Ghent: know before you go

Ghent's main gateway is Gent-Sint-Pieters, with De Lijn trams running from the station into the medieval centre. Most visitors fly into Brussels Airport, where the station sits under the terminal; direct trains cover the trip to Gent-Sint-Pieters in about 55 minutes, and the €6.90 Brussels Airport supplement is normally already in the fare. Rail tickets come from machines in the baggage hall or in the station below the terminal, and De Lijn tickets from the Lijnwinkel inside Sint-Pieters. Gent-Dampoort, the second station, is the closer one for the east side of the old town.

Ghent has no metro, and the old centre is small enough that trams matter most for the runs between the station and the centre. De Lijn runs tram lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 across the city plus the buses, and it all works on one ticket system. Pay in the app or at a Lijnwinkel before boarding, or tap a contactless bank card or phone on the white terminal on board. If you drive, leave the car at a free Park and Ride lot on the edge and tram in; the centre is a low emission zone, so register your plate before you enter.

Ghent adds a tourist tax to every overnight stay, charged per person from age 18 and collected by the accommodation: €4.40 a night in hotels and B&Bs, €2.20 in hostels and campsites, €7.40 in holiday rentals, with those rates fixed for 2026 to 2028. The CityCard Gent is the other number that matters: €49 for 48 hours or €55 for 72 hours, covering participating museums, a guided boat tour, a day of bike rental and De Lijn transport inside the city. It is sold only in person, at the tourist office, hotels and museums, and children up to 18 often enter the museums free anyway.

Ghent's emergency number is 112 for an ambulance or the fire brigade, free to call and valid across the European Union; for urgent police help, call 101. For storm or flood damage that can wait, Belgium routes you to 1722 and its online form rather than 112. For maps and local advice, go to the Visit Gent tourist office in the centre.

Tap water in Ghent is drinkable, so refilling a bottle is easy. When you need a doctor outside normal hours, call 1733, the number for the out-of-hours medical service in Flanders and Brussels; it puts you through to the doctor on duty. For anything life-threatening, 112 dispatches an ambulance.

Ghent speaks Dutch: the city is Gent in Dutch, Gand in French and Ghent in English, and the street signs use the Dutch spelling. English, French and German are all common in the tourist centre, so menus, tickets and museum desks rarely need translating. A goedendag or a quick dank u before you switch to English is the usual courtesy, and you will get your answer in English.

Ghent's medieval core is flat and the headline sights sit close together, which keeps the walking easy. Saint Bavo's Cathedral, its visitor centre and the Ghent Altarpiece are fully wheelchair accessible, and De Lijn's trams and stations are equipped for wheelchair users. You can borrow a wheelchair free from the Visit Gent tourist office or the Bike Point by the De Krook library, reserving by email. The cobbled lanes around the castle and the canal quays are the least even stretches, so allow a little extra time there.

Vrijdagmarkt still holds its market on Friday mornings, the Saturday market ended in September 2026, and Sunday brings flowers to the Kouter and books to the Ajuinlei, with flea and antique stalls at Sint-Jacobs from Friday to Sunday. The museums keep their own hours: MSK and S.M.A.K. close on Mondays, Kunsthal Gent opens its exhibitions only at weekends, the Boekentoren's public areas open on weekdays, and the Huis van Alijn closes on Wednesdays. The Groot Vleeshuis on Groentenmarkt is closed for restoration until about the end of March 2027. The big dates in the city's year are the Gentse Feesten in July and Film Fest Gent in October.

Book the Ghent Altarpiece before you travel if your dates are fixed: viewing runs through Saint Bavo's Cathedral visitor centre, and slots are worth reserving in busy months. The Gravensteen sells online tickets that skip the queue, and admission includes a tablet with videos and an audio guide voiced by the comedian Wouter Deprez. MSK tickets bought online cover the permanent collection, the Ghent Altarpiece restoration and temporary exhibitions, while CityCard Gent is the opposite case and is sold only in person. To follow the one-day plan, aim for Tuesday to Friday, when the Boekentoren opens and the museums are past their Monday closure; Kunsthal Gent's exhibitions open only at weekends. Hotels fill early in July for the Gentse Feesten.