Bruges and Ghent in One Day (Part 1, Ghent)
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Day Trip to Ghent from Brussels: (Jump To)
Train From Brussels To Ghent and Bruges
The day before our journey we secured our train tickets for the day. We found it was easy to route our train travel by chatting with the nice employees at the train ticket counter. We explained our ideal itinerary to the agent, and he sold us the appropriate tickets and shared the train timetables for our day. The nice thing about the train tickets in Belgium is that they are valid for a journey, not a time. You buy a ticket to take you from point A to point B, but the time is flexible. The flexible time made it so easy to explore at our own pace, without the stress of worrying about missing the train.
If you’re taking multiple train trips throughout Belgium (and northern Europe) you might inquire about multi-day train passes. We made the mistake of buying single tickets for each trip, after we got back home and did some calculations, we could have saved over USD$200 if we bought the combo ticket. Oops.
We decided to journey from Brussels to Ghent, then to Bruges, then back to Brussels. The 40-minute train ride to Ghent had us at the Gent-Sint-Pieters station at about 11:30 am. At the Lijnwinkel stand in the train station (located inside the station on the opposite end from the Starbucks) buy yourself a day pass for local public transportation in Ghent and Bruges (€6/ea). This pass will allow you to ride all the trams and busses in both cities.
Explore Ghent on Foot
We boarded the next tram (Tram #1) to Korenmarkt, the central square of Ghent. From here it’s pretty easy to explore on foot. A great photo spot is the square-adjacent St. Michael’s Bridge. From there you can get a look down the canals and at the famous towers of Ghent.
When you turn around you’ll get a good look at our next stop, Saint Nicholas' Church. The 13th century church is ginormous. You can step inside for free to check out the famous organ, the impressive stained glass, and the historic altarpiece.
Next door is the Belfry of Ghent. Built in 1313 the bell tower’s original use was to keep 14th century Belgians on time with the hourly ringing of the bells. It also served as a watchtower and warning service. The Belfry is one of 56 buildings encompassed in the Belfries of Belgium and France UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Continuing our journey, with a shortcut through Ghent’s graffiti street, we made our way to another historic square, Vrijdagmarkt. This translates to Friday Market. In the historic square, for generations, there has been a market every Friday morning. The square is surrounded by historic buildings, shops, and in the center a statue of Jacob van Artevelde, the “Brewer of Ghent.”
Near the square, the historic streets are smaller and more quaint. Canals and bridges intersect the centuries-old roads. The beauty of this area is what makes Ghent so special.
Visit Gravensteen Castle
Our final stop in Ghent is probably the most popular sight in all of Ghent, Gravensteen castle. The castle was built in 1180. What’s cool about Gravensteen is that it has all the things we learned as kids that a castle should have—a moat, a dungeon, pointed towers, and a tall brick wall.
Tickets for the castle are massively reasonable at €10/each with includes an audioguide. Typically audioguides are informative but dry. In a genius move, this audioguide is told by a Flemish comedian, Wouter Deprez. It’s engaging, informative, and funny. Five stars all around.
We spent about 90 minutes exploring the castle before taking the tram back to the train station to continue on to the second destination in our day trip, Bruges.
This day is part of our Three Day Brussels Itinerary.
Things To See in Ghent:
Korenmarkt
St. Michael’s Bridge
Saint Nicholas' Church
Belfry of Ghent
Graffiti Street
Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market)
Gravensteen Castle
