Ghent
Gent or Ghent is a great historic city in Belgium; it is a great city to visit in Belgium and is popular with tourists from all over the world. Although Ghent 
has some very historic features, it also caters for a modern and young audience; it is a place that literally brings the older generation together with the younger generation. Ghent’s inner city is very historic and exists mainly out of listed buildings. The inner city is also a car free zone, which enables you to enjoy your surroundings even more.
The most historic looking building in the whole of Ghent is no doubt the “Gravensteen”, which is a fort that made part of Ghent in the 9th century. The fort was built for the Duke of Flanders, who built it to portray his power and wealth. Most of the original castle was moved in the 14th century to its original location as the then Duke of Flanders found the old castle to be uncomfortable. During the first and second world war, the castle was targeted on several occasions and had to be almost completely rebuilt with only the gate being an original feature to the castle today.
So although it might look the oldest, it is probably one of the most recent buildings, you will find in inner city Ghent.
Today the castle is open to the public and has two very interesting museums; namely the weapon museum and the justice museum. In the weapon museum you can envisage how the middle aged fighters were equipped. The justice museum shows the various ways of torture that were used in the Middle Ages to get the answers they wanted.
During the holiday season, the castle runs several additional workshops especially aimed towards kids that bring the past back to life. I personally believe that if you visit Ghent you should visit the Gravensteen.
After your visit to the Gravensteen you could continue your trip through Ghent by crossing the 
bridge and entering the true historic inner city.
On the left hand side across the water, you will see a narrow passage that will take you to “’t Dreupelkot”; this small cafe that is known for serving several types of jenever (a strong concentrated alcohol).
On your right hand side you will find the “Vleeshuis” literally translated as the “meat house”, this was originally used during the Middle Ages as storage for meat. Nowadays it is an expensive restaurant/cafe but you can walk in freely and still see the link with its past, as several cured hams are hanging from the ceilings to dry, in the bar area you will also be able to find typical regional products that might be a great gift or souvenir.
Also useful to know is that located at the end of the building is a free public toilet, which is not that easy to find in Belgium.
Also note that the outer wall of the Vleeshuis was used during the middle ages to show the criminals to the wider public, the old hooks where the criminals would have been attached to in order to be mocked by the people, can still be found at the wall.
If you continue your tour through Ghent by going right at the Vleeshuis, you will end up again by the canal you have previously crossed, this stretch of houses by the canal side are known as the “Graslei” or “Korenlei”. The Graslei or the old port of Ghent is considered to be the prettiest street in Gent and is also the most popular place to take pictures.
Nowadays most of the buildings are cafes or restaurants, but please note that you can still see their real history, most of the buildings have on the top of the roof a symbol that shows the old profession that was based there during the 13th century. For example, number 10 known as “de spijker” which would be translated as “the nail”, was build in the 13th century and has the oldest step-gable in the world and is most likely to have been the home to a shoemaker.
You will also notice the several boats on the river, it is a great idea to discover Ghent by boat and all boat trips offer a great guide in English, Dutch, French or German.
Continue your walk through Ghent heading towards the (church) towers, the first square you will end up on is known as the “Korenmarkt” translated as the “wheat market”, this is also the main stop for a lot of trams. The Korenmarkt is a small square that is usually very busy as it connects to the very popular shopping street in Ghent, known as the “Veldtstraat”.
Shopping in Ghent is very popular and you can easily spend the whole day window-shopping.
If you continue following the towers you will pass the first church, namely the Sint-Niklaaskerk, this is a local church that is not really open to tourists but you can always have a quick look inside.
The square behind this church is known as the “botermarkt” or literally translated as the “butter market”.
The next tower you will see is the Belfort of Gent, which was build at the start of the 14th 
century but only finished in 1380 due to the continuous wars with neighbouring towns. The Belfort carries a horrific dragon on the top of the tower. Inside the Belfort is filled with numerous clocks. If you enter the Belfort you will be able to see the original monstrous dragon from close by, as the one on the top is a replica, so the original could be conserved and shown to the public. You can visit the Belfort and its many clocks each with their own history, at the end of your exhausting climb you will be rewarded with a stunning view of Ghent.
Attached to the Belfort is the “lakenhalle”, this was one of the most important places in Ghent, as Ghent was an important producer, exporter and importer of cloth. All the cloth had to be inspected in the lakenhalle before it could be sold. Nowadays you can find the Tourist Information based in this very historic building.
The impressive cathedral you will see when you exit the Belfort is the Sint-Baafscathedral. The cathedral is a combination of various styles with the most common style being late and high-gothic. The greatest attractions that draws everybody inside is the painting called “de aanbieding van het Lam Gods” by Jan Van Eyck. This is a masterpiece of Flemish art painted in 1432; it exists out of 3 panels of which 2 original. The third panel was stolen in 1934 to bribe the bishop of Ghent, it was followed by one of the most high profile police searches in Belgium as it is said the third panel would be worth millions, although the identity of the thief is known to be Arsene Goedertier, he never confessed his crimes and took the location of the painting to his grave.
Apart from the stunning “Lamb Gods” that you should really see, the cathedral has a wide range of splendid paintings by for example Rubens and has a display of tombs.
