Hi all,
We will be in Brussels for two nights in April 2026. We will have a full day in Brussels on a river cruise. So, for the two days before the cruise starts (which is pretty much one full day in Brussels), what are thoughts on a day trip to Ghent? Looks like it's about a 40 minute train ride. We have already seen Bruges. I don't know anything about Ghent.
Would a 1/2 day in Ghent work? OR what are thoughts on sites for a full day in Brussels?
Thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Hi, Marie—I love Ghent! So there's my answer. :-) You can never go wrong going there. It's a lovely and wonderful place; very walkable, with good restaurants and lots of charm. I spent 3 nights there and really enjoyed it.
I love Ghent! So charming!
Great, thank you. So does the train from Brussels stop right in the center of Ghent so we can walk from there? What do you like to see in Ghent?
You'll want to take a taxi. As you walk out of the station there's a taxi stand down to the left at the bottom of the parking structure. The canal cruise is lovely. The Ghent Altarpiece is a must. The castle is interesting; the audio is silly but you can turn it off. The textile museum was good, but you won't really have time with a half day visit. (I'd give yourself as much time as possible!) Stop in at In Choc Gent for chocolate or something tasty. I loved just walking around taking it in. A lot of good energy.
I found Ghent to be more interesting than Bruges. If you like art, then the Van Eyck altarpiece at St Bavo's Cathedral is a must-see.
Ghent is our favorite city in Belgium. It is so much fun to be there. There is always something going on,especially on the weekends.
Note that the Ghent Altarpiece (as in Monuments Men ... ) requires advance booking. Even in April, it might be wise to book. Note that you could also visit Antwerp, Mechelen, or Leuven from Brussels.
Ghent has two train stations. There has been construction at one of them, but I don't know the current status of it. Here's an old discussion of that:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/ghent-sint-pieters
I have walked, but there is also a public bus to the historic center. I believe Brussels is the only city whose bus cards do not work in the other area cities. I found the Castle of the Counts overrated for anyone over 12.
See more links in this nearby discussion:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/advice-on-belgium-amsterdam-trip
The transport tickets from Wallonia (the southern part of Belgium) and Brussels do not work on Flanders public transport with some exceptions in the Brussels zone. If you want to buy tickets for Flanders either you use the app or there is a De Lijnwinkel (De Lijn is the name of the Flemish transport company) at Ghent station.
Lavandula
Ghent is an easy 40-min IC train ride from the Brussels-Central. In fact, the trains run every 15 min and cost about €7-11 one-way. From Ghent-Sint-Pieters, take the tram 1 which reaches the medieval center in around 10 min.
In 4-6 hours you can: admire Van Eyck’s “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” in St Bavo’s Cathedral (tickets booking advised). Later, you can climb the Belfry followed by a tour of the 12th-century Gravensteen Castle. Afterwards, linger at the Graslei’s canal cafés. Brussels still offers a dense museum/art-nouveau experience, but if you want a compact, less-touristy medieval vibe before your cruise, Ghent is worth the half-day trip.
The art museum in Brussels occupied me for almost the whole time it was open the day I saw it, with random breaks to sit on benches. There is a Royal Palace that I didn't make time for. Brussels has a statue of a boy who is pissing. I read that sometimes they put clothes on it and there is a place that stores over a thousand outfits for the statue. Also there is a model of an atom made in about 1958, for a world's fair. Brussels requires more than a day if you want to see the art museum and the royal palace and various streets. The art museum in Brussels has 3 sections which you can pay separately for all 3 or just one or two. Brussels could be an ok city. Others on this forum will dismiss it. Yes it is big city with modern office buildings and bad neighborhoods unlike the other 3 cities in Rick Steve's guidebook. Just don't spend time in the decrepit areas near the long-distance train stations and look up more information about where bad neighborhoods are. Detroit Michigan also has some rather bad neighborhoods but I have been to the Detroit Institute of art and the Detroit historical museum without a problem.
No. Ghent requires a whole day if you are going to see the design museum I saw, take a guided walking tour, and see the Gravenstein castle (you need to arrive more than 2 hours before the castle closes if you want enough time to do the whole audio tour and observe it properly).
Brussels is a good city if you stick to the downtown areas and avoid the area around Bruxelles-Midi, which is a bit rough. There is a drug war going on which is playing out in Curegem, which is in the commune Anderlecht, but as a tourist you are never likely to be going there. In spite of this there is a lot to see and do in Brussels. If you have time for nothing else (i.e. you want to see Ghent, which is entirely reasonable), I would still recommend seeing the Grand' Place. At night it is lit up and quite extraordinary, so you could sneak in for one of the evenings you have in the city, and perhaps drink a beer at Roy d'Espagne, which is on the GP. I think if you are going to commit to Ghent, you will want a full day there. It is hard to prioritise amongst the 4 cities (like children, I don't like to play favourites).
I hope you have a fabulous cruise. April is an awesome time to be in Belgium. There are some neighbourhoods in Brussels with cherry blossom trees and it is just beautiful, although you have to know where to go. The Royal Greenhouses are also open; you need a ticket, which is by ballot, and there is a wood near Hal(le) (Hallerbos) which has wild bluebells. Lots to see if you have the time and are so inclined.
Lavandula
