An itinerary in Gent, in Flanders, in just one day. What to see so as not to miss anything and go strictly on foot.
Some time ago I told you about the pretty town of Bruges in Flanders and with regret I had not been able to explore another village, very similar to Bruges, and of which everyone had spoken well to me ... In short, I'm talking about Ghent (in French) or Ghent (in Dutch), yes! Because in Belgium there is a double language, if not a triple one. Well, I recently returned to Belgium and among the various commitments I managed to take a train from Brussels Central, but it's also okay from Brussels Midi, and get to this pretty town crossed, a bit like Bruges, by canals, just half an hour by train.
First of all I inform you that you will get off at the station Gent St Pieters and from there you will need to take a tram, number 1 is fine, to get to the city center in a very short time, the Koren Markt. The city looks like a medieval village with a very large pedestrian area, precisely the largest in Europe, which is why you will love strolling through its narrow streets.
Definitely a must see is the St. Bavo Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) in Gothic style, inside which is the famous work by Jan Van Eyck “The Polyptych of the Mystical Lamb”, a truly impressive altarpiece: only the Polyptych is to be paid for.
Continuing you will not be fascinated by Belfort, the bell tower of Ghent, 91 meters high which in the past had functions of sighting and clock. There is a 52-bell carillon used for important concerts.
As for the beautiful Town Hall (lo Town hall) can be visited only through guided tours while the Church of San Nicola (Sint-Niklaaskerk) is an important example of Belgian Gothic, absolutely not to be missed: admission is also free!
But let's get to the most characteristic part of Ghent that I appreciated the most: it is the Graslei e Korenlei, or the two points from which the visits on the boats start, surrounded by the characteristic terraced houses of the merchants' guilds. From the bridge that overlooks them you can enjoy a splendid view of the river over the city center.
Very nice too Gravensteen, the castle of the counts, a castle in the city center, very characteristic and can be visited almost entirely. The ticket costs 10 euros but the visit is pleasant and also contains a small museum of torture as well as a real guillotine, things that certainly do not leave indifferent. The view from the castle wall is very pleasant: really not to be missed!
The town is on the whole very lively, being also an important university city; The shopping street is also very nice, very modern and with pretty good prices, at least compared to Brussels.
Finally, you cannot miss the taste of a traditional sweet from Ghent, but actually widespread throughout Belgium: I'm talking about cuberdons, cones of gum arabic with a heart of jelly ... you will find them in specialized shops, but it will certainly be quite another thing to buy a bag with typical carts located throughout the center.
Finally, for a beer with friends, I can recommend the Mad Griet, a traditional pub, located in a very nice square, serving 250 different types of beer. The peculiarity of the place is that you will have to deposit a shoe in the basket, as a pledge for the return of the typical glasses in which a typical beer is served, the kwak.
