Must-see attractions in Ghent

  • Officials unveil the restored exterior panels of "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb", an altar piece painted by the Van Eyck brothers in 1432, at Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent on October 12, 2016. .The restoration of the exterior panels and frames started in 2012, and constitutes the first phase of restauration which will be followed by two other phases for the interior panels and is set to last until 2020. / AFP / EMMANUEL DUNAND        (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

    The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

    Ghent

    Art enthusiasts swarm the Sint-Baafskathedraal to glimpse The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (De Aanbidding van het Lams God), a lavish representation of…

  • Belgium, Ghent

    Gravensteen

    Ghent

    Flanders’ quintessential 12th-century stone castle comes complete with moat, turrets and arrow slits. It’s all the more remarkable considering that during…

  • Belfort

    Ghent

    Ghent’s Unesco-listed 14th-century belfry (91m) is topped by a large dragon weathervane: he's become something of a city mascot. You’ll meet two previous…

  • MSK

    Ghent

    Styled like a Greek temple, this superb 1903 fine-art gallery introduces a veritable A–Z of great Belgian and other Low Countries' painters from the 14th…

  • Sint-Baafskathedraal

    Ghent

    This cathedral's towering interior has some fine stained glass and an unusual combination of brick vaulting with stone tracery. A €0.20 leaflet guides you…

  • St-Pietersabdij

    Ghent

    Once the country’s biggest abbey, St-Pieters was the original centre around which Ghent grew. Its fabulous wealth evaporated after French revolutionary…

  • Kasteel Ooidonk

    Ghent

    Thought to have been originally constructed around the 13th and 14th centuries, and reconstructed in 1595 after much savagery and repeated pillaging,…

  • STAM

    Ghent

    Shoehorned into a 17th-century former nunnery-hospital complex, this fabulous, architecturally striking, ultra-modern museum does a very thorough job of…

  • St-Jacobskerk

    Ghent

    The Romanesque twin towers of this iconic church date from the 12th century but the church itself has undergone numerous expansions, renovations and…

  • Vrijdagmarkt

    Ghent

    Once the city’s forum for public meetings and executions, this large square is named for its Friday market (still held). Tempting cafés sit beneath step…

  • Grasbrug

    Ghent

    To admire Ghent’s towers and gables at their most photogenic, stand just west of the little Grasbrug bridge over the Leie at dusk. It’s a truly gorgeous…

  • Huis van Alijn

    Ghent

    Set in a restored 1363 children’s hospice complex, this delightful museum examines everyday life from the 1890s to the present, with a fabulous emphasis…

  • Design Museum

    Ghent

    A vast toilet-roll sculpture humorously marks the back side of this museum, which has a collection specialising in furnishings including baroque, art…

  • Stadhuis

    Ghent

    Ghent’s magnificent and flamboyant city hall was started in 1519 but not finished until 1600, by which time it had transformed into a Renaissance-style…

  • De Wereld van Kina: het Huis

    Ghent

    This mishmash of a natural history museum is aimed primarily at school kids. Meet Pterygotus (a man-sized prehistoric lobster), walk through a human body…

  • Prinsenhof

    Ghent

    Originally the residence of the Count of Flanders and the birthplace of Charles V in 1500, the Prinsenhof was a walled castle with 300 rooms, a zoo and a…

  • MIAT

    Ghent

    In a five-floor 19th-century mill-factory building, this thought-provoking museum celebrates Ghent’s history of textile production and examines the social…

  • Museum Dr Guislain

    Ghent

    Hidden away in an 1857 neo-Gothic psychiatric hospital, this enthralling mental-health museum takes visitors on a trilingual, multicultural journey…

  • De Wereld van Kina: de Tuin

    Ghent

    This 7700-sq-metre garden and hot-garden with more than 1500 plants (plus live bird spiders) has a broader age appeal than its sister museum, the House…

  • St-Annakerk

    Ghent

    The imposing and beautiful St Anne's church was designed by architect Louis Roelandt in 1851 but never completed in the true Byzantine-style he envisioned…

  • Patershol

    Ghent

    Dotted with half-hidden restaurants, enchanting Patershol is a web of twisting cobbled lanes. Its old-world houses were once home to leather tradesmen and…

  • Korenmarkt

    Ghent

    Ghent's best-loved waterfront square, the 'Wheat Market' is where you'll find some of the city's best architecture, including the former post office (now…

  • Graslei

    Ghent

    Ships have been docking on either side of the River Leie since the 11th century. The area on the east bank is known as Graslei; Korenlei is on the west…

  • S.M.A.K.

    Ghent

    Ghent’s highly regarded Museum of Contemporary Art is one of Belgium's largest. Works from its 3000-strong permanent collection (dating from 1939 to the…

  • Slot van Laarne

    Ghent

    Located in the village of Laarne, 10km to the east of Ghent, you'll find this impressive moated castle dating to the 12th century. Visits are by guided…

  • Universiteit Gent Botanical Garden

    Ghent

    Home to more than 10,000 species, the pièce de résistance of Ghent's 2.75-hectare botanic gardens is its glasshouses, which contain an impressive…

  • Oude Begijnhof

    Ghent

    Ghent has three widely separated begijnhoven; Oude Begijnhof is Ghent's most central. Unlike other surviving areas, there's no remnant enclosing wall so…

  • Geeraard de Duivelsteen

    Ghent

    This 13th-century Gothic castle has had many incarnations; it's been used as a monastery, a school, a seminary, a prison and an asylum. It also housed a…

  • Werregarenstraat

    Ghent

    Ghent's attachment to graffiti as an art form began in this central alley, known locally as Graffitistraatje. The website has a live map showing the…

  • Statue of Van Eyck Brothers

    Ghent

    This statue of the creators of Ghent's world-renowned Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was unveiled here for the 1913 World Expo.

  • Korenlei

    Ghent

    The Korenlei area is on the west bank of the River Leie; Graslei is on the east bank.

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