Ghent: Belgium’s Underrated Canal City

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Ghent often gets overshadowed by Bruges, and while Bruges did win my heart, Ghent was absolutely worth the visit. It has a completely different feel — bolder, a little grittier, with its own gorgeous canal and a very different style of architecture.

Getting there — and skip the walk

Ghent is an easy morning train from Brussels — the same line as Bruges, just an earlier stop. Here’s the one thing I’d do differently: from the station, take the tram into the city center. We decided to walk it, hoping the route would be scenic, and honestly it wasn’t worth the steps or the effort. The tram is cheap, quick, and gets you to the good part faster. Learn from my mistake.

What we saw

The waterfront along Graslei and Korenlei is the postcard shot, and the medieval Gravensteen castle anchors the old center. St. Bavo’s Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) is home to the famous Ghent Altarpiece and worth stepping inside. We also did the canal cruise here — it was great, though I’d say it edges out just behind Bruges for me. Different architecture, still very beautiful.

One local sweet to try: cuberdons, the little cone-shaped candies. Fair warning — they are very sweet. And if beer is more your thing, Artevelde is brewed right here in Ghent.

One thing to check before you go

Our one downside was timing: the city was setting up for the Ghent Festivities (Gentse Feesten), which meant a fair amount of construction and stage rigging around the center. If you want Ghent at its prettiest and least cluttered, it’s worth checking the festival dates (usually mid-July) before you lock in your day trip.

Is it worth it?

Yes. I enjoyed Bruges more overall, but Ghent earns its spot — pair the two on separate days from a Brussels base and you get two very different, very beautiful sides of Belgium.

Comfort tip: even with the tram, it’s a walking day on cobbles and canal-side paths. I alternated between the Skechers GO Walk Flex slip-in sandals (unbeatable on cobblestone, and easy to rinse off) and the New Balance 1080 v15 for extra cushioning.

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Part of A Summer Grand Tour of Belgium, Luxembourg, Alsace & Switzerland.