January 4, 2023, 4:47 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Medieval moats and buildings alongside comic and vintage shops, street art, and a booming food scene: the city of Ghent in Flanders captivates more than just students. With a few tips and background knowledge, a weekend trip to Belgium’s university city becomes a truly special experience.
“There’s always something happening in Ghent,” say Belgians who live outside the city. And they’re right. As Belgium’s third-largest city, Ghent, with its 264,000 residents, is a melting pot of culture and subculture. Whether it’s comics, street art, or slow fashion, everyone finds their place and niche here. This mix makes exploring the Belgian student city so exciting. Those who take a weekend to visit return inspired.
Interesting fact: Ghent University has been around for over 200 years (founded in 1817). Well over 40,000 students attend, including more than 2,000 from other EU countries and worldwide. By the way, Flemish (Dutch) is spoken in Ghent, but most residents also understand English, French, and German fluently. That’s Belgium for you!
By the way, you can also listen to all the tips in our podcast “Around the World in 5 Minutes.”
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Historic Architecture for Medieval Fans
It doesn’t get more medieval than this: with Gravensteen Castle, dating back to the 9th century and belonging to the Counts of Flanders, an impressive historical landmark stands in the bustling center of Ghent. A visit here is a must: Gravensteen Castle. It’s a so-called water castle, surrounded on all sides by a moat.
If you want to see more city history, you don’t have to try hard: Ghent is practically bursting with medieval buildings. Notable sights include the cathedral, belfry (bell tower), and of course, the Korenmarkt with its array of historic buildings. A picturesque starting point for your exploration: Café Revue right by the opera house, from where you can comfortably stroll along the canals.
Also interesting: This castle is rumored to be the entrance to the underworld
The Best Veggie and Breakfast Spots
Ghent’s reputation as the “Veggie Capital of Europe” is well-earned: the student city boasts plenty of selected vegetarian and vegan dining spots worth trying if you eat sustainably. With Greenway Ghent on Nederkouter and Mana on Kortrijksepoortstraat, you’ll pass two notable locations serving excellent veggie burgers on your way from the train station to the city center.
Additionally, this area of Ghent is lined with plenty of trendy breakfast spots for every taste. A good start to the day includes the creatively healthy porridges at Oats Day Long or the all-day egg, waffle, and pancake brunch at Luv L’Oeuf (both on Nederkouter). Just want a great coffee while strolling the city? True specialty coffee, from iced lattes to slow coffee, can be found at Goya Coffee. Not far from there, Stek with “Coffee & Plants” also invites you to a meditative coffee experience.
Paradise for Vintage Shoppers & Street Art
If you like vintage fashion, you’ll find it on almost every corner in the university city of Ghent. Among countless boutiques, Think Twice and the MOOD recycle store, located on Nederkouter, are good places to start. The very photogenic graffiti alley, which every visitor to Ghent should see, is also colorful and vibrant. It’s located in a small side street between Hoogport and Onderstraat and looks completely different with each visit to Ghent. If you want to see or photograph more street art, you can explore the creatively designed house walls on an extended walk. A Street Art Map issued by Ghent helps with this.
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Hotspots for Nerds: Comics, Skating & More
No matter what other interests you have, Ghent offers something suitable for almost every unique taste. Among the comic book shops, De Port strips is particularly centrally located between the train station and the city center. While most books here are in Flemish (Dutch), you can discover the latest comic gems before they’re translated abroad. Belgium is as famous for its comic culture as it is for its beer.
Other special-interest locations include numerous skate shops like Curb, Slam, or Sliding Tiger, and fittingly, skating spots like Skatepark Zuid and Keizerpark, where young bladers and skaters regularly gather to showcase their impressive performances and courses.
The cat café DreamCATchers, well-hidden on Schepenhuisstraat, invites cat lovers to linger: chatting with the owners here, you can learn a lot about cat care and take home a souvenir for your cat.
Just around the corner, in the Wunderkammer, local and exotic relics from past times find a second home. Whether it’s Balinese spirit masks, peacock chairs, stuffed flamingos, or Chinese fabric lamps–the beautiful arrangements are a feast for the eyes and worth a photo, even if you don’t find a souvenir to take home.
More Gastro Insider Tips and Places to “Arrive”
A highlight is to end the day sitting on the banks of the Graslei quay on the Leie, one of the two rivers flowing through Ghent. In the evenings, many students gather here to enjoy their after-work beer. If you haven’t eaten by then, you’ll find options like Manhattan Burger and other good dining choices. Asian cuisine is also available on nearly every corner in Ghent: ramen and bento boxes are served at Miss Yu Japanese Noodle Bar. Also good: Zuru Zuru Ramen. If you prefer something more tranquil, you’ll find more beautiful green spaces to relax around Gravensteen Castle by the moat.