Luxury holidays in Ghent

Northwest Belgium’s port city Ghent has an impressive mediaeval core that’s dotted with towers and spires, thanks to a handful of imposing cathedrals and the 12th-century Gravensteen castle. The city’s canal meanders around to the cobblestoned Patershol district, where tucked-away restaurants, galleries and boutiques hide behind the Old World edifices, but Ghent’s Museum of Contemporary Art, SMAK, offers more in-your-face modernity with its works by Bacon, Warhol and assorted provocative artists. Catch a breath of fresh air in postcard-pretty Citadel Park or wander over to the abbey gardens of 7th-century Saint Peter’s, before stopping for an almost obligatory lunch of

moules-frites

and Trappist ale…
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When to go

July and August are the warmest months in Ghent, with average temperatures reaching 18°C, but they’re also the busiest. The city’s less crowded in May, June and September, and the weather’s still pleasant, too. Expect cold temperatures and varying forms of precipitation from October till March, with daily highs peaking around 4°C in January.

Getting there

  • Planes

    The closest international airport is Brussels; from there, it takes around 45 minutes to reach Ghent’s city centre by car.

  • Trains

    Regular intercity services from Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and Ostend pull into Ghent’s Sint-Pieters station.

  • Automobiles

    The city centre is a pedestrians-only zone, but a car can be useful for day trips to Bruges, Brussels or Antwerp.