Ghent is an unassuming, un-touristy city filled with university students, linger-as-long-as-you-like cafes, well priced restaurants and vibrant energy. Ghent combines stellar medieval and other historic sights with touches of gritty urban reality and the bustling character of a genuine, living city. You'll get to view some of the best of all these worlds on a stroll through the Old Center.
Under the watchful eye of Gravensteen Castle or Castle of the Counts, the city boasts an Opera House, 18 museums, 100 churches and over 400 historical buildings. The most visited site in Ghent is the famous St-Bavo Cathedral & its beautiful altarpiece, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painted by the brothers Jan and Hubert van Eyck in 1432.
During our guided walk we discover all the most famous sites and monuments of the city, including the Belfry and Cloth Hall, a superb gothic monument with a soaring bell tower that dates from 1425, and the Town Hall, a complex mix of architectural style.
Inclusions & Exclusions
✔ Private transportation
✔ Tasting local sweet "Gentse Neuzen"
✔ Personal licensed tour guide
✖ Lunch
✖ Souvenirs and personal expenses
✖ Entrance fees
Departure & Return
Return: End right where it started.
Itinerary
1
Graslei and Korenlei
The Graslei and Korenlei are the most beautiful spots in town offering a stunning skyline of preserved medieval port houses and buildings.
Duration: 10 minutes
2
Het Belfort van Gent
this bell tower offer stunning views on the two neighbouring churches as well as the rest of the medieval city. One can climb (or take the elevator) to the top, stopping to look at the various bells and chimes, but the sloping, spiral stone stairs are an adventure in their own right.
Duration: 10 minutes
3
Gravensteen
An impressive medieval fortress in the middle of the city center
Duration: 10 minutes
4
Patershol
With narrow winding roads and cobblestone paths that follow the original street paths from the Middle Ages, you can enjoy the crowded, cosy and thoroughly Flemish appeal of these historical backstreets
Duration: 10 minutes
5
Saint Nicholas Church
Gothic-style church with its blue gray stone, completed in 1200
Duration: 10 minutes
6
Ghent Town Hall (Stadhuis)
This is the very much ornate city hall in Gothic style
Duration: 5 minutes
7
Ghent Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece, or ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by the Van Eyck brothers, completed in 1432, is recognised worldwide as a great work of art, and one of the most influential paintings ever made. It is an absolute must-see!
Duration: 20 minutes
Additional info
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Not suitable for travellers with major mobility issues