If you trace back your steps to the Vleeshuis and you go left instead of right you will end up on the “Vrijdagsmarkt” or “Friday market”. On your entrance to the square you will see a canon, which is named “Dulle Griet” the translation for this would be “crazy lady”, the canon dates back to the 15th century and is a well loved icon by the locals. On the centre of the square you will see a monument of Jacob Van Artevelde, also known as the wise man or the brewer of Ghent, he is especially known as the rebel leader during the hundred years war between France and England, as the current ruler of Belgium, France, forbid any trade with England, Artevelde disagreed with this policy and became a hero.
On the square itself you will find loads of cafes and restaurants, you can also find an underground car park here. If you enjoy Belgian beer, you should visit the cafe “De dulle griet”, the cafe has a rather old-fashioned theme going on, but it has the greatest collection of 250 Belgian beers in Ghent. The choice is often so difficult for many visitors that the best way to pick a beer is to either ask the bartender for whatever he thinks or to pick a random beer on the giant beer list.
If you wonder what the net above your head is for, this is a net to put your shoes in as it was in the olden days a requirement to take off your shoes in order to get your pint, this way the barkeeper knew you weren’t going to run off with the glass!
Het huis van Alijn is a very popular museum that talks about the daily life in the 20th century. It is a timeless story about the culture and tells a magnificent tale about all things great and small. The museum is great to visit with kids as it is very interactive and educational. Another great idea is to watch one of the traditional puppet shows that feature Pierke Pierlala, a puppet that is unique to Ghent and a great mascot to the city. 
Although most puppet shows are in Dutch, sometimes shows are uniquely played out in English, whatever the language make sure you book on time as they are very popular.
Although there is plenty of choice to eat in Ghent, a great place to eat would be at one of the two “Amadeus” restaurants in Ghent, one is based very closely to the Gravensteen, namely in the patershol, the other is based by the Sint-Niklaaskerk.
The Amadeus-restaurants specialise in spare ribs with a jacket potato, you can each as much as you like but booking is usually advised as both restaurants are usually completely fully booked and although it is usually very noisy for that reason, it is the best place to eat spareribs.
If you don’t fancy ribs, a lot more cosy and renowned for being the best and affordable restaurants in Ghent can be found in the streets called “patershol” which oddly enough translates as the “priests den” but known by the locals as the “priest’s bottom”.
Why not try to very local “Gentse Waterzooi”, it is a dish synonymous with Ghent as it was invented here. “Gentse Waterzooi” is a traditional stew made with either fish or chicken, that dates back to the Middle Ages.
If you are looking to stay in Ghent, you will have plenty of choice to find your ideal hotel or B&B. A good idea is to check out the “Gent verwent”-offers at http://www.gentverwent.be/ , although the site is in Dutch, you can find great promotions and discounts for hotels, restaurants, museums, etc. Another great money saving option, would be to book via Hotel Travel who have some great offers if you requirer a Hotel in Ghent.
Another great tip to safe a bit of money is to consider buying a “museumpas”, this voucher can be bought from the tourist information or a public transport kiosk, the permit enables you to travel for 3 days on all forms of public transport and in the meantime offers you free entrance to most museums in Ghent. The combo-ticket costs €20 but could prove a real money saver if you are planning to visit a lot of the museums.
Hotel Travel have some great offers on the best affordable hotels available in Ghent for your stay in this beautiful city. A list of Ghent Hotels can be viewed follwing the link.
Useful links & addresses
Het Gravensteen
Address: Sint-Veerleplein
Opening times: 09.00-18.00 (from 1 April until 30 September, during the winter until 17.00)
Entrance fee: Adults € 6, 00, under 26 and 55+ € 1, 20, under 13 free
Gent Watertoerist (boat trip)
Address: Graslei 7
Boat trips: between 10.00 and 18.00 (from mid November until 1 march between 11.00 and 16.00)
Price: Adults € 5, 50, under 12 € 3, 00
De Bootjes van Gent (boat trip)
Address: Korenlei 4A (the green cabin)
Boat trips: every 20 minutes, between 10.00 and 18.00 (1 march tot mid November)
Price: Adults € 5, 50, under 12 € 3, 00, under 3 years old free
Belfort
Opening times: 10.00-18.00, guided tours from 1 may tot 31 October at 14.10, 15.10 and 16.10.
Price: Adults € 3, 00, 55+ € 2, 50, under 13 free
Sint-Baafskathedraal
Opening times: 08.30-18.00 (Sunday from 13.00, 1 November – 31 march until 17.00)
Price: free
you can visit the “Lam Gods” from 09.30 until 17.00 (1 November – 31 march 10.30-16.00, Sunday from 13.00)
Het huis van Alijn
Address: Kraanlei 65
Opening times: Tuesday till Saturday: 11u-17u, Sunday: 10u-17u
Prices: Adults € 5, 55+, € 3, 75, 19-26 years € 1, 00
http://www.huisvanalijn.be/
Amadeus Restaurant
http://www.amadeusspareribrestaurant.be
Gent museumpas
http://www.delijn.be/vervoerbewijzen/types/uitstap/index.htm#4
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