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NFT: Ghent, Belgium recommendations?

DanMetroMan : 1/16/2020 11:48 am
So I see everyone asking for recommendations... my GF and I are going to Paris late next month, then 2 days in Barcelona and finally a day in Ghent. Does anyone have any recommendations, insider tips etc regarding Ghent (also Paris and Barcelona but there was already a Barcelona thread somewhat recently. Thanks!
Only did a day trip but  
widmerseyebrow : 1/16/2020 11:53 am : link
we felt like Bruges was a much more interesting place. What are you looking to see in Ghent?
Going there on Wednesday  
Brian in SI : 1/16/2020 11:53 am : link
For a day lol
RE: Only did a day trip but  
DanMetroMan : 1/16/2020 11:56 am : link
In comment 14781688 widmerseyebrow said:
Quote:
we felt like Bruges was a much more interesting place. What are you looking to see in Ghent?


Quite honestly it was just a random day trip thrown in so we could say we visited Belgium. We met a guy at a bar who was actually from there. We are going to get the day pass which pays for a guided boat tour, check out the castle and obviously some of the beer culture. Was just curious if anyone had anything they suggested otherwise (for Paris and Barcelona as well but Ghent is more random lol).
That's funny  
widmerseyebrow : 1/16/2020 12:06 pm : link
We only went because some locals in Brussels (my wife's family) suggested it to us. We probably didn't give it a fair shake since it was only half a day. It is larger so there are more dining options. It did feel like more of a Belgian getaway than a foreign tourist place like Bruges. But being foreign tourists we liked Bruges more. It's a pretty charming town (beer included).
RE: That's funny  
DanMetroMan : 1/16/2020 12:25 pm : link
In comment 14781730 widmerseyebrow said:
Quote:
We only went because some locals in Brussels (my wife's family) suggested it to us. We probably didn't give it a fair shake since it was only half a day. It is larger so there are more dining options. It did feel like more of a Belgian getaway than a foreign tourist place like Bruges. But being foreign tourists we liked Bruges more. It's a pretty charming town (beer included).


Thanks. Yeah, just spending a day there. I've obviously been googling things to see and do but BBI tends to have interesting insight lol
Just walk...  
Dunedin81 : 1/16/2020 12:47 pm : link
it's a beautiful city, it's not like Brussels in that it's small enough that you'll find everything just by meandering. I prefer Bruges too but we had fun in Ghent and in Delft and in some of the other medium-sized cities in Belgium and the Netherlands.
I went to both  
johnnyb : 1/16/2020 1:20 pm : link
Ghent and Bruges when my daughter studied abroad in Brussels. I too like Bruges better, it was smaller and more quaint, but Ghent was interesting too.
I was in Bruges and Ghent in September. If you are only there for a  
Marty in Albany : 1/16/2020 3:03 pm : link
day, there's not much of a difference. On a longer stay, Ghent would be a close second to Bruges.

BIG CAVEAT: When I was there in September, I went to see the wonderful and world famous Ghent Altar Piece housed at a cathedral in Ghent. Unfortunately it was behind a darkened glass screen and was being renovated. You could not get close enough for a worthwhile view. The church was great, but forget about the Altar Piece.

Definitely check before you go about the status of the Altar Piece.
Marty  
DanMetroMan : 1/16/2020 3:10 pm : link
thanks. It's on my list.

"A major restoration of the altarpiece began at Ghent’s Museum of Fine Arts in 2012. Now the museum is taking advantage of a pause in the project, set to enter its final phase in 2021, to mount “Van Eyck. An Optical Revolution,” a new exhibition that will open Feb. 1. Normally, the altarpiece is exhibited in its original cabinet-like format in Ghent’s St. Bavo’s Cathedral, where it is protected by a trailer-size glass container that can render it monumental and a bit remote. The new show will display 10 of the altarpiece’s panel paintings at eye level, along with a dozen other van Eyck works—thought to be around half of the artist’s surviving output—and more than 100 other artworks and objects. It is the largest van Eyck show ever attempted, and it’s so unlikely to be repeated that the museum might as well use “now or never” as a subtitle."
Link - ( New Window )
great place to sign a treaty  
Greg from LI : 1/16/2020 3:21 pm : link
.
If you're drinking a number  
Metnut : 1/16/2020 3:26 pm : link
of high ABV Belgian beers, make sure you eat and hydrate. The sweet beers can lead to awful hangover/nausea (even if you're used to drinking high abv stouts and IPAs). I know this.... from a friend.
Went to Ghent a few months ago  
DieHard : 1/16/2020 7:04 pm : link
Not as large as Bruges, but the downtown canal area has charm to it.

For chocolates, hit the Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke right near St Bavo's cathedral downtown (which is worth seeing) and Chocolaterie Cedric Van Hoorebeke (similar name but different stuff).

Breakfast/brunch and coffee at Maison Elza is good, and the manager/owner is both a hoot and a good source of local info.

For restaurants, there's good places in Vrijdagmarkt Square -- I ate at Restaurant Cassis, which has local dishes.

The bar area down by the Leie river is fun, although it probably isn't best during winter. I didn't get a chance to do the river cruise, but it seems like a pleasant way to spend a few hours. You can also get a day transit pass for 9 euro (works for all buses and trams), it's fun to just hop on and roam around.

If you're into art, the museum on the southern side of town (Museum voor Schone Kunsten) is a good visit, and right now they're doing some cool restoration work on the famous Adoration of the Lamb altarpiece from the cathedral.

The free walking tours (including beer, heh) are also good: Walking tours at 10am and 1pm.

Hope that helps.
Would recommend Bruges as well, but haven't visited Ghent.  
Jim in Hoboken : 1/16/2020 9:09 pm : link
Where are you day tripping from? Brussels or Paris? Both are awfully far from Paris.

Lille is an underrated French city, worth a visit as well.
Did France this summer, finishing in Paris  
Racer : 1/17/2020 10:38 am : link
Restaurant Le Recamier was recommended by our airbnb host and my Doctor actually recommended it 2 months before we left. We ate at the resaurant 'Eels' for our blow out Michelin star meal. I had the chef's tasting menu; pretty awesome and no more expensive that a good restaurant in the NY tri-state area.

Do a 'Secret Food Tour'. We did the one in Montmartre.

I posted in the Barcelona thread. Make sure to have drinks at the rooftop bar at the W. View looking back at the city is spectacular. Have fun.
RE: Would recommend Bruges as well, but haven't visited Ghent.  
DanMetroMan : 1/17/2020 11:10 am : link
In comment 14782778 Jim in Hoboken said:
Quote:
Where are you day tripping from? Brussels or Paris? Both are awfully far from Paris.

Lille is an underrated French city, worth a visit as well.


Jim we are taking the train from Paris but we are spending the night. Getting to Ghent early on the 23rd and leaving late morning on the 24th.
RE: Did France this summer, finishing in Paris  
DanMetroMan : 1/17/2020 11:11 am : link
In comment 14783276 Racer said:
Quote:
Restaurant Le Recamier was recommended by our airbnb host and my Doctor actually recommended it 2 months before we left. We ate at the resaurant 'Eels' for our blow out Michelin star meal. I had the chef's tasting menu; pretty awesome and no more expensive that a good restaurant in the NY tri-state area.

Do a 'Secret Food Tour'. We did the one in Montmartre.

I posted in the Barcelona thread. Make sure to have drinks at the rooftop bar at the W. View looking back at the city is spectacular. Have fun.


Thanks Racer! I will check these out!
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