ENGLISH 1 OFFICIAL CITY GUIDE of Europe’s best kept secret Make sure to visit visitgent.be DEAR VISITOR 2 ‘The historic heart of Flanders’, ‘a city of all Ghent sparkles, day and night. When darkness times’, ‘the medieval Manhattan’ and ‘Eu- falls, the city undergoes a genuine transfor- rope’s best-kept secret’: the nicknames Ghent mation. Until midnight, the city’s unique light- has acquired over the years are as colourful ing plan makes it look truly magical. There’s as the city itself. Wander through the city cen- so much to do and see in Ghent, come and tre and you will immediately understand the discover it yourself! numerous tourist awards and international praise. This guide will help you to explore our beau- tip tiful city. In the historical centre, you will find the Castle of the Counts, St Bavo’s Cathedral Get your visit to Ghent off to a good start. The ad- with its Mystic Lamb, the Graslei and Korenlei vantageous all-in CityCard Gent provides access and our three towers, as well as modern ar- to all of Ghent’s top attractions, including public chitecture and street art. transport, at a rebellious minimum price. You can buy the CityCard Gent in the Visit Gent Information In the Arts Quarter, the artistic highlights Centre. are all very close together. Visit Ghent’s well known museums and the trendy cultural venues. 4 HISTORICAL CITY CENTRE 19 PRINSENHOF 20 DR. GUISLAIN MUSEUM 21 GREAT BUTCHERS’ HALL 22 OLD FISH MARKET 23 THE HOUSE OF ALIJN 24 PATERSHOL 25 CAERMERSKLOOSTER 26 MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY 27 VRIJDAGMARKT 28 PORTUS GANDA 29 ST BAVO’S ABBEY 30 CASTLE OF GERALD THE DEVIL 4 31 HOTEL CLEMMEN 32 HOTEL D’HANE STEENHUYSE 33 SMALL BEGUINAGE OUR LADY TER HOYEN 34 GREAT ST ELIZABETH BEGUINAGE 35 OLD ST ELIZABETH BEGUINAGE 36 OLD LAW COURTS 37 OPERA GENT - DAMPOORT STATION RAILWAY 34 D INFOKANTOOR INFOKANTOOR U FIETSVERHUUR TREINSTATION 1 TRAM EVERGEM/WON - EXPO FLANDERS GENT DELGEM 4 TRAM MOSCOU - UZ GENT 2 TRAM MELLE - ZWIJNAARDE WANDELING K S BICYCLE RENTAL BICYCLE STATION RAILWAY 1 TRAM - EXPO FLANDERS GENT O C OFFICE TOURIST EVERGEM/WONDELGEM 2 TRAM MELLE - ZWIJNAARDE 4 TRAM MOSCOU - UZ GENT CENTRE HISTORICAL WALK CITY D 29 33 28 45 BORREMANS ST BAVO’S CATHEDRAL / GHENT GHENT / CATHEDRAL BAVO’S ST ALTARPIECE NTGENT ACHTERSIKKEL BELFRY BELL ROELAND VIRGIN) (THE MAAGD DE BY MICHAËL MICHAËL BY PAVILION CITY HALL TOWN STREET GRAFFITI HALL GUILD MASONS’ CHURCH NICHOLAS’ ST BRIDGE MICHAEL’S ST ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH MICHAEL’S ST KORENLEI & GRASLEI PAND HET GENT MUSEUM DESIGN COUNTS THE OF CASTLE ST.-ANTONIUSKAAI & LIEVEKAAI & ITS VIEW OF THE 3 TOWERS 3 THE OF VIEW ITS & 1 7 2 3 5 9 4 6 8 11 17 12 13 15 14 16 18 10 ARTS CENTRE VOORUIT CENTRE ARTS BOOKTOWER KROOK DE CHURCH PETER’S ST OF LADY OUR GARDEN AND ABBEY PETER’S ST HOUSE THE KINA: OF WORLD THE GARDEN THE KINA: OF WORLD THE ZEBRASTRAAT MSK S.M.A.K. GENT BIJLOKE DE CENTRE MUSIC STAM E 41 47 42 39 43 45 49 38 44 46 48 40 26 D 30 40 8 3 3 43 41 42 1 9 2 3 8 27 4 44 44 LEGEND 46 9 7 47 37 23 5+6 10 24 11 1 A 32 25 21 17 31 2 22 12 36 14 F 4 15 B C 16 18 13 48 HOP ON HOP OFF 49 WATERTRAM De Bootjes van Gent-Rederij Dewaele & Boat in Gent. Saturdays + Sundays from 1/4 > 1/11 STOPS DEPARTURE TIMES 19 ARTS QUARTER CASTLE OF THE COUNTS A 11.00 +12.30 + 14.00 + 15.30 + 17.00 + 18.30 GRASLEI-KORENLEI B 11.10 + 12.40 + 14.10 + 15.40 + 17.10 MUSEUM SITE C 11.30 + 13.00 + 14.30 + 16.00 + 17.30 35 ST PETER’S ABBEY D 11.50 + 13.20 + 14.50 + 16.20 + 17.50 ST BAVO’S CATHEDRAL E 5 12.05 + 13.35 + 15.05 + 16.35 + 18.05 SHOPPING VELDSTRAAT F 12.15 + 13.45 + 15.15 + 16.45 + 18.15 20 GENT SINT-PIETERS STATION RAILWAY 20 GUIDED TOURS OF GHENT Not too keen on exploring the city on your own? Book a walk, boat trip or carriage ride with a professional guide. GUIDES Keen on exploring Ghent from a different per- BOAT IN GENT spective? Then why not book a guide? You can +32 478 63 36 30 join an organised tour or hire your very own www.boatingent.be private tourist guide. DE BOOTJES VAN GENT - REDERIJ DEWAELE VISITGENT.BE/GUIDE +32 9 228 62 63 www.debootjesvangent.be DISCOVER GHENT CARRIAGES Location: City Pavilion GENT WATERTOERIST Keen to enjoy Ghent to the full? There are BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT +32 475 82 16 20 - www.koetsenvangent.be +32 9 269 08 69 (Mon - Fri, 9.00 - 17.00) plenty of interesting and fun ways to explore The city is also easy to explore by public +32 473 48 10 36 (Sat - Sun, 9.00 - 17.00) the city. Distances in the historical city centre transport. Buses and trams will take you to www.gent-watertoerist.be BOAT TRIPS (or Kuip as we like to call it) are not partic- your destination from early morning till late You can choose from various boating compa- 6 ularly great and the city’s many delights are at night. At the Gent-St.