Sightseeing

Ghent’s pedestrian-friendly city centre, with an area of 30 hectares, is the largest in Belgium.

The historical city centre is a perfect place to walk or just saunter. There are treats for all the senses: your view is not obstructed by traffic, you can hear the excited chatter of the people around you and smell the delicious aromas coming from the shops and restaurants.

The plentiful pedestrian signposts ensure that you always know perfectly well where you are and in which direction you need go to.
Even more so when you have the tourist map, which you can download here or is available free at the information desk in the Tourist Center

Tourist Office - Inquiry Desk Raadskelder
Botermarkt 17A
9000 Gent
Tel: 00 32 9 266 56 60
Fax: 00 32 9 266 56 73
Email: visit@gent.be

01/04 - 31/10: 9:30 > 18:30
01/11 - 31/03: 9:30 > 16:30
Closed on 1 January and 25 December

Some must-seen top sights:

As soon as night falls, the lights go back on. Across the entire city thousands of lamps and spotlights switch on forming the Ghent Lighting Plan. Not a mishmash of styles, but a carefully developed network of atmospheres and accents.

The concept was developed by lighting designer Roland Jéol and implemented in close consultation with experts and inhabitants. In 2004, the City of Ghent won the International city.people.light award with this lighting plan. The Michelin guide awarded it three stars.

So if you leave Ghent before sunset, you haven’t truly experienced it.
 

A trove of art treasures: 22 altars (!), a Rococo pulpit in marble and oak and of course the exquisite highlight: ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by the Van Eyck brothers.
 

Nowhere else can you see so many marvellous buildings in one glance as from St Michael’s Bridge. The monumental bridge can itself be better admired from the Graslei.
 

An imposing stronghold in the heart of the city. Follow the digital tour or simply close your eyes and imagine yourself as a knight or noblewoman.

‘I’ll show them who’s boss’: that’s what Philip of Alsace had in mind. So he had the imposing castle rebuilt (1180). Overlooking the city from its battlements high up on the keep, one can sense the feeling of wealth and power that the lord of the castle must have had. Thanks to the movie guide, a unique, interactive computer-controlled guide, this remote history really comes to life. On certain weekends, you may even meet some real knights.

Opening hours
From 1st April until 30th September
Every day from 9h until18h. Tickets until 17h

Castle of Counts
Sint-Veerleplein
Tel: 0032 9 225 93 06

The house of the Grain Weighers, the Guildhall of the Free Boatmen, the Spijker...every house on the Graslei has its own history. Together they form the story of the incredible blossoming of Ghent’s economy during the Middle Ages. On the other side of the water is the Korenlei. All that remains of some of the original buildings is the outer walls! Behind them is a brand new hotel.

.Source: www.gent.be