Question 1

Ghent on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Once you are in the center, Ghent is an easy city to explore without a tour, because its castle, cathedral and old quays are a few streets apart. If your ship moors outside the center, ask before you go ashore how best to get into town and back. The three towers: The Belfry, the tower of St Nicholas' Church and the tower of St Bavo's Cathedral rise over the old center. The Belfry, built between 1313 and 1380, is the tallest in Belgium at 91 meters, and a gilded dragon stands on its spire. The Mystic Lamb: St Bavo's Cathedral is free to enter, and the Ghent Altarpiece is seen with a separate ticket. Gravensteen: The Counts of Flanders lived in this moated castle, built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, until 1353. Climb to the top of its central keep for a view over the rooftops. Graslei and Korenlei: These two quays face each other across the Leie, at what was the city's medieval harbor, with guildhouses along the water. Canal boat tours of about 40 minutes leave from here. Groot Vleeshuis: The medieval butchers' hall on the Groentenmarkt has hams hanging under its timber roof. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.

Question 2

Getting Around Ghent

Accepted Answer

Ghent's trams and buses are run by De Lijn, and the same tickets work on both. Within the old center, most sights are close enough to walk between. In 2026 a single ticket cost €3 and a 24-hour day ticket €9 for anyone aged 12 or over, or €4.50 for ages 6 to 11; check before you go. Children under six ride free when they travel with a paying passenger aged at least 12. Buy or activate your ticket before you board, unless you pay with a contactless card on the vehicle itself. Many residents get around by bike. If you rent one, watch for cobbles and keep your wheels clear of the tram rails.

Question 3

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Ghent's own dish is waterzooi, a creamy stew first made with fish from the local rivers and now more often made with chicken. Stoverij, beef slowly stewed in dark beer and served with fries, is the other Flemish classic to look for. Waterzooi is built on a broth thickened with egg yolk and cream, with carrots, leeks, potatoes and herbs. Cuberdons, which locals call Gentse neuzen or noses, are purple cone-shaped sweets with a soft raspberry-flavored filling. Because the filling starts to crystallize after about three weeks, they are seldom exported, and street vendors sell them near the Groentenmarkt. Tierenteyn is Ghent's spicy local mustard, sold from its shop on the Groentenmarkt. Bakeries sell mastellen, ring-shaped buns also called Saint Hubert bread, which bakers traditionally bring to be blessed on the saint's day, 3 November. Many of the city's more upmarket restaurants are in the Patershol, the old quarter beside the castle, and the area around Sleepstraat is known for Turkish restaurants.

Question 4

Tipping in Belgium

Accepted Answer

Belgian restaurant bills always include service, so tipping is not usually done. Belgium uses the euro. To leave a small thank-you, pay a little over the total and tell the server to keep the change.

Question 5

Culture and Festivals

Accepted Answer

Ghent is a university city with a large student population, and its main festival, the Gentse Feesten, fills the old center for ten days every July. People from Ghent are still nicknamed Stroppendragers, noose bearers, after a humiliation imposed on the city by Charles V. The Gentse Feesten begins on the Friday before 21 July, with concerts and street theater on the squares, most of it free. After the revolt of 1539, Charles V made the city's leading citizens walk before him barefoot with nooses around their necks. Ghent University was founded in 1817 and in 1930 became the first university in Belgium to teach in Dutch. Its Book Tower, a library designed by Henry van de Velde, is a landmark of modern architecture. The Huis van Alijn, a museum on the Kraanlei, collects everyday life of the 20th century and is home to a traditional stick-puppet theater. The belfry with its cloth hall, and the city's béguinages, belong to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Film Fest Gent, each October, gives its World Soundtrack Awards to film composers.

Question 6

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

Ghent grew where the Leie flows into the Scheldt, and by the 13th century it was Europe's leading center for woolen cloth. Wars and revolts later cut its power, which left much of the medieval city standing. The name: Ganda probably comes from a Celtic word meaning confluence. Around 650: Saint Amand founded two abbeys here, St Peter's and St Bavo's. Vikings plundered the town in 851 and 879. 1180: Philip of Alsace built the stone Gravensteen on the site of an older fortification. 13th century: Ghent was the largest city north of the Alps after Paris. Its weavers worked wool imported from England and Scotland. 1313 to 1380: The Belfry was built as a symbol of the city's independence. 1432: The Ghent Altarpiece was completed for St Bavo's. One of its panels, The Just Judges, was stolen in 1934 and has never been found. 1500 and 1539: Charles V was born in Ghent in 1500, and after the city revolted against him in 1539 he punished it harshly and replaced St Bavo's Abbey with a fortress. 1800: Lieven Bauwens, who had smuggled plans out of England, set up the first mechanical weaving machine on the European continent, and Ghent's textile industry flourished again. 1814: The Treaty of Ghent, agreed here on Christmas Eve, ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. 1913 and 1944: Ghent hosted a world exhibition in 1913. It was occupied in both world wars but escaped serious damage, and was liberated on 6 September 1944. To learn more ashore: STAM, the Ghent City Museum at Godshuizenlaan 2, tells the city's story in the buildings of the Bijloke abbey and has a section on the Ghent Altarpiece.

Question 7

Ghent with Children

Accepted Answer

Ghent is easy with children because the old center is compact and car-free, and a moated castle stands in the middle of it. Mix one sight with time on the water and a stop for cuberdons. Younger children: A canal boat tour of about 40 minutes from the Graslei or Korenlei is a gentle way to see the city. The Huis van Alijn puts on puppet shows for children. School age: The Gravensteen has a small museum of relics from its torture chamber, and you can climb to the ramparts of its central keep. At the cathedral, an augmented-reality tour of the crypt has a children's version in English. Teenagers: Climb to the Belfry's upper gallery, 66 meters up, for the view over the city, and walk down Werregarenstraat, an alley where graffiti artists are allowed to paint. Tickets: Gravensteen entry has been free for children aged 12 and under; check before you go.

Question 8

Accessible Travel

Accepted Answer

Ghent's old center is car-free, but many of its streets and squares are cobbled and crossed by tram rails, which makes for bumpy going with a wheelchair, stroller or walking frame. Ask your ship how passengers get from the mooring to the center, and whether its shuttle can take a wheelchair. STAM, the Ghent City Museum, is fully accessible for wheelchair users. The Museum Dr. Guislain, on the history of mental health care, is also fully accessible, and its texts are in Dutch, French and English.

Question 9

Shopping and Markets

Accepted Answer

Ghent's markets set the rhythm of the week. The Vrijdagmarkt, a market square since the 13th century, has stalls on Fridays and Saturdays and a bird market on Sunday mornings. Second-hand booksellers set up along the Ajuinlei on Sunday mornings. A flea market fills the Beverhoutplein beside St James' Church from Friday to Sunday mornings. Cuberdons, which are seldom exported, and a jar of Tierenteyn mustard from the Groentenmarkt are local gifts to take home. Market days and hours change from time to time; check before you go.

Ghent

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Arriving in Ghent