-Pieters railway sta- REDERIJ DE GENTENAER 7 nies to discover Ghent along its waterways: just waiting to be explored. tion, Korenmarkt and Gent-Zuid (Woodrow +32 9 269 08 69 (Mon - Fri, 9.00 - 17.00) Wilsonplein), you will find a Lijnwinkel where VISITGENT.BE/SAILING +32 473 48 10 36 (Sat - Sun, 9.00 - 17.00) ON FOOT you can buy tickets. Tram lines no. 1, 2 and no. www.rederijdegentenaer.be It is perfectly possible to visit Ghent on foot. 4 will take you from one side of Ghent to the The centre boasts an unbelievable wealth of other, straight through the centre. sights, all within walking distance from one another. Incidentally, the city has the largest USING THE HOP ON low-traffic pedestrian zone in Europe. So why HOP OFF WATER TRAM not wander through the streets and experi- Ghent is criss-crossed by waterways, which ence Ghent at walking pace? makes the hop on hop off water tram the ideal way to admire the city from a unique BY BICYCLE perspective. The water tram runs at weekends We highly recommend exploring Ghent by from 1 April to 1 November and has six stops. bicycle. The city is crazy about bikes and the feeling is mutual! If you don’t have your own BY TAXI bicycle, bicycle hire is available at both train There are taxi ranks at strategic locations stations and in the city centre (see map). across the city. A taxi ride from the Gent-St.-Pi- eters railway station to Korenmarkt will cost at least 12 euros. HISTORY A CITY OF TROUBLE MAKERS The city of Ghent first saw the light of day in Difficult times followed for Flanders, and 630, when the missionary bishop St Amand Ghent lost its leading position in Europe. How- chose the confluence of the rivers Schel- ever, the people of Ghent continued to rebel dt and Lys as the perfect place to found St against anyone who tried to oppress them, Bavo’s Abbey [29] (the older name of Ghent, even against their very own Emperor Charles Ganda, is derived from the Celtic word for V (born in 1500). As they were unwilling to pay ‘confluence’). What follows is the rich histo- his taxes, the emperor himself returned to his ry of a proud and rebellious city that contin- city of birth to restore order (1540). Ghent lost ues to attract visitors from all over the world. all of its rights and privileges. The Roeland Here, culture is a festive experience and fes- Bell [5], which symbolizes Ghent’s indepen- tivities are a form of culture. dence, was removed from the Belfry [4] and St Bavo’s Abbey [29] and the city gates were In the Middle Ages, idiosyncratic Ghent grew demolished. The punishment was harsh and into one of the most important cities in West- the humiliation even worse, as dozens of the ern Europe. The marshy landscape was not city’s dignitaries were forced to kneel before suitable for traditional agriculture but lent the emperor with nooses around their necks, 9 itself very well to rearing sheep. Thanks to the barefooted and dressed in hair shirts. wool trade, Ghent grew so much that it was second in size only to Paris. Ghent bent under the strain, but never cracked: the term ‘noose bearers’ (stroppen- Merchants ruled the country and until the dragers) was adopted as a badge of pride 14th century, Ghent’s wealth lay in the hands and the residents steadfastly continued to of around forty rich merchant families. These rebel against their sovereigns and oppres- merchants preferred the French king to the sors. In the 16th century, Calvinist insurgents Count of Flanders, very much against the established the Ghent Republic and the first will of the headstrong trades and guilds, Ghent University was also founded during the which demanded more and more rights and same period. The city lost its port (the lifeline privileges. Cloth merchant Jacob van Artevel- connecting Ghent with the sea) several times de (the ‘wise’ man) led the Ghent uprising over the years, first as it silted up and later against the French oppressor, who banned (why else?) as a reprisal for its rebellious na- the city from trading with English weavers.