly what my day looked liked:
7:30 – Depart Brussels
8:30 – Arrive Bruges
1:30 – Depart Bruges
2:00 – Arrive Ghent
5:00 – Depart Ghent
5:30 – Arrive Brussels
Getting Around Ghent
While it is possible to do everything on foot, I recommend utilizing the tram to get to and from the train station. From Ghent’s train station, it’s a 30 minute walk to get to Korenmarkt (the closest sight on this list to the train station). Tram tickets cost 2.5 euro per ride, or 7.5 euro for the whole day.
Honestly, the walk from the train station to Korenmarkt isn’t very interesting, so I recommend spending the extra bit of money to take the tram. I especially recommend taking the tram if you’re also visiting Bruges in the same day like I was. Give your feet a little rest. All three tram lines have a stop at the Ghent train station, so no matter where you are, you should be able to make it back to the train station with no problems.
Once you are in the historic center, it’s best explored on foot. However, you could rent a bike. The city is full of bikers so you’d fit right in.
Final Thoughts
Ghent was nice, but I think one day is sufficient. While it’s true that I enjoyed Ghent more than Brussels, if I had to choose, I’d recommend giving yourself more time in either Bruges or Antwerp. Am I glad I visited Ghent? Absolutely, but if I return to Belgium, I will likely be choosing to revisit Bruges or Antwerp first.
Continue Your Adventure
Belgium: Beyond Ghent, there’s several other cities that you can look to include in your itinerary. Consider adding Bruges, Antwerp, or Brussels to your itinerary. Combine all of these cities into one epic long weekend in Belgium.
Belgium Travel Guide: Start planning your trip to Belgium with my Belgium Travel Guide.
Paris: I visited Belgium after a trip through Paris, which is just a short train ride away from many Belgian destinations.
Amsterdam: After Belgium, I continued on to Netherlands, which included a stop in Amsterdam, a city with so much to do.
Europe in 10 Days: Starting in Paris, travel to Belgium before finishing in Amsterdam on this amazing 10 Days in Paris, Belgium, and Amsterdam Itinerary.